Consequences of Positive and Negative Feedback: The Impact on Emotions and Extra-Role Behaviors

These studies examine employees’ emotional reactions to performance feedback from their supervisors as well as subsequent effects on attitudes and (intentions to show) affect‐driven work behaviors (counterproductive behavior, turnover, citizenship, and affective commitment). A pre‐study (N= 72) illustrates that employees regularly receive performance feedback from supervisors and that this feedback elicits different positive and negative emotions. Next, a scenario experiment (Study 1) comparing the effects of positive/negative feedback given in public/private was conducted, with a student sample (N= 240) and a sample of working adults (N= 107). In both samples, feedback has an impact on emotions and subsequently on work attitudes and behavioral intentions. The results from the scenario experiment were validated in a survey study (Study 2) among employees of a for‐profit research firm (N= 86) who reported on recalled emotions and work behaviors after receiving performance feedback during appraisals. Again, different types of feedback relate to different emotions. In turn, these emotions were related to subsequent work behaviors and attitudes. Together, these studies show that feedback affects recipients’ emotions and that such emotional reactions mediate the relationship between feedback and counterproductive behavior, turnover intentions, citizenship, and affective commitment. Ces travaux abordent les réactions émotives des salariés suite au feedback sur leurs performances en provenance de leur supérieur, ainsi que l’impact sur les attitudes et, au niveau des intentions, sur les conduites professionnelles soumises aux affects (comportements contre‐productifs, démissions, citoyenneté et implication affective). Une préenquête (N= 72) a montré que les salariés reçoivent régulièrement des informations sur leurs résultats de la part de leur supérieur et que cette situation provoque des émotions à la fois positives et négatives. Ensuite, une expérience (Etude n° 1) comparant les conséquences d’un feedback positif ou négatif exprimé en public ou en privé a été menée à bien sur un échantillon d’étudiants (N= 240) et sur un échantillon de travailleurs (N= 107). Dans les deux cas, la rétroaction avait des retombées sur les émotions et par suite sur les attitudes professionnelles et les intentions comportementales. Les conclusions de cette expérience ont été confirmées lors d’une enquête (Etude n? 2) réalisées auprès de salariés d’une société commerciale qui décrirent leurs émotions et leurs comportements professionnels à l’issue d’une rétroaction sur leur performance lors d’une évaluation. Comme prévu, les différentes sortes de feedback sont en relation avec des émotions différentes; puis ces émotions provoquent des attitudes et des conduites professionnelles spécifiques. Au total, ces travaux montrent que le feedback affecte les émotions des individus concernés et que ces réactions émotives s’insèrent dans la relation entre la rétroaction et les comportements contre‐productifs, les projets de démission, la citoyenneté et l’implication affective.     

Breath Versus Emotions: The Impact of Different Foci of Attention During Mindfulness Meditation on the Experience of Negative and Positive Emotions

Mindfulness meditation yields beneficial effects on the processing of emotions. However, it is still unclear whether the focus of attention during meditation influences these effects. In the present study we aimed at comparing the effects of breathing meditation and emotion-focused meditation on the immediate and delayed processing of negative and positive emotions. The study included 65 adult novice meditators who were exposed to positively and negatively valenced film clips. Participants were randomly assigned to three conditions. While watching the films at t1, they were asked to mindfully focus on their breath (condition 1), on emotions (condition 2), or on nothing in particular (condition 3). Ten minutes later at t2, comparable film clips were shown but all participants watched them without taking up a mindful attitude. Dependent measures were emotional states at t1 and t2. Participants of both meditation conditions particularly showed a more preferable delayed emotional reaction to negative stimuli than participants of the control condition. Breathing meditation and emotion-focused meditation may constitute effective emotion regulation strategies to deal with negatively valenced emotional states.     

Positive and Negative: Infant Facial Expressions and Emotions

One path to understanding emotional processes and their development is the investigation of early facial expressions. Converging evidence suggests that although all infant smiles index positive emotion, some smiles are more positive than others. The evidence stems both from the situations in which infants produce different facial expressions and from naive observers' ratings of the emotional intensity of the expressions. The observers' ratings also suggest that similar facial actions—such as cheek raising—lead smiles to be perceived as more positive and lead negative expressions (cry-faces) to be perceived as more negative. One explanation for this parsimony is that certain facial actions are associated with the intensification of both positive and negative emotions.     

Cross-Cultural Measurement of Positive and Negative Emotions in Adolescence: Evidence from Three Countries

Journal of Happiness Studies - Cross-cultural assessment of affective well-being among adolescents has received scarce attention in positive psychological research. The present study investigated...     

Rational-Emotive Education: A review of the literature

This article will assess the current status of Rational-Emotive Education. Attention is given to the concepts of Rational-Emotive Education, as well as specific teaching strategies. Also explored are studies attempting to assess the efficacy of using Rational-Emotive Education in the classroom. It is concluded that more scientific and comparative studies are needed in this area.Dr. Daniel N. Watter is an assistant professor of Health Science at William Paterson College in Wayne, New Jersey. In addition, he is a sex and marital therapist in private practice.     

Positive Emotions in Traumatic Conditions: Mediation of Appraisal and Mood for Military Personnel

The current study examines the relative contributions of cognitions and moods with U.S. military personnel under traumatic stress conditions. Soldiers exposed to traumatic stress conditions reported significantly elevated psychological symptoms. Both cognitive appraisal styles and mood states were related to trait resilience. Both appraisal and mood mediated the relationship between trait resilience and psychological adjustment. Current mood states were a significant predictor of psychological adjustment beyond the trait of resilience and aspects of cognitive appraisal. Positive affect did relate to better psychological adjustment even under traumatic stress conditions.     

Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention in School Discipline: A Preliminary Study

This study assessed the utility of a pilot program in rational behavior therapy (RBT) in the disciplinary processes at a large, urban junior high school. Treatment and control students were contrasted on recidivism rate and teacher behavior assessments after they participated in a condensed RBT treatment program. For two behavior ratings and recidivism rate, students who participated in the intervention differed significantly from those in the control group. Such empirical support demonstrates the potential of cognitive-behavioral interventions in school disciplinary procedures and merits further implementation and research.     

Transformational Leadership and Follower Task Performance: The Role of Susceptibility to Positive Emotions and Follower Positive Emotions

Purpose

The aim of the present study is to examine transformational leadership (TFL) from an emotion-based perspective. We apply susceptibility to positive emotions (STPE) as the moderator and follower positive emotions (PE) as the mediator in the relationship between follower perceptions of TFL and follower task performance (TP).

Design/Methodology/Approach

Survey data were collected from multiple sources, comprising 304 supervisor-subordinate dyads in 42 functional units of the Taiwanese military. Hierarchical linear analysis (HLM) was performed to examine our proposed model.

Findings

The HLM results confirmed that follower perceptions of TFL were positively related to follower PE. Further, individual differences in STPE moderated the relationship between follower perceptions of TFL and follower PE. Finally, follower PE mediated the moderated relationship among TFL, STPE, and follower TP.

Implications

This study advances understanding of when, how, and why TFL can enhance follower TP. The findings also address the complex role of STPE and follower PE in the relationship between follower perceptions of TFL and follower TP.

Originality/Value

Emotions have attracted increasing attention in the leadership literature recently, particularly with regard to the transformational leader–follower relationship. This study enhances understanding of how TFL functions by accounting for followers’ STPE. In addition, we respond to Avolio et al.’s (Ann Rev Psychol 60:421–449, 2009) call to test the mediated-moderation effect that links TFL to follower outcomes.     

Hope and Flourishing in an Iranian Adults Sample: Their Contributions to the Positive and Negative Emotions

The this study was purposed to examine the validity of dispositional hope, state hope, and flourishing measures, to investigate the relationships between hope, flourishing and emotions, and to explore the roles of gender, age, ethnicity, marital status, and the level of education on these constructs in an Iranian sample. Participants included 300 individuals (15–80 years old) that randomly selected from Eghlid city in the north of Fars province, Iran. A demographic questionnaire and four self-rating inventories were used in this study. The confirmatory factor analysis indicated a one-dimensional structure for dispositional hope, state hope and flourishing constructs in this sample. Dispositional hope, state hope, and subjective flourishing constructs were positively and negatively related to positive and negative emotions. The level of education showed the significant role on state hope and flourishing. State hope and subjective flourishing explained 14 and 8 % of variances in positive emotions and negative emotions respectively.     

The Ethical Education and Perspectives of Chinese Engineering Students: A Preliminary Investigation and Recommendations

Science and Engineering Ethics - To develop more effective ethics education for cross-cultural and international engineering, a study was conducted to determine what Chinese engineering students...     

The Health Significance of Positive Emotions in Adulthood and Later Life

A growing body of literature supports a link between positive emotions and health in older adults. In this article, we review evidence of the effects of positive emotions on downstream biological processes and meaningful clinical endpoints, such as adult morbidity and mortality. We then present relevant predictions from lifespan theories that suggest changes in cognition and motivation may play an important role in explaining how positive emotions are well maintained in old age, despite pervasive declines in cognitive processes. We conclude by discussing how the application of psychological theory can inform greater understanding of the adaptive significance of positive emotions in adulthood and later life.     

Positive and Negative Affectivity and Facet Satisfaction: A Meta-analysis

Although several studies have investigated the dispositional approach to global job satisfaction, less direct attention has been given to the relationship between dispositions and facet satisfaction. The current meta-analysis examined the relationships of trait positive affectivity (PA) and trait negative affectivity (NA) with satisfaction toward the following five job facets: work itself, supervision, co-workers, pay and promotion. In general, results suggested the presence of a dispositional component to facet satisfaction. Moderator analyses examined whether the strength of these relationships depended on the particular scales used to assess dispositions.     

Results of a Study to Increase Savoring the Moment: Differential Impact on Positive and Negative Outcomes

Positive psychology has been increasingly moving towards testing interventions to increase positive outcomes and decrease negative outcomes. One of these possible interventions involves increasing savoring the moment. During savoring the moment, one focuses on positive events while they occur to increase, intensify, or prolong positive emotions in the present. This study tested a group savoring the moment intervention to increase positive outcomes and decrease negative outcomes over 2?weeks. The sample consisted of 193 undergraduate students who completed both sessions (94 intervention and 99 control condition). The intervention group experienced significant decreases in self-reported depressive symptoms and negative affect when compared to the control group. However, positive affect did not differ between the groups. Clinical and research implications are explored.     

Impact of Education and Poverty on Terrorism in Turkey: An Empirical Investigation

This study aims at investigating whether education and poverty have a causal effect on terrorist attacks in Turkey from 1980 to 2006. The ARDL bounds testing procedure and Granger-causality analysis within vector error-correction models (VECM) are used. Results of the ARDL bounds testing procedure suggest the rejection of the null hypothesis of no long-run relationship in the where education is the long-run forcing variable for terrorist attacks. The evidence obtained from the Granger-causality analysis within VECM confirms the findings from the ARDL bounds test that there exists a long-run equilibrium relationship between these two series. Results suggest no evidence of long-run relationship between terrorist attacks and poverty.     

不同心理弹性大学新生的积极消极情绪特征

该研究采用颜色词的stroop研究范式,探讨了积极、消极情绪诱导下,大一新生对积极、消极、中性三类颜色词的反应时辨别差异与错误率。实验结果表明,在消极情绪诱导下,高心理弹性个体在消极词汇上表现出较快的反应时;在积极情绪诱导下,高心理弹性个体在积极词汇上表现出较快的反应时;内隐实验获得的情绪反应倾向与心理弹性量表所测的外显情绪反应倾向趋于一致。结论:高心理弹性大学新生具有较多的积极情绪。     

Resilience and Positive Emotions: Examining the Role of Emotional Memories

Abstract Resilience has been frequently associated with positive emotions, especially when experienced during taxing events. However, the psychological processes that might allow resilient individuals to self-generate those positive emotions have been mostly overlooked. In line with recent advances in memory research, we propose that emotional memories play an important role in the self-generation of positive emotions. The present research examined this hypothesis in two studies. Study 1 provided initial data on the validity and reliability of a measure of emotional memories networks (EMN) and showed that it had a predictive value for broad emotion regulation constructs and outcomes. In addition, Study 1 showed that positive EMN mediated the relationship between psychological resilience and the experience of positive emotions in a context of sadness, even after controlling for pre-experimental positive mood. Study 2 replicated results of Study 1 in a context of anxiety and after controlling for positive affectivity trait.     

Syntactic Features in Reanalysis: Positive and Negative Symptoms

Meng and Bader have presented evidence that a Case conflict is a more effective cue for garden-path reanalysis than a number conflict is, for German wh-sentences with subject–object ambiguities. The preferred first-pass analysis has the wh-trace in subject position, although object position is correct. In a speeded grammaticality judgment task, perceivers accepted Case-disambiguated examples more often and more rapidly than number-disambiguated examples, although comprehension questions indicated that both were eventually understood correctly. For ungrammatical sentences, a Case mismatch error resulted in more false positive grammaticality judgments than a number mismatch error. We offer an explanation for why Case and number features differ in these two ways in their effects on sentence processing. We propose, within the Diagnosis Model of garden-path processing, that reanalysis triggered by a Case mismatch guides the parser more effectively toward the correct structure. Case is a positive symptom, which carries information about the new structure that must be built. By contrast, a number mismatch is a negative symptom; it invalidates the incorrect structure without showing how to rebuild it. This difference in the transparency of garden-path repair can also account for the greater overacceptance of Case-disambiguated ungrammatical sentences. The speeded grammaticality judgment task is designed to encourage hasty responses. Usually, these are hasty rejections of garden path sentences that, on calmer reflection, the parser would find acceptable. Conversely, over-hasty acceptance could occur if some initial progress is made in resolving a grammatical problem. Thus, a higher rate of false positives on ungrammaticals is to be expected where reanalysis proceeds successfully for a while before blocking.     

The Effects of Positive and Negative Placebos on Human Memory Performances

Two experiments investigated the possible effects of memory-enhancing and memory-impairing placebo capsules (which participants believed to contain active drugs) on participants' performance in a delayed free recall task. In both experiments participants were randomly assigned to either control, positive, or negative placebo conditions, and their memory performance was tested prior to (baseline trial) and after (test trial) the administration of the placebo. Different patterns of results emerged for positive and negative placebos for actual memory performance measures. Whereas negative placebo produces standard placebo effects by impairing both free recall and accuracy scores on test trial, positive placebo does not affect either of these measures (null placebo effect). On the other hand, both positive and negative placebos produce standard placebo effects with respect to participants' self-reports of perceived changes in memory performance: those in the positive placebo group tend to report that the “drug” improved their performance, and those in the negative group tend to report that it impaired it.