Psychophysiological effects of emotional responding to goal attainment.
Effects of positive performance feedback on self-reported emotion and associated physiological responding and their relation to motivational engagement were investigated in an achievement context. To create a situation of self-relevant goal striving and goal attainment, appraisals of goal relevance and goal conduciveness were manipulated by presenting 65 female undergraduate students with a psychological test, followed by positive performance feedback. Emotional responding during the 1-min feedback showed elicitation of various positive achievement-related emotions associated with broad sympathetic activation (decreased pre-ejection period, increased cardiac output, and increased skin conductance and response rate). Individual-level emotion reports indicated distinct subgroups of participants experiencing primarily either interest, joy, pride, or surprise. Between-participants physiological reactivity was found to differ based on primary self-reported feelings. We discuss motivational antecedents and consequences in achievement-related emotions.
Kreibig
Sylvia D
SD
Department of Psychology, University of Geneva and Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, Geneva, Switzerland. sylvia.kreibig@unige.ch
Gendolla
Guido H E
GH
Scherer
Klaus R
KR
D000124:Achievement; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001676:Biofeedback, Psychology / Q000379:methods; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response / Q000502:physiology; D006040:Goals; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011603:Psychophysiology; D057566:Self Report; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D055815:Young Adult