Abstract
We present a collection of emotional video clips that can be used in ways similar to static images (e.g., the International Affective Picture System, IAPS; Lang, Bradley, & Cuthbert, 2008). The Database of Emotional Videos from Ottawa (DEVO) includes 291 brief video clips (mean duration = 5.42 s; SD = 2.89 s; range = 3–15 s) extracted from obscure sources to reduce their familiarity and to avoid influencing participants’ emotional responses. In Study 1, ratings of valence and arousal (measured with the Self Assessment Manikins from IAPS) and impact (Croucher, Calder, Ramponi, Barnard, & Murphy, 2011) were collected from 154 participants (82 women; mean age = 19.88 years; SD = 2.83 years), in a between-subjects design to avoid potential halo effects across the three ratings (Saal, Downey, & Lahey, 1980). Ratings collected online in a new set of 124 students with a within-subjects design (Study 2) were significantly correlated with the original sample’s. The clips were unfamiliar, having been seen previously by fewer than 2% of participants on average. The ratings consistently revealed the expected U-shaped relationships between valence and arousal/impact, and a strong positive correlation between arousal and impact. Hierarchical cluster analysis of the Study 1 ratings suggested seven groups of clips varying in valence, arousal, and impact, although the Study 2 ratings suggested five groups of clips. These clips should prove useful for a wide range of research on emotion and behaviour.
Highlights
Psychology and neuroscience have benefitted greatly from using standardized sets of static emotional images to learn about the nature of emotion and its influences on perception, cognition, and behaviour
The current paper provides researchers with a new collection of emotional video clips, which can be used in ways similar to static image collections
The lower response rates for arousal and impact compared to valence and familiarity may be important, but we have no clear idea how
Summary
Psychology and neuroscience have benefitted greatly from using standardized sets of static emotional images (e.g., the International Affective Picture System; IAPS; Lang et al, 2008) to learn about the nature of emotion and its influences on perception, cognition, and behaviour. Moving images are easier to remember than static images (Candan, Cutting, & DeLong, 2016; Ferguson, 2014; Ferguson, Homa, & Ellis, 2016; Matthews, Benjamin, & Osborne, 2007; Matthews, Buratto, & Lamberts, 2010) and textual stories (Baggett, 1979; Candan et al, 2016) This means that video clips may be useful in memory studies in which researchers want to keep participants’ performance off the floor, for example, when measuring memory using a rigorous test such as free recall, probing for details, or waiting a long time (i.e., days, weeks, or months) between study and test
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
