Effects of processing style on responsiveness to affective stimuli and processing fluency

In the present study, we provide direct evidence for effects of global versus local processing on responsiveness to and reliance on affective information in judgement and decision-making. Results of Experiments 1 and 2 showed an increased responsiveness to affective stimuli among participants in a global processing mode. Experiment 3 showed similar effects for processing fluency; participants adopting a global processing style showed an increased reliance on fluency. Experiment 4 replicated our findings in a more mundane judgement task in which participants judged apartments. We discuss our findings in relation to the distinction between intuitive versus deliberative modes of thinking.     

Can expressions of anger enhance creativity? A test of the emotions as social information (EASI) model

We investigated whether expressions of anger can enhance creative performance. Building on the emotions as social information (EASI) model (Van Kleef, 2009), we predicted that the interpersonal effects of anger expressions on creativity depend on the target's epistemic motivation (EM)—the desire to develop an accurate understanding of the situation (Kruglanski, 1989). Participants worked on an idea generation task in the role of “generator.” Then they received standardized feedback and tips from an “evaluator” (a trained actor) via a video setup. The feedback was delivered in an angry way or in a neutral way (via facial expressions, vocal intonation, and bodily postures). Participants with high EM exhibited greater fluency, originality, and flexibility after receiving angry rather than neutral feedback, whereas those with low EM were less creative after receiving angry feedback. These effects were mediated by task engagement and motivation, which anger increased (decreased) among high (low) EM participants.     

On angry leaders and agreeable followers. How leaders' emotions and followers' personalities shape motivation and team performance

Do followers perform better when their leader expresses anger or when their leader expresses happiness? We propose that this depends on the follower's level of agreeableness. Anger is associated with hostility and conflict-states that are at odds with agreeable individuals' goals. Happiness facilitates affiliation and positive relations-states that are in line with agreeable individuals' goals. Accordingly, the two studies we conducted showed that agreeableness moderates the effects of a leader's emotional displays. In a scenario study, participants with lower levels of agreeableness responded more favorably to an angry leader, whereas participants with higher levels of agreeableness responded more favorably to a neutral leader. In an experiment involving four-person teams, teams composed of participants with lower average levels of agreeableness performed better when their leader expressed anger, whereas teams composed of participants with higher average levels of agreeableness performed better when their leader expressed happiness. Team performance was mediated by experienced workload, which was highest among agreeable followers with an angry leader. Besides having important practical implications, the findings shed new light on the fundamental question of how emotional expressions regulate social behavior.     

Free will and mental disorder: Exploring the relationship

A link between mental disorder and freedom is clearly present in the introduction of the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). It mentions “an important loss of freedom” as one of the possible defining features of mental disorder. Meanwhile, it remains unclear how “an important loss of freedom” should be understood. In order to get a clearer view on the relationship between mental disorder and (a loss of) freedom, in this article, I will explore the link between mental disorder and free will. I examine two domains in which a connection between mental disorder and free will is present: the philosophy of free will and forensic psychiatry. As it turns out, philosophers of free will frequently refer to mental disorders as conditions that compromise free will and reduce moral responsibility. In addition, in forensic psychiatry, the rationale for the assessment of criminal responsibility is often explained by referring to the fact that mental disorders can compromise free will. Yet, in both domains, it remains unclear in what way free will is compromised by mental disorders. Based on the philosophical debate, I discuss three senses of free will and explore their relevance to mental disorders. I conclude that in order to further clarify the relationship between free will and mental disorder, the accounts of people who have actually experienced the impact of a mental disorder should be included in future research.     

Are you talking to me?! Separating the people from the problem when expressing emotions in negotiation

Emotions such as anger and happiness have pervasive interpersonal effects in negotiations. We propose that the nature of the effects depends on the target of the emotion, that is, whether the emotion is directed toward a person or a specific behavior. In a computer-mediated negotiation (N = 87), participants received either angry or happy messages from a simulated opponent, which were either behavior-oriented or person-directed. Behavior-oriented anger elicited larger concessions than behavior-oriented happiness, whereas person-directed anger elicited smaller concessions than person-directed happiness. This reversal could be attributed to the strategic value of the emotional expression, which was higher in the behavior-oriented condition than in the person-directed condition. These findings show that the interpersonal effects of anger and happiness depend critically on the target of the emotion.     

Do You Need to Have Them or Should You Believe You Have Them? Resources, Their Appraisal, and Well-Being in Adulthood

How young, middle-aged, and young-old adults use individual resources to cope with challenges and changes in their lives is likely to influence the ways they will approach late life. One of the most important barriers to using available resources is the subjective appraisal of the situation, of the available resources, and of the potential use of these resources. The present study based on 2,313 individuals (25–74 years) from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) examines the structural relations between available social, financial, and health resources, the subjective appraisal of these resources, and well-being in young, middle-aged, and young-old adults. The results indicate that the subjective appraisal of resources mediates the effects of available social, financial, and health resources on well-being irrespective of age groups. The discussion focuses on the importance of the appraisal of available resources as a precondition to successfully cope with stress, and points out avenues for intervention research.     

Unraveling the Wonder of the Ordinary: A Narrative Analysis of Meaning Construction in Memories of Familiar Routines

Familiar routines may be a source of meaning, but just as well become habitual and lose meaning. To understand this paradox, a narrative approach was used to explore how meaning is constructed in memories of familiar routines. Two types were distinguished: routines of transition and routines of harmony. Results show how meaning construction may relate to the contrast between instrumental acts in the memories and their higher purpose. In routines of transition, meaning may emerge through a temporal transformation, while routines of harmony may become meaningful through the awareness of contrasting evaluations within the routine or a contrasting wider context.     

Spatial but not temporal cueing influences the mislocalisation of a target flashed during smooth pursuit

Human subjects misjudge the position of a target that is flashed during a pursuit eye movement. Their judgments are biased in the direction in which the eyes are moving. We investigated whether this bias can be reduced by making the appearance of the flash more predictable. In the normal condition, subjects pursued a moving target that flashed somewhere along its trajectory. After the presentation, they indicated where they had seen the flash. The mislocalisations in this condition were compared to mislocalisations in conditions in which the subjects were given information about when or where the flash would come. This information consisted of giving two warning flashes spaced at equal intervals before the target flash, of giving two warning beeps spaced at equal intervals before the target flash, or of showing the same stimulus twice. Showing the same stimulus twice significantly reduced the mislocalisation. The other conditions did not. We interpret this as indicating that it is not predictability as such that influences the performance, but the fact that the target appears at a spatially cued position. This was supported by a second experiment, in which we examined whether subjects make smaller misjudgments when they have to determine the distance between a target flashed during pursuit and a reference seen previously, than when they have to determine the distance between the flashed target and a reference seen afterwards. This was indeed the case, presumably because the reference provided a spatial cue for the flash when it was presented first. We conclude that a spatial cue reduces the mislocalisation of targets that are flashed during pursuit eye movements. The cue does not have to be exactly at the same position as the flash.