Eliciting positive, negative and mixed emotional states: A film library for affective scientists

Abstract

We describe the creation of a film library designed for researchers interested in positive (amusing), negative (repulsive), mixed (amusing and repulsive) and neutral emotional states. Three hundred 20-to 33-second film clips videotaped by amateurs were selected from video-hosting websites and screened in laboratory studies by 75 female participants on self-reported amusement and repulsion (Experiments 1 and 2). On the basis of pre-defined cut-off values, 51 positive, 39 negative, 59 mixed and 50 neutral film clips were selected. These film clips were then presented to 411 male and female participants in a large online study to identify film clips that reliably induced the target emotions (Experiment 3). Depending on the goal of the study, researchers may choose positive, negative, mixed or neutral emotional film clips on the basis of Experiments 1 and 2 or Experiment 3 ratings.

A film set for the elicitation of emotion in research: A comprehensive catalog derived from four decades of investigation

“…More broadly, the present findings permit evaluation of film clips that were first piloted in a laboratory setting to elicit emotions via an online medium. To date, only two studies have validated film clips for elicitation of emotion using the internet (Aldao & Nolen-Hoeksema, 2013 ;Samson et al, 2016), and only one has evaluated the same film clips both online and in the laboratory setting as we do here (Samson et al, 2016). …”

“…Still, the mean intensity of happiness for Big Cat Diary was less than all other positively valenced films, and the mean amusement intensity was similarly lower than the comparatively positive films except for Alive. Thus, Big Cat Diary could be useful as an engaging yet mildly positive film clip, particularly in light of the drawbacks of film clips that are neutral to the point of eliciting boredom or other ambiguous emotional responses (Gross & Levenson, 1995;Hewig et al, 2005;Samson et al, 2016).…”

“…There has been a tremendous increase in the application of emotion stimuli to online research with relatively little validation. In particular, there have only been two prior studies evaluating the efficacy of film clips to elicit emotions online (Aldao & Nolen-Hoeksema, 2013;Samson, Kreibig, Soderstrom, Wade, & Gross, 2016). Moreover, previous laboratory studies have noted difficulties encountered by participants in differentiating certain emotional experiences with word labels, particularly for positive emotions (Ellsworth & Smith, 1988;Herring, Burleson, Roberts, & Devine, 2011).…”

“…Moreover, previous laboratory studies have noted difficulties encountered by participants in differentiating certain emotional experiences with word labels, particularly for positive emotions (Ellsworth & Smith, 1988;Herring, Burleson, Roberts, & Devine, 2011). Similarly, some negative emotions are frequently co-elicited and have been traditionally more challenging to reliably target, particularly online (Samson et al, 2016). For instance, anger is commonly recognized as especially difficult to elicit with standard stimuli, and there are few highly reliable film clips derived from contemporary films.…”

The Brief State Rumination Inventory (BSRI): Validation and Psychometric Evaluation

“…Participants completed the BDI-II and the RRS scales, and then watched a series of neutral video clips (5 minutes; Samson, Kreibig, Soderstrom, Wade, & Gross, 2016) to neutralize mood before the completion of subsequent parts of the experiment. Next, they filled out the mood scales and the BSRI and were randomly assigned to either the experimental (rumination, n = 30) or the control (non-ruminative self-focus, n = 30) condition.…”