A repressive coping style and affective, facial and physiological responses to looking at emotional pictures

Abstract

Previous studies have demonstrated increased physiological–emotional responses despite relatively low self-reported affect for individuals with a repressive coping style, as compared to control groups. The main question in the current study was whether such group differences could also be demonstrated by using the picture perception methodology of Lang. A second question was whether differences between these groups could be found in the habituation of physiological and emotional responses. Repressors ( n=14), ‘truly’ low anxious participants ( n=14), and moderately high anxious participants ( n=13) were selected with the Marlowe–Crowne Social Desirability Scale and the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale. Two sets of 27 pictures with alternating neutral, threatening and sexual content were presented whilst valence and arousal ratings, skin conductance, heart rate and facial muscle responses were measured. No straightforward group differences were found. However, the results suggest that differential habituation, and not a repressive coping style, may contribute to differential self-reported, facial and physiological–emotional responses.