The Mind in the Middle: Taking Stock of Affect and Cognition Research in Entrepreneurship

Abstract

In spite of substantial advances, entrepreneurship research on affect and cognition remains characterized by a multiplicity of theoretical approaches, methods, variables and measures. Although this multiplicity affords a lot of richness, it also poses potential risks – from the lack of a coherent knowledge base to the dangers of an atomistic evolution, with minimum exchanges between ‘siloed’ groups of scholars, limited theoretical integration and increased chances of redundant repetitions without real advances in understanding. To help guard against these risks and in order to augment the impact and value‐adding contribution of future research, the six papers in this special issue analyse the progress made in entrepreneurship research on (1) situated cognition, (2) fear, (3) how affective dynamics influences entrepreneurship, (4) intuition, (5) opportunity evaluation and (6) entrepreneurial team cognition. This short introductory essay builds on the synthesis of the literature to summarize ‘the road travelled so far’. The six papers forming this special issue are then introduced and their respective focus and contributions are detailed. The authors conclude by reflecting on these papers’ implications, and offer a number of observations about future research and the ‘road ahead’.