Alle Publikationen
2018
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(2018): Computer scoring of emotional awareness in a nonclinical population of young adults. In: Journal of Personality Assessment 100 (1), S. 107-115. DOI: 10.1080/00223891.2017.1282866
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00223891.2017.1282866 Abstract: The Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale (LEAS; Lane, Quinlan, Schwartz, Walker, & Zeitlin, 1990) is an open-ended measure of the ability to describe emotional reactions. Scoring the LEAS by hand is complex and time consuming (Barchard, Bajgar, Leaf, & Lane, 2010). Therefore, Program for Open-Ended Scoring (POES; Leaf & Barchard, 2010) was designed to score the LEAS quickly and easily. Using 268 undergraduates, this article compares traditional LEAS hand scoring to 6 POES methods, 2 of which are holistic methods that have never before been examined. Based on split-half reliability, correlations with measures of emotional and social intelligence, and partial correlations once response length and vocabulary were partialed out, we recommend 3 of the POES methods when testing nonclinical samples of young adults. Because POES scoring is fast and efficient, it allows more researchers and clinicians to use the LEAS, thus moving away from self-report measures of emotional awareness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)
Keywords: Awareness, College Students, computer scoring, Emerging Adulthood, Emotional awareness, emotional reactions, Emotional Responses, Emotionsforschung, Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale, psychometrics, Scoring (Testing), Social intelligence, Soziale Intelligenz, Statistical Reliability, Statistical Validity, Test Reliability, young adults -
(2018): Culture and shyness in childhood and adolescence. In: New Ideas in Psychology, S. 58-66. DOI: 10.1016/j.newideapsych.2018.04.007
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.newideapsych.2018.04.007 Abstract: Shyness refers to anxious reactivity in challenging social situations. Whereas shyness is believed to be biologically rooted, individual socialization experiences play a role in shaping its development. In this paper, I discuss issues related to culture, different forms of shyness, and adjustment. Cultural beliefs and values, particularly those related to socialization goals, are reflected in adults' and peers' attitudes toward children's shy behavior, which ascribe meaning to the behavior and, at the same time, regulate its development. Culture also determines, in part, the functional significance of shyness in terms of its relations with adjustment. It will be important to investigate the mediating role of social processes, such as evaluations and responses in peer interactions, in cultural influence on the display and developmental patterns of shyness. It will also be important to examine the implications of social and cultural changes for the development of shyness. ( PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)
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(2018): The moral psychology of anger. London; New York: Rowman & Littlefield International (Moral psychology of the emotions)
Abstract: The Moral Psychology of Anger is the first comprehensive study of the moral psychology of anger from a philosophical perspective. In light of the recent revival of interest in emotions in philosophy and the current social and political interest in anger, the editors explain its resilience in our emotional lives and normative frameworks, and examine what inhibits and encourages thoughts, feelings, and expressions of anger. This volume also examines the ways in which rage--anger's cousin--is a moral emotion, what black rage is and how it is policed in our society and how berserker rage is limited and problematic for the contemporary military. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)
Keywords: Anger, Emotions, Emotionsforschung, Moral, Morality, Philosophies, social psychology, Sozialpsychologie -
(2018): The moderating role of kindness on the relation between trust and happiness. In: Current Psychology 3 (1). DOI: 10.1007/s12144-018-9886-7
Abstract: A number of studies show that trust enhances both national and individual happiness. However, the mechanism underlying this association remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of kindness in explaining the link between trust and happiness. Specifically, it was hypothesized that the more people believe that they have done for others, the stronger is the link between trust and happiness. Ninety-one students participated in a trust game and then completed measures assessing levels of happiness, trust, and kindness. Results revealed that level of happiness was related to the frequency of acts of kindness and the level of trust showed in a trust game. This finding suggests that while trust alone is associated with happiness, being kind strengthens this relationship. It seems that without prosocial activity people may not derive much happiness from being trusting. Possible explanations for the effects obtained and limitations of the study are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved) zitiert von 1
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(2018): Influence of emotional valence on perceived psychological distance depends on emotional intensity. In: European Journal of Social Psychology 48 (5), S. 687-700. DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.2361
Abstract: Previous findings regarding the relationship between emotional valence and psychological distance were mixed. The current research examined whether emotional intensity moderates the influence of emotional valence on psychological distance. We manipulated intensity and valence by asking participants to describe a positive or negative event from either a high intensity or low intensity perspective. Studies 1 and 2 revealed that negative events were perceived to be more distant than positive events in the low‐intensity condition in two distinct cultural groups. Study 3 further proved that the obtained patterns were generalizable to different emotions. Finally, Study 4 found that a reduced alert level, but not perceived threats, mediated the interactive effects of valence and intensity on psychological distance. This research highlights the importance of considering the joint effect of different dimensions of emotion, thus advancing the understanding of complex processes of emotion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)
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(2018): Predicting intention to work with social robots at anticipation stage: Assessing the role of behavioral desire and anticipated emotions. In: Computers in Human Behavior 86, S. 129-146. DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2018.04.026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.04.026 Abstract: Social robots are designed to interact, collaborate, and work with people, engaging them at an interpersonal and socio-affective level. The goal directed model was used to study the role of socio-cognitive, affective (anticipated emotions), and motivational (behavioral desire) factors of the intention to work with social robots in the near future. The effects of robots' perceived warmth and competence on components of the goal directed model are explored as well as the effects of social robots' design (machinelike vs. humanoid vs. humanlike). Results show that the goal directed model accounts for a considerable amount of the explained variance of behavioral intention, underlining the importance of affective and motivational factors, in the intention to work with a social robot. The role of robots' perceived warmth and competence was also confirmed. Results for robot design were inconclusive. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)
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(2018): On the interaction of social affect and cognition: empathy, compassion and theory of mind. In: Emotion-cognition interactions 19, S. 1-6. DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2017.07.010
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2017.07.010 Abstract: Empathy, compassion and Theory of Mind (ToM) are central topics in social psychology and neuroscience. While empathy enables the sharing of others’ emotions and may result in empathic distress, a maladaptive form of empathic resonance, or compassion, a feeling of warmth and concern for others, ToM provides cognitive understanding of someone else's thoughts or intentions. These socio-affective and socio-cognitive routes to understanding others are subserved by separable, independent brain networks. Nonetheless they are jointly required in many complex social situations. A process that is critical for both, empathy and ToM, is self-other distinction, which is implemented in different temporoparietal brain regions. Thus, adaptive social behavior is a result of dynamic interplay of socio-affective and socio-cognitive processes.
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(2018) : Emotionen in Lern- und Leistungskontexten In: Spinath, Birgit; Dickhäuser, Oliver; Schöne, Claudia (Hg.): Psychologie der Motivation und Emotion: Grundlagen und Anwendung in ausgewählten Lern- und Arbeitskontexten: 1. Auflage: Göttingen: Hogrefe, S. 80-107
Abstract: Die Entstehung und Auswirkungen der in Lern- und Leistungskontexten auftretenden Emotionen werden aus der Perspektive der Allgemeinen Emotionspsychologie in den Blick genommen. Dabei soll herausgearbeitet werden, welche Aussagen über diese Emotionen sich bereits aus einer allgemeinpsychologischen Theorie der Emotionen ableiten lassen. Allgemeinpsychologische Theorien beanspruchen, für alle normal funktionierenden Erwachsenen in allen Lebensbereichen gültig zu sein. Dementsprechend lautet die Grundannahme bei der Anwendung einer allgemeinpsychologischen Emotionstheorie auf den Lern- und Leistungskontext, dass die dort auftretenden Emotionen von grundsätzlich derselben Art sind, nach denselben Gesetzmäßigkeiten entstehen und dieselben Auswirkungen haben wie Emotionen in anderen Lebensbereichen. Die im Hauptteil der Ausführungen beschriebene allgemeinpsychologische Analyse der Lern- und Leistungsemotionen wird anschließend mit den Annahmen einer neueren Emotionstheorie verglichen, die speziell für Lern- und Leistungsemotionen entwickelt worden ist, der "Kontroll-Wert-Theorie". Abschließend wird kurz auf die Messung von Lern- und Leistungsemotionen eingegangen.
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(2018): Timing affect. Dimension-specific time-based expectancy for affect. In: Emotion (Washington, D.C.) 18 (5), S. 646-669. DOI: 10.1037/emo0000380
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29154586 Abstract: Affective information in our environment is often predictable by time; for example, positive answers are typically given faster than negative ones. Here we demonstrate, for the first time, that humans can implicitly adapt to time-based affect predictability. Participants were asked to categorize words, with the words' irrelevant valences being predictable by the timing of their occurrence. Adaptation to this pattern became evident by better performance for typical combinations of time and valence, relative to atypical combinations (Experiment 2). A comparable adaptation was observed for predictable activation (another affective dimension, Experiment 4), but not for predictable imageability (a nonaffective dimension, Experiment 3). In none of the experiments did participants become aware of the time-based predictability. These findings have significant implications for our theoretical understanding of human time-based expectancy, as well as important implications for the scheduling of system delays in artificial interaction and communication environments. (PsycINFO Database Record zitiert von 1
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(2018): Communication of anger versus disappointment in bargaining and the moderating role of power. In: Journal of Behavioral Decision Making 32. DOI: 10.1002/bdm.2079
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/bdm.2079 Abstract: Emotional expressions can have a pervasive impact on bargaining behavior and outcomes. This widely documented phenomenon implies that in their communications, bargainers may adjust their apparent emotions. In the current paper, we developed a paradigm to study the communication of anger and disappointment, two of the most commonly experienced emotions in bargaining. The results of three experiments show that bargainers often adjust the intensity of their emotions in their communicated emotions. The findings show a differentiated pattern, revealing that bargainers rather exaggerate their disappointment than their anger, especially when the target of their communication is in a high power position. The results are discussed and related to the social functional approach of emotions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)
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(2018): Trait anger and aggression. A moderated mediation model of anger rumination and moral disengagement. In: Personality and Individual Differences 125, S. 44-49. DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2017.12.029
Abstract: Although trait anger has been shown to play an important role in aggression, little is known about mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relation. Based on the general aggression model, we investigated the mediating role of anger rumination in the association between trait anger and aggression and the moderating role of moral disengagement. Four hundred and sixty-four Chinese young adults completed the measures of trait anger, anger rumination, moral disengagement, and aggression. The results indicated that trait anger was significantly and positively associated with aggression and anger rumination mediated this relation. Moral disengagement moderated the relation between anger rumination and aggression and the relation between trait anger and aggression. Specifically, the significant relation between anger rumination and aggression only existed among high moral disengagement individuals and the relation between trait anger and aggression became weaker for high moral disengagement individuals.
2017
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(2017): Emotional-social intelligence. Development during online and on-campus holistic healthcare programs. ProQuest Information & Learning, US.
Abstract: As with traditional healthcare providers, emotional-social intelligence (ESI) plays a role in the holistic practitioner-client relationship. It is important to determine if students in holistic healthcare programs increase their ESI, and subsequently better serve their clients. The purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental study was to determine if online education can develop students' ESI at levels similar to that of traditional programs. This study is based on the theory of ESI and transformative learning theory. The sample consisted of 95 students in an online program and 61 in a traditional program. Multiple linear regression, ANCOVA, and Pearson Correlation's were used to explore the relationships between the independent variables professional standing, program delivery method, program progress, and number of classes with elements consistent with transformative learning theory, and the dependent variable emotional-social intelligence, as measured by the EQ-i 2.0 survey. The results of the study revealed no significant differences in the development of ESI between online and traditional methodologies, except within the self-expression category, for which online was higher. The number of transformative classes taken had no effect on the dependent variable. The positive social change implications of this study include a better understanding of the development of ESI for holistic healthcare, which could lead to a greater potential for success, as well as being better able to contribute to the stability of their communities through meeting the needs of those seeking their services. In addition, determining the relationship between transformative theories of learning and ESI development may assist in creating courses better suited to increasing students' ESI. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)
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(2017): Are You Smiling, or Have I Seen You Before? Familiarity Makes Faces Look Happier. In: Psychological science 28 (8), S. 1087-1102. DOI: 10.1177/0956797617702003
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28594281 Abstract: It is clear that unreinforced repetition (familiarization) influences affective responses to social stimuli, but its effects on the perception of facial emotion are unknown. Reporting the results of two experiments, we show for the first time that repeated exposure enhances the perceived happiness of facial expressions. In Experiment 1, using a paradigm in which subjects' responses were orthogonal to happiness in order to avoid response biases, we found that faces of individuals who had previously been shown were deemed happier than novel faces. In Experiment 2, we replicated this effect with a rapid "happy or angry" categorization task. Using psychometric function fitting, we found that for subjects to classify a face as happy, they needed less actual happiness to be present in the face if the target was familiar than if it was novel. Critically, our results suggest that familiar faces appear happier than novel faces because familiarity selectively enhances the impact of positive stimulus features. zitiert von 3
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(2017): Enhancing managerial effectiveness via four core facets of emotional intelligence. Self-awareness, social perception, emotion understanding, and emotion regulation. In: Organizational Dynamics 46 (3), S. 140-147. DOI: 10.1016/j.orgdyn.2017.05.007
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2017.05.007 Abstract: Emotional intelligence–—a concept proposed by academic researchers about 25 years ago–—is a set of capabilities that managers can leverage to be more effective. Equipped with emotional capabilities, managers can leverage opportunities and address challenges that they encounter on a daily basis. Managers can develop better relationships with their employees, influence them more effectively, and have better performing employees and teams to the extent that they leverage emotional intelligence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)
Keywords: Arbeits - und Organisationspsychologie, Awareness, emotion regulation, emotion understanding, Emotional Intelligence, Emotional Regulation, Emotions, Emotionsforschung, Management Personnel, managerial effectiveness, Personalmanagement, self-awareness, Social intelligence, Social Perception, Soziale Intelligenz, Supervisor Employee Interaction -
(2017): Social interaction contexts bias the perceived expressions of interactants. In: Emotion (Washington, D.C.) 17 (4), S. 567-571. DOI: 10.1037/emo0000257
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28191995 Abstract: The present study sought to determine whether contextual information available when viewing social interactions from third-person perspectives may influence observers' perception of the interactants' facial emotion. Observers judged whether the expression of a target face was happy or fearful, in the presence of a happy, aggressive, or neutral interactant. In 2 experiments, the same target expressions were judged to be happier when presented in the context of a happy interactant than when interacting with a neutral or aggressive partner. We failed to show that the target expression was judged as more fearful when interacting with an aggressive partner. Importantly, observers' perception of the target expression was not modulated by the emotion of the context interactant when the interactants were presented back-to-back, suggesting that the bias depends on the presence of an intact interaction arrangement. These results provide valuable insight into how social contextual effects shape our perception of facial emotion. (PsycINFO Database Record zitiert von 2
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(2017): The effect of reactive emotions expressed in response to another's anger on inferences of social power. In: Emotion (Washington, D.C.) 17 (4), S. 717-727. DOI: 10.1037/emo0000262
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000262 Abstract: Social perception of emotions is influenced by the context in which it occurs. One such context is a social interaction involving an exchange of emotions. The way parties to the interaction are perceived is shaped by the combination of emotions exchanged. This idea was examined by assessing the extent to which expressions of anger toward a target-which, in isolation, are perceived as signals of high social power-are influenced by the target's emotional reaction to it (i.e., reactive emotions). Three studies show that the angry person was perceived as having a higher level of social power when this anger was responded by fear or sadness than when it was responded by neutrality or anger. Study 1 indicated that reactive emotions have a stronger effect on perceived social power when emotions were incongruent with gender stereotypes. Study 2 indicated that these effects are a result of these emotions serving as reactive emotions rather than a benchmark against which the angry person's power is assessed. Study 3 showed that reactive emotions affect perceived social power by serving as signals of the level to which the high social power suggested by the first person's expression is confirmed by its target. Comparing effects of reactive emotions to anger with reactive emotions to sadness, showed that perceived social power of the expresser is determined by the nature of the expression, with some adjustment caused by the reactive emotions. This underscores the importance of social interaction as a context for the social perception of emotions. (PsycINFO Database Record
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(2017): Beyond the positive reinforcement of aggression. In: International Journal of Behavioral Development 42 (1), S. 73-82. DOI: 10.1177/0165025416671613
Abstract: Being surrounded by peers who are accepting of aggression is a significant predictor of the development and persistence of aggression in childhood and adolescence. Whereas past research has focused on social reinforcement mechanisms as the underlying processes, the present longitudinal study analysed the role of external control beliefs as an additional mediator explaining the link between peers’ acceptance of aggression and the development of aggressive behaviour. Drawing on a large community sample of N = 1,466 male and female children and adolescents from Germany aged between 10 and 18 years, results of latent structural equation modeling were consistent with the hypotheses that peer acceptance of aggression would predict external control beliefs in the social domain, which in turn, should predict aggressive behaviour over time. Additional multigroup analyses showed that the predicted pathways were consistent across gender and age groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved) zitiert von 1
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(2017): Moral conformity in online interactions. Rational justifications increase influence of peer opinions on moral judgments. In: Social Influence 12 (2-3), S. 57-68. DOI: 10.1080/15534510.2017.1323007
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15534510.2017.1323007 Abstract: Over the last decade, social media has increasingly been used as a platform for political and moral discourse. We investigate whether conformity, specifically concerning moral attitudes, occurs in these virtual environments apart from face-to-face interactions. Participants took an online survey and saw either statistical information about the frequency of certain responses, as one might see on social media (Study 1), or arguments that defend the responses in either a rational or emotional way (Study 2). Our results show that social information shaped moral judgments, even in an impersonal digital setting. Furthermore, rational arguments were more effective at eliciting conformity than emotional arguments. We discuss the implications of these results for theories of moral judgment that prioritize emotional responses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)
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(2017): Adolescent communication and its relationship to emotional-social intelligence. ProQuest Information & Learning, US.
Abstract: Over the past two decades the way in which we communicate has changed drastically with the evolution of mobile phones and the Internet. Professionals in the field of psychology have raised concerns regarding the impact these changes are having on the adolescent population. Research in this area has been vacillating between both positive and negative outcomes. The present study sought to identify a connection between time spent communicating though technology and emotional social intelligence (ESI), defined as the ability to identify emotions in one's self and others, utilize that knowledge effectively, and cope with the stress of normal life (Bar-On, 2006). In this study, 74 students from a high school in northern New Jersey completed two self report measures, the Emotional Quotient Inventory: Youth Version (Short) and a technology survey, which asked participants to estimate the amount of time they spend engaging with friends and family both face-to-face and through technology. Results suggest that time spent communicating through technology has no relationship to general ESI. However, a closer look at the components of ESI, resulted in the identification of statistically significant relationships. Contrary to the hypothesis, the more time participants reported communicating through technology, the higher their scores on the Interpersonal scale. Increased time communicating through technology was also related to decreases in the Stress Management scale. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)
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(2017) : Cultural and genetic influences on emotion: The role of motivational processes in gene-culture interactions. In: Church, A. T.: Culture and characteristic adaptations: Santa Barbara, California, USA: Praeger/ABC-CLIO, S. 35-59
Abstract: Imagine you have just arrived in a country you have never visited before. The language spoken is different from yours, and yet you find that you are able to communicate at least some of your sentiments with the local people. You can express your feelings of excitement, perhaps from being in an exotic environment, as well as your frustrations from getting a little lost. Through your facial expressions, gestures, and physiological responses—sweating palms, a racing heart, and rapid breathing—some of your basic emotions come across to the people you meet. Although the general meaning of certain emotions may be shared, are emotions experienced and expressed in the same way across cultures? How do biological factors, such as genetic and physiological processes, interact with social and cultural factors to influence emotions? In this chapter, we first review research on culture and emotional experience and expression. Next, we review the theoretical background for gene-cult ure inte raction research, and we put forward a novel hypothesis that considers the role of motivational processes in these interaction effects: the motivational setting hypothesis. We then discuss gene culture interaction research with cultural psychological findings in the area of emotion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)
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(2017): Communicating Moral Motives. The social signaling function of disgust.. In: Social Psychological and Personality Science 8 (6), S. 632-640. DOI: 10.1177/1948550616679236
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550616679236 Abstract: Disgust motivates pathogen avoidance, but it is unclear why it is also reported toward moral violations. Previous explanations have focused on identifying the type of violation specific to disgust. Here, we propose that people express disgust toward any type of moral violation in order to communicate particular motives. Unlike anger, which can be seen as self-interested, disgust communicates a more principled, moral motivation. Two experiments show that observers infer more moral motivation from an expression of disgust and more self-interested motivation from anger. Two further experiments testing participants’ own expression decisions demonstrate that disgust is chosen more to show moral concern and anger is chosen to protest harm to one’s self-interest. By shifting focus to the interpersonal effects of emotion expressions, these findings offer a new perspective for understanding the role of disgust in morality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights res erved) zitiert von: 7
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(2017): Third-party anger and being moved. kumulative Dissertation. Humboldt-Universität Berlin, Lebenswissenschaftliche Fakultät. Online verfügbar unter http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:11-100248957.
DOI: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:11-100248957 Abstract: Moralisches und unmoralisches Verhalten kann mit starken Emotionen verbunden sein. Beispielsweise kann das Beobachten einer Ungerechtigkeit echte Empörung auslösen (d. h. third-party anger). Außergewöhnliche Hilfsbereitschaft dagegen kann zu Gefühlen des Bewegtseins und der Überwältigung führen (d. h. being moved). Am Beispiel dieser Emotionen beleuchtet die vorliegende Dissertation wie Moral und Emotionen zusammenhängen. Dafür wurde die Rolle von Konsequenzen und Normen für emotionale Reaktionen und damit verbundene Verhaltensweisen anhand von sechs empirischen Studien untersucht. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Gefühle des Bewegtseins das positive Pendent zu Ärger darstellen. Während Ärger durch Normverletzungen ausgelöst wird (z. B. Ungerechtigkeit oder Respektlosigkeit), werden Gefühle des Bewegtseins durch das Beobachten positiver Normabweichungen ausgelöst (z. B. ungewöhnliche Hilfsbereitschaft oder außergewöhnliche Leistung). Diese emotionalen Episoden scheinen wesentlich für ein soziales Zusammenleben zu sein, da sie mit Bestrafungsentscheidungen, politischen Wahlentscheidungen und ehrenamtlicher Arbeit verbunden waren. Wie diese Emotionen ausgelöst werden konnte wesentlich besser erklärt werden, wenn bestehende Methoden zur Erfassung von Appraisals (d. h. subjektiven Bewertungen) erweitert wurden. Zusammengenommen zeigen diese Befunde auf, wie Appraisaltheorien auf moralische Emotionen angewendet werden können und tragen dazu bei, Verbindungen zwischen moralischen Grundsätzen und Emotionen zu identifizieren. Sie weisen außerdem auf praktische Implikationen hin, wie der Auslösung von Ärger durch Medien und der Rolle von Gefühlen des Bewegtseins in Überzeugungsprozessen. Moral and immoral behavior can elicit strong emotions. For instance, people can get outraged when they witness unfair behavior (i.e., they experience third-party anger) and they can be intensely moved and overwhelmed by exceptional helpfulness (i.e., they experience feelings of being moved). Using these feelings of third-party anger and being moved as examples, this dissertation set out to clarify how morality and emotions are related. Specifically, the role of outcomes and norms for emotional reactions and behavioral consequences were investigated within six empirical studies. Results indicate that third-party anger and feelings of being moved are counterparts: whereas witnessing behavior that violates norms (e.g., unfairness or disrespect) elicits anger, witnessing behavior that surpasses norms (e.g., exceptional helpfulness or outstanding achievement) elicits feelings of being moved. These emotional episodes seem to be highly relevant for social life as they were associated with punishment decisions, voting intentions and voluntary work. Explaining the elicitation of these emotions was improved when expanding established appraisal assessment methods. Taken together, these findings provide a framework for applying appraisal research to moral emotions and contribute to identifying links between moral principles and emotions. In addition, they point to practical implications concerning anger-induction through the media and the role of being moved in persuasion processes.
Keywords: Anger, Appraisals, Ärger, Being Moved, Bewegtsein, CP 3200, CQ 5100, emotion, Emotionsforschung, Moral, Morality -
(2017): Trait anger, neuroticism, and the hostile reaction to provocation. Examining the hierarchical organization of affective traits in context. In: Motivation and Emotion 41 (6), S. 713-729. DOI: 10.1007/s11031-017-9637-3
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-017-9637-3 Abstract: It has been suggested that the broad trait of neuroticism may predict the tendency to become aggressive when provoked. Based on functionalist theories of emotion, however, we suspected that only the more specific trait of anger would predict such tendencies. To test these competing predictions, two laboratory studies and one daily diary study were conducted. Consistent with functionalist accounts, trait anger consistently predicted the angry emotional and aggressive behavioral response to provocation, even after controlling for neuroticism. This was true in relation to laboratory-based provocations and in provocations experienced in daily life. Neuroticism only predicted a more diverse negative emotional reaction. It is therefore proposed that trait anger clearly elicits an angry emotional response, which directly motivates aggressive behavior. By contrast, neuroticism may lead to a very diverse reaction which elicits different and even contradictory behavioral tendencies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)
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(2017): Who Deserves My Trust? Cue-Elicited Feedback Negativity Tracks Reputation Learning in Repeated Social Interactions. In: Frontiers in human neuroscience 11. DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00307
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2017.00307 Abstract: Trust and trustworthiness contribute to reciprocal behavior and social relationship development. To make better decisions, people need to evaluate others' trustworthiness. They often assess this kind of reputation by learning through repeated social interactions. The present event-related potential (ERP) study explored the reputation learning process in a repeated trust game where subjects made multi-round decisions of investment to different partners. We found that subjects gradually learned to discriminate trustworthy partners from untrustworthy ones based on how often their partners reciprocated the investment, which was indicated by their own investment decisions. Besides, electrophysiological data showed that the faces of the untrustworthy partners induced larger feedback negativity (FN) amplitude than those of the trustworthy partners, but only in the late phase of the game. The ERP results corresponded with the behavioral pattern and revealed that the learned trustworthiness differentiation was coded by the cue-elicited FN component. Consistent with previous research, our findings suggest that the anterior cue-elicited FN reflects the reputation appraisal and tracks the reputation learning process in social interactions.
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(2017): Moral alchemy. How love changes norms. In: Cognition 167, S. 135-150. DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2017.03.003
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28404207 Abstract: We discuss a process by which non-moral concerns (that is concerns agreed to be non-moral within a particular cultural context) can take on moral content. We refer to this phenomenon as moral alchemy and suggest that it arises because moral obligations of care entail recursively valuing loved ones' values, thus allowing propositions with no moral weight in themselves to become morally charged. Within this framework, we predict that when people believe a loved one cares about a behavior more than they do themselves, the moral imperative to care about the loved one's interests will raise the value of that behavior, such that people will be more likely to infer that third parties will see the behavior as wrong (Experiment 1) and the behavior itself as more morally important (Experiment 2) than when the same behaviors are considered outside the context of a caring relationship. The current study confirmed these predictions. zitiert von: 2