Measuring distinct emotional states implicitly: The role of response speed.

Abstract

Affective science offers many self-report measures, but implicit measures of multiple distinct emotional states are lacking. Prior research (Bartoszek & Cervone, 2017) initiated the development of such an assessment method by examining whether ratings of the emotional content of abstract images reveal raters' emotional states. The current studies were designed to determine whether the speed of these ratings is key to the validity of an implicit emotion measure. To this end, Study 1 exploited naturally occurring variations in response times, whereas Study 2 used time pressure in responding to the implicit measure. Both studies featured a fear-induction and revealed that implicitly assessed fear correlated with psychophysiological (Study 1) and behavioral (Studies 1 and 2) responses even when controlling for self-reported fear. Importantly, results supported the construct, criterion, and incremental validity of the implicit measure only among participants who responded quickly. Study 3 employed a sadness-induction and an experimental manipulation of response times using fast-and slow-paced conditions. The emotion induction affected fast, but not slow, responses to the implicit measure. Overall, findings highlight the importance of response speed in implicit emotion assessment and suggest that the Implicit Measure of Distinct Emotional States can validly differentiate among emotions.

Five paths to personality coherence: Integrative implications of the Knowledge-and-Appraisal Personality Architecture

“…The understandings could diverge. Scientific tools could yield understandings that cannot be attained by laypersons; for example, implicit measures of emotion reveal coherence among aspects of emotional experience that are undetected with emotion is self-reported (Bartoszek & Cervone, 2017, in press). Alternatively, laypersons may achieve a coherent understanding of themselves that is obscured by some research methods.…”