title: Affective forecasting in schizophrenia: comparing predictions to real-time Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) ratings.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  "Affective forecasting" refers to the predictions people make about future affective experiences. These predictions influence decision making, which in turn might impact individuals' level of functioning, goal-directed behavior, and pursuit of potentially rewarding activities. In the current study, we explored affective forecasting in people diagnosed with schizophrenia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-four participants with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were asked to provide affective forecasts for an upcoming week. They were subsequently given a handheld mobile device that prompted them to complete "in-the-moment" positive affect (i.e., feeling active, excited, interested) and negative affect (i.e., jittery, scared, hostile, upset, guilty) ratings 6 times daily, over the next 7 days. Paired-sample t tests were used to compare forecasts to average weekly momentary ratings.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants expected more emotionally charged weeks than they actually experienced-both positive affect forecasts and negative affect forecasts were more intense than the average weekly ratings.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings of the study have implications for psychiatric rehabilitation; outlining the differences between consumer forecasts (e.g., excessively pessimistic predictions, unrealistic expectations) and actual experience can serve as a component of psychosocial interventions, including motivational interviewing, goal setting, thought challenging, and vocational rehabilitation. Mobile technologies can be incorporated for short-term data collection in the context of these rehabilitation efforts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Brenner
authors.affiliation: Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.
authors.forename: Dror
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ben-Zeev
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D040421:Cell Phone; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D057566:Self Report