Effects of Emotional Clarity and Attention to Emotion on Emotional Processes

University Of Mississippi, University MS

Investigators

Abstract

Research on brain damaged persons has shown the negative consequences of being unable to use feelings when making everyday judgments and decisions. Individuals who misinterpret their feelings, or who are unwilling to attend to feelings believing that feelings lead to poor judgments, are likely to be similarly disadvantaged when making decisions. Research demonstrating the consequences of these individual differences and exploring the psychological processes involved would provide a basis of knowledge which educators and clinicians could use to develop teaching and therapy programs to assisted persons low in these traits. The purpose of this research is to use individual differences as a tool to explore processes and consequences associated with being unable (low in the trait of emotional clarity) or unwilling (low in the trait of attention to emotion) to use the information supplied by one?s own emotions. Determining the meaning and significance of one?s emotions is certainly adaptive. Individuals who attempt to ignore their emotions, believing that emotions lead to poor judgments, or who misinterpret their emotions are likely to be disadvantaged in many cognitive processes. Specifically, three studies would manipulate mood and investigate how attention and clarity might moderate the effect of mood on judgment and decision making. One study would examine the direct effects of the traits on memory for an emotional event, confidence in that memory and in judgments about that event. One study would examine the effects of the traits on predictions of future emotion. One study would investigate whether the traits are associated with differences in reliance on situational cues (as opposed to experiential cues) when reporting reactions to the environment.