Emotional Appraisal Research Articles

Understanding the relationships among emotional exhaustion, job satisfaction, and emotional intelligence of hotel front desk employees

ABSTRACT This study was conducted to understand the relationship among emotional exhaustion, job satisfaction, and emotional intelligence of hotel front desk employees. The importance of this study are focusing on only the hotel front desk employees, and dividing emotional intelligence items into four dimensions. Surveys were carried out at 12 five-star hotels in Seoul. Emotional exhaustion was negatively related with “use of emotion.” “Others’ emotion appraisal” had a positive moderating effect between emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction. To raising job satisfaction, improving the ability to use of emotions for constructive activities, and perceiving and understanding the emotions of others are necessary.

Magic, Emotion and Practical Metabolism: Affective Praxis in Sartre and Collingwood

ABSTRACT This article develops a new way of understanding the integration of emotions in practical life and the practical appraisal of emotions, drawing on insights from both J-P. Sartre and R. G. Collingwood. I develop a concept of “practical metabolism” and show that emotions need to be understood not only as transformations from determinate to indeterminate practical intuitions, but also as transformations in the reverse direction. Firstly, I provide a new conception of the dynamic phenomenal structure of the emotions that can resolve significant tensions in the Sartre’s theory. Secondly, I develop that theory to shed light on the diverse socially mediated roles of emotions in practical life by drawing on Collingwood’s philosophy of magic. Thirdly, I deploy the notion of practical metabolism to address the appraisal of emotions, setting out a framework for understanding the various ways in which emotional expression is subject to structural breakdown.

Mixed Perspectives and Thematic Analysis in Design Education

This research explores the design of products based on users’ emotional requirements and how students can be stimulated to generate novel ideas in design education. In order to achieve these aims, multiple methods were taught to students during an online course. In the first step, the students utilised interviews, questionnaires, and mixed perspectives to design hill censers according to the users’ emotional requirements. In the second step, the researcher conducted a qualitative thematic analysis to study the students’ collected survey reports. The analytic results were then shared with students to help them quickly obtain better novel design ideas. And then, an emotional design appraisal model was built in the third step. The two main findings are as follows: first, creation in light of the stakeholder’s perspective enabled the students to come up with better design ideas quickly. Second, the ‘design method’ and ‘emotional experience’ themes obtained by the thematic analysis were found to be vital for the designers/students. Notably, the ‘design method’ theme can help students generate novel design ideas, and the students can learn the users’ needs from the ‘emotional experience’ theme.

The Effects of Emotional Intelligence and Parenting Styles on Self-Esteem in a Sample of Respondents in Nigeria

Studies consistently suggest that emotional intelligence and parenting styles are associated with self-esteem, although validation has relatively been based on correlation analysis. Using a sample of 252 respondents in Nigeria, the present study examined the relationships among parenting styles, emotional intelligence, and self-esteem with the aim of generating knowledge that transcends the nature and extent of their correlations. A bivariate analysis identified significant correlations: emotional intelligence (i.e., self-emotion appraisal, others’ emotion appraisal, uses of emotion, and regulation of emotion), authoritative parenting, and authoritarian parenting significantly positively correlated with self-esteem. There was no significant correlation between emotional intelligence and parenting styles. Results of the independent-samples t test indicated that emotional intelligence and self-esteem differed by gender. Specifically, women were more likely than men to report high self-emotion appraisal, others’ emotion appraisal, and uses of emotion. Similarly, women were more likely than men to report high self-esteem. Using multiple regression analysis, emotional intelligence and parenting styles were associated with self-esteem: being a student, emotional intelligence (i.e., self-emotion appraisal and uses of emotion), and authoritative parenting were associated with self-esteem. Emotional intelligence accounted for a larger effect on self-esteem than did parenting styles. In general, findings lend credence to the relevance of authoritative parenting in the development of self-esteem and suggest that, among components of emotional intelligence, uses of emotion and self-emotion appraisal may be considered in facilitating improvement of self-esteem among young adults at the developmental stage of increasing self-esteem. Implications of findings for research, education, and practice are discussed.

How multidimensional emotional intelligence impacts intra-organizational knowledge sharing behaviours of employees?

Purpose This study aims to assess the role of various emotional intelligence dimensions in stimulating two types of employee knowledge sharing behaviour – tacit knowledge sharing behaviour and explicit knowledge sharing behaviour. Design/methodology/approach The causal relationships among the constructs were tested by applying quantitative research methods. A questionnaire-based survey was used to draw a sample from 10 information technology (IT) organizations in India. A data set of 308 usable questionnaires was analysed using structural equation modeling technique to test the hypothesized relationships among various constructs. Findings This study found that all four dimensions of emotional intelligence, namely, self-emotional appraisal, others’ emotional appraisal, use of emotion and regulation of emotion have a positive effect on tacit knowledge sharing behaviour of employees. In addition, explicit knowledge sharing behaviour was also positively influenced by others’ emotional appraisal and use of emotion. However, no significant effect was made by self-emotional appraisal and regulation of emotion on explicit knowledge sharing behaviour of employees. Originality/value Little is empirically known about the link between emotional intelligence constructs and knowledge sharing behaviours. This study brings new insights by assessing the role of different emotional intelligence dimensions on two different types of knowledge sharing behaviour. An interesting finding advances the understanding of knowledge sharing behaviours by indicating a greater variance in tacit knowledge sharing behaviour (caused by emotional constructs) as compared to explicit knowledge sharing behaviour.

Physiological responses to a school task: The role of student-teacher relationships and students' emotional appraisal.

To be successful, students must learn to deal with socially and cognitively demanding tasks. Much remains unknown about the effects of previous classroom experiences and of students' emotional appraisal of a task on their physiological adaptive responses to it. To investigate how children's physiological response to a social and cognitive task would be directly and interactively influenced by the perceived student-teacher relationship and by children's emotional appraisal of what reaction they expect to have while completing the task. One hundred and sixteen second and third graders took part in the study. Children completed a cognitive and social stress task. Before the task, they were interviewed on their emotional appraisal of the task and on student-teacher relationships. Children's cardiac activity was registered at rest and during the task to measure physiological activation (heart rate) and self-regulation (heart rate variability). Heart rate variability during the task was positively correlated with the appraised emotional valence of the task and of being observed while doing it. Regression analyses showed that children's physiological self-regulation during the task was affected by the interaction between student-teacher relationships and appraised emotional valence of being observed. Only among children who had experienced negative student-teacher relationships, an active physiological self-regulation was observed in response to the task when they expected it to be positive compared to when they perceived it as negative. Children's emotional appraisal of tasks and the quality of student-teacher relationships are important to promote a functional physiological response of self-regulation that underlies academic functioning and well-being at school.

Contextual Emotion Appraisal Based on a Sentential Cognitive System for Robots

Emotion plays a powerful role in human interaction with robots. In order to express more human-friendly emotions, robots need the capability of contextual appraisal that expresses the emotional relevance of various targets in the spatiotemporal situation. In this paper, an emotional appraisal methodology is proposed to cope with such contexts. Specifically, the Ortony, Clore, and Collins model is abstracted and simplified to approximate an emotional appraisal model in the form of a sentence-based cognitive system. The contextual emotion appraisal is modeled by formulating the emotional relationships among multiple targets and the emotional transition with events and time passing. To verify the proposed robotic system’s feasibility, simulations were conducted for scenarios where it interacts with humans manipulating liked or disliked objects on a table. This experiment demonstrated that the robot’s emotion could change over time like humans by using a proposed formula for emotional valence, which is moderated by emotion appraisal of occurring events.

Sources of bias in memory for emotional reactions to Brexit: Current feelings mediate the link between appraisals and memories

SummaryThis investigation examined the relation between two sources of bias when people remember how they felt about political events: their current appraisals of the past political event and their current feelings about it. We assessed participants' memories for their emotional response to a major political event: the 2016 United Kingdom referendum on European Union membership. Participants reported their emotional experience and appraisals within 2 weeks after the outcome. After 18 months, participants reported their current appraisals and emotions concerning the referendum's outcome and their remembered past emotional response. The results showed that current negative emotions fully mediated the link between current appraisals and remembered negative emotions. We discuss this result within a feeling‐is‐for‐doing approach.

Entrepreneurial Action and Intention: The Role of Entrepreneurial Mindset, Emotional Intelligence, and Grit

Increasing students’ entrepreneurial mindset (EM) is one of the main goals of entrepreneurship education, which is increasingly taught across multiple disciplines. One challenge in EM education is finding an effective measure. In this work, we investigate the Engineering Student Entrepreneurial Mindset Assessment (ESEMA), which intends to measure a broad definition of EM. This paper compares the constructs of the ESEMA to those found in related measures of traits and attitudes using a sample that includes engineering students, business students, and practicing entrepreneurs. In addition to validating the instrument constructs, we explore the relationship between the ESEMA factors and measures of Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Grit. Our study confirms that the ESEMA survey loads into the six expected factors. We discover that ESEMA-Empathy and EI-Others’ Emotion Appraisal as well as EI-Use of Emotion and Grit-Perseverance are similar constructs. Additionally, our results show EM-Ideation, EM-Interest, and EI-Use of Emotion to consistently and positively relate to entrepreneurial action and intention while EM-Open Mindedness relates negatively. Overall, our study provides a better understanding of how we can measure students’ entrepreneurial mindset, differences in mindsets across disciplines and between students and practicing entrepreneurs, and the relationship of the constructs measured and entrepreneurial actions and intentions.

Returning to School Following Hospitalization for Suicide-Related Behaviors: Recognizing Student Voices for Improving Practice

Adolescent hospitalizations for suicide-related behaviors have increased in recent years, with the highest rates occurring during the academic school year. Schools are a primary environment that adolescents return to following hospitalization, making them an important context for understanding recovery following a suicidal crisis. Although previous research highlights provider perceptions for improving this transition, limited research has focused on adolescent views. This qualitative study presents findings from interviews with 19 adolescents previously hospitalized for a suicide-related crisis. Results highlight the need to strengthen social supports for returning youth. Specifically, findings suggest the importance of emotional supports (e.g., positive school relationships and a safer psychosocial school climate), instrumental supports (e.g., collaborations and communication around reentry), informational supports (clearer procedures for academics and reentry processes), and appraisal supports that acknowledge the complexity of adolescent functioning upon return. Findings reinforce the importance of the school psychologist’s role in partnering with returning youth and their families and providing consultation to other school professionals about supporting their recovery. Impact Statement This study elevates adolescent voices by describing their experiences and viewpoints regarding school reintegration following psychiatric hospitalization for suicide-related behaviors. School psychologists and other school professionals should partner with returning students and families in supporting reintegration, and collaborate to strengthen student–adult relationships upon their return. While standard protocols for supporting returning adolescents may help improve reentry processes overall, it remains of critical importance to tailor safety plans and reentry plans based on individual adolescent experiences.

Is Mental Stress the Primary Cause of Glaucoma?

The prognosis of going blind is very stressful for patients diagnosed with "glaucoma". Worries and fear of losing independence is a constant mental burden, with secondary risks of depression and social isolation. But stress is not only a result of glaucoma but also a possible cause (risk factor). This should not be surprising, given that chronic stress can trigger "psychosomatic" organ dysfunctions anywhere in the body. Why should the organ "eye" be an exception? Indeed, glaucoma patients often suspect that severe emotional stress caused their visual field loss or "foggy vision". The hypothesis that stress is a possible cause of glaucoma is supported by different observations: (i) acute and chronic stress increases intraocular pressure and (ii) long-term stress can lead to vascular dysregulation of the microcirculation in the eye and brain ("Flammer's syndrome"), leading to partial hypoxia and hypoglycaemia (hypo-metabolism). Even if nerve cells do not die, they may then become inactive ("silent" neurons). (iii) Degenerative changes have been reported in the brain of glaucoma patients, affecting not only anterograde or transsynaptic areas of the central visual pathway, but degeneration is also found (iv) in brain areas involved in emotional appraisal and the physiological regulation of stress hormones. There are also psychological hints indicating that stress is a cause of glaucoma: (v) Glaucoma patients with Flammer's syndrome show typical personality traits that are associated with low stress resilience: they often have cold hands or feet, are ambitious (professionally successful), perfectionistic, obsessive, brooding and worrying a lot. (vi) If stress hormone levels and inflammation parameters are reduced in glaucoma patients by relaxation with meditation, this correlates with normalisation of intraocular pressure, and yet another clue is that (vii) visual field improvements after non-invasive current stimulation therapy, that are known to improve circulation and neuronal synchronisation, are much most effective in patients with stress resilient personalities. An appreciation of stress as a "cause" of glaucoma suggests that in addition to standard therapy (i) stress reduction through relaxation techniques should be recommended (e.g. meditation), and (ii) self-medication compliance should not be induced by kindling anxiety and worries with negative communication ("You will go blind!"), but communication should be positive ("The prognosis is optimistic").

HR Managers’ Emotions in Strategic Decision-Making Events: Evidence from Croatia

The inclusion of emotions in the strategic decision-making research is long overdue. This paper deals with the emotions that human resource managers experience when they participate in a strategic problem-solving event or a strategic planning event. We examine the patterns in the intensity of experienced emotions with regard to event appraisal (from a personal perspective and the organization’s perspective), job satisfaction, and coexistence of emotions. The results reveal that enthusiasm is the most intensely experienced emotion for positively appraised strategic decision-making events, while frustration is the most intensely experienced emotion for negatively appraised problem-solving events, as is disappointment for strategic planning. The distinction between a personal and organizational perspective of the event appraisal reveals differences in experienced emotions, and the intensity of experienced anger is the best indicator of the difference in the event appraisals from the personal and organizational perspective. Both events reveal the variety of involved emotions and the coexistence of—not just various emotions, but also emotions of different dominant valence. The findings indicate that a strategic problem-solving event triggers greater emotional turmoil than a strategic planning event. The paper also discusses theoretical and practical implications.

Violence Exposure Is Associated With Atypical Appraisal of Threat Among Women: An EEG Study.

IntroductionThe present study investigates the association of lifetime interpersonal violence (IPV) exposure, related posttraumatic stress disorder (IPV-PTSD), and appraisal of the degree of threat posed by facial avatars.MethodsWe recorded self-rated responses and high-density electroencephalography (HD-EEG) among women, 16 of whom with lifetime IPV-PTSD and 14 with no PTSD, during a face-evaluation task that displayed male face avatars varying in their degree of threat as rated along dimensions of dominance and trustworthiness.ResultsThe study found a significant association between lifetime IPV exposure, under-estimation of dominance, and over-estimation of trustworthiness. Characterization of EEG microstates supported that lifetime IPV-PTSD modulates emotional appraisal, specifically in encoding and decoding processing associated with N170 and LPP evoked potentials. EEG source localization demonstrated an overactivation of the limbic system, in particular the parahippocampal gyrus, in response to non-threatening avatars. Additionally, dysfunctional involvement of attention-related processing anterior prefrontal cortex (aPFC) was found in response to relatively trustworthy avatars in IPV-PTSD individuals compared with non-PTSD controls.DiscussionThis study showed that IPV exposure and related PTSD modulate individuals’ evaluation of facial characteristics suggesting threat. Atypical processing of these avatar characteristics was marked by group differences in brain regions linked to facial processing, emotion regulation, and memory.

Obsessive belief and emotional appraisal correlates of symptom dimensions and impairment in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Background:Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a heterogeneous and debilitating illness. Symptom dimensions of OCD lend homogeneous avenues for research. Variations in one's appraisal of thoughts and emotions can influence symptom dimensions and impairment. However, little is known about the combined influence of these appraisals in OCD. A clear understanding of these relationships has putative treatment implications.Aim:The aim of the study is to examine the associations among obsessive beliefs, emotional appraisals, and OCD symptom dimensions in adults.Materials and Methods:We examined 50 drug-naïve/drug-free adults with active OCD. Symptom dimensions and impairment were assessed using the Dimensional Yale–Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Severity Scale. Obsessive beliefs and emotional appraisals were studied using the Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire-44 and Perception of Threat from Emotion Questionnaire.Results:Tobit regression analysis showed the differential association of obsessive beliefs and symptom dimensions – perfectionism/certainty associated with contamination and responsibility/threat estimation associated with aggressive obsessions. Impairment was associated with dimensional symptom severities and with the perception of threat from anger. This association remained even after controlling for depression severity and obsessive beliefs.Conclusions:OCD symptom dimensions are heterogeneous in underlying obsessive beliefs. Emotional appraisals contribute significantly to impairment alongside symptom severity. Emotion-focused interventions must be included in the psychotherapeutic interventions for OCD.

A Study on the Effect of Perceived Emotional Intelligence of Members on Self-Efficacy and Job Satisfaction

Emotional intelligence is affecting all parts of the workplace and plays an important role in the organization. In this study, we would like to confirm the effects of emotional intelligence on self-efficacy and job satisfaction that members perceive. In this study, an online questionnaire was conducted for members of medical institutions in Gyeonggi Province (excluding doctors) to test the hypothesis. The measurement used a Likert 5-point scale and the measurement items consisted of a total of 31 questions. The statistical analysis was performed using technical statistical analysis, exploratory factor analysis, reliability analysis, correlation analysis, and regression analysis using SPSS 22.0. The results of the study are First, in the influence of the emotional intelligence of the members on the self-efficacy, the negative effect of self-emotion appraisal appeared, the influence of other's emotion appraisal did not appear, and the regulation of emotion and use of emotion were significant. This can confirm the tendency of an individual's beliefs and levels of immersion to achieve goals, etc. to fall when there is insufficient understanding of one's own feelings and others' feelings. On the other hand, it was confirmed that members who actively reflect emotion control and emotion use have their own confidence in determining and performing the choice and intensity of necessary actions. Second, the effects of emotional intelligence on job satisfaction of members showed negative effects on self-emotion appraisal, and positive effects on other's emotion appraisal, regulation of emotion, and use of emotion. Third, it was confirmed that self-efficacy also had a high impact on job satisfaction. This study will be meaningful in examining the organization from a long-term perspective to vitalize the organization by utilizing emotional intelligence of medical institution members and finding solutions for organizational improvement.

Emotional intelligence and well-being: Associations and sex- and age-effects during adolescence.

Several studies have suggested that trait and ability-based measures of emotional intelligence (EI) contribute to the promotion of well-being in adults. However, this relationship has not been sufficiently explored among adolescents. The present study aims to: i) investigate the associations between EI dimensions and well-being indicators (self-esteem, life satisfaction and social anxiety) in adolescents; and ii) analyze the effect of sex and age on dimensions of EI. The sample consisted of 1066 adolescents (57.9%girls and 42.1%boys), aged between 11 and 18 years (M = 14.36; SD = 1.58). Participants completed sociodemographic and validated psychosocial measures. Correlation analysis indicated that EI dimensions (self-emotion appraisal, use of emotions and regulation of emotions) were positively and moderately correlated with self-esteem and life satisfaction, whereas associations between EI and social anxiety dimensions were small and negative. Boys reported higher levels of self-emotion appraisal, use of emotions and regulation of emotions, whereas girls showed higher levels of other-emotions appraisal. Age was negatively associated with the use of the emotions dimension and positively correlated with the emotional appraisal of others, although both correlation coefficients were small. Our study findings suggest the need and importance of implementing emotional education practices during adolescence.

Does Religion, and Culture Shapes Personal Moral Philosophies (Idealism and Relativism): A mediatory Model Explaining Emotional Intelligence, and Consumer Ethics Nexus in Pakistan

Research in moral psychology indicates that moral emotions have a significant role in ethical decision-making. Thus, the ability to experience, perceive, and regulate emotions should influence consumers’ ethical decision-making. However, the bigger challenge is to find out how Religion and Culture shape their moral judgment, and how this may influence consumer ethics. To answer this, we propose a theoretical framework hypothesizing emotionally intelligent people would more religious and spiritually awake. They are also not culturally influenced having an individualistic attitude. These factors would shape their moral philosophy, this in turn helps consumers make ethical decisions. For this, we modified the Chowdhury (2017) model by adding cultural, religious, and spiritual factors. Emotional Intelligence was measured by (Wong and Law2002) scale has three dimensions namely: 1. Self-Emotions Appraisal (SEA), 2.Others’ Emotions Appraisal (OEA), and 3.Regulation of Emotions (ROE). Religiosity was measured by Extrinsic and Intrinsic factors. Personal Moral Philosophies was measured by (Forsyth1980) Scale consisting of Idealism, and Relativism. And lastly, consumer Ethics consists of four dimensions namely, 1. Actively benefiting from illegal activities (ACTIVE), 2. Passively benefiting at the expense of the seller (PASSIVE), 3. Actively benefiting from legal but questionable practices (DECEPTIVE), and 4. Doing good actions (NOHARM). Empirical validity was established by conducting a survey using a close-ended questionnaire. Data was collected from 270 Pakistani consumers and analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and structured equation modeling. Results suggested SEA and ROE directly and positively affect the PASSIVE dimension. SEA also seems to positively and significantly affect both forms of religiosity, spirituality, Idealism, and Relativism. Relativism is also affected positively by both OEA and ROE. Similarly, OEA has a significant and positive impact on intrinsic religiosity, spirituality, and individualism. ROE affects extrinsic religiosity negatively and individualism positively. Some other interesting findings suggested intrinsic religiosity and Spirituality leads to Relativism, whereas extrinsic religiosity leads to Idealism. Individualism having a significant and positive effect on both Idealism and Relativism. Surprisingly, ACTIVE is positively affected by Idealism whereas negatively affected by Relativism. Idealism seems to positively affect both DECEPTIVE, and NOHARM. Lastly, Relativism seems to positively affect the PASSIVE dimension of consumer ethics.

Emotional dysregulation in adults: The influence of rumination and negative secondary appraisals of emotion

BackgroundEmotional dysregulation is commonly discussed as a transdiagnostic factor in clinical populations. The present study aims to investigate cognitive factors (rumination and negative appraisals of emotion) in the maintenance of emotional dysregulation in a normative sample in order to partially validate a cognitive model of emotional dysregulation and to examine the potential clinical relevance of addressing cognitive factors in the treatment of emotional dysregulation. MethodsPeople who were 18 or older were asked to participate via a university research system and social media. Participants (N = 216) were asked to fill out online surveys regarding emotional dysregulation, rumination and negative secondary appraisals of emotion. ResultsPeople who had higher emotional dysregulation levels displayed a greater tendency to ruminate and were more prone to negative secondary appraisals of emotion. There was a positive association between rumination and negative secondary appraisals of emotion, and this association was mediated by emotional dysregulation. LimitationsThe present study was solely based on self-report measurements and the collected data were cross-sectional. ConclusionsThe present study showed that a wide spectrum of experiences of emotional dysregulation occurred in a normative sample. The significant mediation highlighted the maintaining role of rumination and negative appraisals in emotional dysregulation. These data highlight the importance of addressing cognitive factors in emotional dysregulation.

Continuous emotion recognition during music listening using EEG signals: A fuzzy parallel cascades model

A controversial issue in artificial intelligence is human emotion recognition. This paper presents a fuzzy parallel cascades (FPC) model for predicting the continuous subjective emotional appraisal of music by time-varying spectral content of electroencephalogram (EEG) signals. The EEG, along with an emotional appraisal of 15 subjects, was recorded during listening to seven musical excerpts. The emotional appraisement was recorded along the valence and arousal emotional axes as a continuous signal. The FPC model was composed of parallel cascades with each cascade containing a fuzzy logic-based system. The FPC model performance was evaluated using linear regression (LR), support vector regression (SVR), and Long–Short-Term-Memory recurrent neural network (LSTM-RNN) models by 4 fold cross-validation. The root mean square error (RMSE) of the FPC was lower than other models in the estimation of both valence and arousal of all musical excerpts. The lowest obtained RMSE was 0.082, which was acquired by the FPC model. The analysis of mutual information of frontal EEG with the valence confirms the role of frontal channels in the theta frequency band in emotion recognition. Considering the dynamic variations of musical features during songs, employing a modeling approach to predict dynamic variations of the emotional appraisal can be a plausible substitute for the classification of musical excerpts into predefined labels.

Trustworthiness and electrocortical processing of emotionally ambiguous faces in student police officers

Perceptions of emotional facial expressions and trustworthiness of others guides behavior and has considerable implications for individuals who work in fields that require rapid decision making, such as law enforcement. This is particularly complicated for more ambiguous expressions, such as ‘neutral’ faces. We examined behavioral and electrocortical responses to facial expressions in 22 student police officers (18 males; 23.2 ± 3.63 years). Participants completed an emotional face appraisal task that involved viewing three expressions (fearful, neutral, happy) and were asked to identify the emotion and rate the trustworthiness of each face. The late positive potential (LPP), an event-related potential that tracks emotional intensity and/or salience of a stimulus, was measured during the task. Overall, participants rated neutral faces similarly to fearful faces and responded fastest to these expressions. Neutral faces also elicited a robust late LPP response that did not differ from LPP to fearful or happy faces, and there was substantial individual variation in trustworthiness ratings for neutral faces. Together, ‘neutral’ facial expressions elicited similar trustworthiness ratings to negatively-valenced stimuli. Brain and behavioral responses to neutral faces also varied across student officers; thus, encounters with ambiguous faces in the field may promote increased perceived threat in some officers, which may have real-world consequences (e.g., decision to shoot, risk of psychopathology).