AFFECTIVE INFLUENCES ON SELF AND OTHER PERCEPTION

Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh PA

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Abstract

This is a request for a small grant (RO3). The overall objective of the proposed research is to examine the mechanisms through which affect influences perceptions of distressed individuals and willingness to provide support for such individuals. The first study develops an empirical foundation for understanding relations among affective elicitors, experience, expressions, and bodily changes. The second study examines how individual differences, a stress manipulation, and an accountability manipulation interactively influence impression, especially (a) empathic accuracy regarding a stressed target individual and (b) willingness to provide support for the target individual. The third study examines how individual differences and a specific mood induction (sadness, anger, serenity, happiness, and neutrality) interactively influence impression formation, especially (a) the depth of cognitive processing about a distressed target individual, (b) sympathy for the target individual, and (c) willingness to provide emotional support for the target individual. The results have implications for mental health research, revealing how different kinds of affect influence the cues people use when forming impressions of stressed individuals. The results also have implications for health and mental health, revealing the circumstances under which stressed individuals are more or less likely to receive meaningful support from others.