Multi-attribute choice and affect: The influence of naturally occurring and manipulated moods on choice processes

Based on a two-dimensional model of affect that views Pleasantness and Arousal as affect's two primary dimensions, this study investigates the effects of emotions on choice processes and outcomes. In Study 1, subjects first described their naturally occurring emotional state and then performed two multi-attribute product choice tasks. Subjects in more pleasant mood deliberated longer, used more decision-related information, re-examined more previously examined information, and made more interdimensional moves. Subjects in more aroused mood spent less time deliberating, revealed less information, ignored more product-describing attributes, and re-examined less of previously examined information. Study 2 replicated many of these effects with experimentally manipulated emotions and using a managerial decision-making task. The results are interpreted in terms of (1) a congruency between one's hedonic state and selected decision strategy and (2) a restriction in attentional capacity induced by increased Arousal.     

Neural correlates of affective influence on choice

Making the right choice depends crucially on the accurate valuation of the available options in the light of current needs and goals of an individual. Thus, the valuation of identical options can vary considerably with motivational context. The present study investigated the neural structures underlying context dependent evaluation. We instructed participants to choose from food menu items based on different criteria: on their anticipated taste or on ease of preparation. The aim of the manipulation was to assess which neural sites were activated during choice guided by incentive value, and which during choice based on a value-irrelevant criterion. To assess the impact of increased motivation, affect-guided choice and cognition-guided choice was compared during the sated and hungry states. During affective choice, we identified increased activity in structures representing primarily valuation and taste (medial prefrontal cortex, insula). During cognitive choice, structures showing increased activity included those implicated in suppression and conflict monitoring (lateral orbitofrontal cortex, anterior cingulate). Hunger influenced choice-related activity in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex. Our results show that choice is associated with the use of distinct neural structures for the pursuit of different goals.     

An Eastern Orthodox Theological Basis for Interplanetary Environmental Ethics

As a result of our technological advances in space exploration, human enterprise is no longer limited to the confines of planet Earth. Although several philosophical approaches to environmental ethics have already been advocated for human encounters with other planets such as Mars, it may be argued that various religious worldviews will significantly influence these suggested value systems. In this article, we present an Eastern Orthodox Christian interpretation of Creation and explore the theological meaning of the human vocation as Priests of Creation. An appropriate application of these two principles provides a theological basis for an interplanetary eco-praxis.     

The Differential Effects of Negative Affectivity on Measures of Well-being versus Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment

This paper reports an empirical study of the self-reported psychological strain, ill-health, job satisfaction and organizational commitment of 2450 public sector employees located in Western Australia. The framework used to predict these variables is a demands, supports-constraints framework. The key theoretical issue explored is the differential roles of negative affectivity in predicting the outcomes from this framework. Four different pathways are explored which are taken from Moyle ( Journal of Organizational Behaviour , 16 (1995), 647-668). Multiple regression methods are used to control for negative affectivity and other effects such as curvilinear relationships. The results show that negative affectivity has a variety of effects on both health and job attitude variables but the effects are much larger for the health variables. The conclusion recommends that, in studies that rely on all self-report data, the various possible effects of personality variables such as negative affectivity should be explored in preference to ignoring them.     

Cycling: A benefit for health or just a means of transport? Case study Brno (Czech Republic) and its surroundings

Reducing pollution and preventing heavy traffic in cities together with recent transport policies are encouraging people to use more sustainable modes of transport, such as walking, cycling or public transport, in preference to private cars. The study was aimed at analysing general conditions for bicycle utilization, and their application to the outskirts of the largest Moravian town, Brno, and discussing the possible future of bicycling in this region, including its relation to health. What motivating factors could influence people’s decision to use bicycles as a means of transport? A survey was conducted at the third-largest university in Brno, where the respondents were approached. According to the obtained results, more than half of the respondents used bicycles mostly for leisure purposes. Nevertheless, almost one-third mentioned bicycling for transport purposes. Thus, there is a potential for cycling to become a significant part of transport and thus contribute to human health and a healthy city environment; however, the region should considerably adjust its infrastructure to encourage cyclists to visit Brno and its surroundings.     

Validation of physical activity habit strength with subjective and objective criterion measures

ObjectivesA German version of the Self-reported Habit Strength Index (SRHI) for both sports and everyday physical activity (PA) was validated against subjective and objective criterion measures of PA.Design and methodData were obtained from 260 participants (21.4% women) in study 1 and 86 participants (58.1% women) in study 2. Both studies assessed habit strength for PA (sports and everyday PA) by the SRHI and PA by the Baecke Questionnaire (Sport, Leisure and Work Index) as subjective criterion measure, as well as by accelerometry (Step Activity Monitor or GTM1 Actigraph) as objective criterion measure. Bivariate correlations as well as path analyses were computed for the associations between the SRHI scores and subjective and objective criterion measures of PA.ResultsHighest associations for subjective criterion measure were found for habit strength for sports and the Sport Index in both studies. The Leisure Index was predicted by habit strength for sports and everyday PA. For objective criterion measures, habit strength for sports was most significantly associated with total PA in study 1 and moderate intense PA in study 2. Habit strength for everyday PA was a significant predictor of moderate intense and total PA in study 1 and low intense PA in study 2.ConclusionThe present studies replicated high internal consistencies of the SRHI for sports and everyday PA and could partially confirm their validity with subjective and objective criterion measures. The SRHI for sports seems to be more robust than the SRHI for everyday physical activity.     

Including or excluding religion and worldviews in schools? Finnish teachers’ and teacher students’ perceptions

ABSTRACT

How schools navigate between the demands presented by secularisation, and the increasing plurality of religious traditions has become a very topical issue in many European countries, including Finland, in recent decades. The question is both practical and philosophical by nature because the ways in which various beliefs and values are represented in school practices and teaching content profoundly concern the educational mission of the schools. However, despite the topicality of the issue, little attention has been given to teachers’ perceptions on whether public schools should, or should not, provide space for various religions and worldviews to become visible within the school life, and how schools should respond in practice to the perceived needs. In order to gain new knowledge on the topic, this study investigated Finnish teachers’ and university students’ (N = 181) perceptions of the representations of religions and worldviews, based on the perspectives of inclusion and exclusion. The statistical analysis revealed three factors titled as ‘Religiously responsive approach’, ‘Secularist approach’ and ‘Equal visibility approach’. According to the main findings, current and future educators show various degrees of inter-religious sensitivity but principally supported the equal visibility of various traditions, rather than favouring strongly inclusivist or exclusivist practices.     

Incidental anger and the desire to evaluate

Our results indicate that people experiencing incidental anger are more likely than people in neutral and other emotional states to prefer to perform evaluative tasks, even though their anger may bias the evaluations they make. Induced anger increased participants’ desire to evaluate others’ ideas (Experiment 1) and made the evaluations of those ideas more negative in valence (Experiment 2). Anger increased the appeal of evaluating ideas when evaluations were expected to be largely negative but not when evaluations were expected to be positive (Experiments 3 and 4). Mediation analyses revealed that this willingness to evaluate when angry stems from a belief that evaluating others can leave angry people in a positive mood. Because people are often free to decide when to perform the tasks required of them, this tendency may have implications for how and when ideas are evaluated.     

Consciousness about own and others' affects: a study of the validity of a revised version of the Affect Consciousness Interview

This study presents a modified version of the affect consciousness interview ( Monsen, Eilertsen, Melgård & Ödegård, 1996 ), intended to capture the individual's affective consciousness. The aim of the modified version – The Affect Consciousness Interview – Revised (ACI‐R) – is to measure consciousness about own and others’ affects. Three groups of patients (with eating disorder, relational and social problems or stress‐related problems), and one non‐clinical group were included in the study (N= 95). The results indicated that it was possible to achieve adequate interrater reliability, that the scores correlated meaningfully with other measures of mental functioning, and that the interview discriminated between different clinical groups and non‐clinical participants. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that the ACI‐R is a promising instrument and that it should be explored further in order to study the organization of self‐experiences and the ability to be emotionally present in interactions with others.     

Mode and tempo relative contributions to “happy-sad” judgements in equitone melodies

Judgement of emotion conveyed by music is determined notably by mode (major-minor) and tempo (fast-slow). This suggestion was examined using the same set of equitone melodies, in two experiments. Melodies were presented to nonmusicians who were required to judge whether the melodies sounded “happy” or “sad” on a 10-point scale. In order to assess the specific and relative contributions of mode and tempo to these emotional judgements, the melodies were manipulated so that the only verying characteristic was either the mode or the tempo in two “isolated” conditions. In two further conditions, mode and tempo manipulations were combined so that mode and tempo either converged towards the same emotion (Convergent condition) or suggested opposite emotions (Divergent condition). The results confirm that both mode and tempo determine the “happy-sad” judgements in isolation, with the tempo being more salient, even when tempo salience was adjusted. The findings further support the view that, in music, structural features that are emotionally meaningful are easy to isolate, and that music is an effective and reliable medium to study emotions.     

Breaking and creating habits on the working floor: A field-experiment on the power of implementation intentions

Previous research has shown that implementation intentions are effective tools to promote new behavior. The present study aimed to provide the first evidence that conscious planning is an effective tool in replacing well-learned habits with new habits. This was tested in a field-experiment on repetitive behavior in the domain of recycling, using 109 employees of a tele-company as participants. Recycling behavior of the participants was observed by the actual amount of paper and the number of plastic cups in their personal wastebaskets. Following a pre-measure, participants were assigned to either implementation intention conditions, conditions in which an eye-catching facility was placed to promote recycling behavior, or control conditions. Recycling behavior was substantially improved in the facility as well as the implementation intention conditions in week 1 and week 2 and still 2 months after the manipulation. These data supported our hypothesis that planning breaks down unwanted habits and creates new ones.     

Are fluctuations in personality states more than fluctuations in affect?

People fluctuate in their behavior as they go about their daily lives, but little is known about the processes underlying these fluctuations. In two ecological momentary assessment studies (Ns = 124, 415), we examined the extent to which negative and positive affect accounted for the within-person variance in Big Five states. Participants were prompted six times a day over six days (Study 1) or four times a day over two weeks (Study 2) to report their recent thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Multilevel modeling results indicated that negative and positive affect account for most, but not all, of the within-person variance in personality states. Importantly, situation variables predicted variance in some personality states even after accounting for fluctuations in affect, indicating that fluctuations in personality states may be more than fluctuations in state affect.