Positive Arousal Research Articles

The Effects of Elevated Arousal and Mood on Maximal Strength Performance in Athletes

Optimal arousal models contend that high arousal contributes to inhibited athletic performance, whereas there is reversal theory research which indicates that high positive arousal may enhance performance. To test these claims, 22 male and 6 female elite athletes were induced into high arousal telic (goal-directed) and high arousal paratelic (non goal-directed, process focussed) motivational states and tested on a standard hand strength task. Personalized guided imagery techniques and paced breathing were used to change psychological and physiological arousal. Significant increases in strength performance occurred when arousal was high and experienced as pleasant excitement in the paratelic condition (i.e., high positive arousal). Heart rate and other indicators of parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system activity were not found to mediate between psychological arousal and performance. Where athletic performance requires maximal motor strength over a short period, performance benefits of high arousal may be maximized by restructuring motivational state.

Nicotine dependence, depression, and the moderating role of goal cognitions.

The authors examined the moderating role of goal cognitions in the process of nicotine dependence in young adult smokers. A college sample of 85 male and 78 female smokers completed measures of nicotine dependence and psychological distress. They also provided cognitive evaluations for goals related to smoking cessation on scales measuring self-efficacy, value, planning, self-reward, self-criticism, self-monitoring, social comparison, and positive and negative goal-based arousal. As has been previously established, depression had a direct and significant effect on nicotine dependence. Moreover, significant interactions between goal cognitions and depression provided evidence for the hypothesized moderating effect.

Smoking Scenes in Movies and Antismoking Advertisements before Movies: Effects on Youth

In two experiments, the authors test rival theses regarding the effects of smoking in feature films on youths and the ability of antismoking advertising to nullify those effects. Eight hundred ninth graders watched either original movie footage with smoking or control footage with the smoking edited out. Emotional reactions were recorded during viewing, and smoking-related thoughts, beliefs, and intent were assessed afterward. The findings support the Forbidden Fruit thesis, in that smoking (versus nonsmoking) scenes positively aroused the young viewers, enhanced their perceptions of smokers’ social stature, and increased their intent to smoke. However, youths’ opinions were malleable, and showing them an antismoking advertisement before the film effectively repositioned the smoking from forbidden to tainted, thereby nullifying the aforementioned effects. No support was obtained for the Excitation Transfer theory, which predicts that the positive arousal evoked by movie scenes would transfer to smokers who were depicted in those scenes. The authors discuss policy implications for film content and antismoking advertising.

An Exploratory Investigation of the Relationship between Sport Fans' Motivation and Race

The current investigation was designed to examine racial differences in sport fans' motivation. 65 Euro-Americans and 32 African Americans were asked to complete the Sport Fan Motivation Scale to assess eight different motives of eustress or positive arousal, self-esteem, escape as diversion, entertainment, economics as gambling, aesthetic value, group affiliation, and family needs. The results revealed that Euro-Americans reported higher motivation than African Americans. Further, men and women of the two racial groups differed in their motivational patterns. Discussion centers on the need for research on racial differences in fans' motivation and the possibility that certain motives may be applicable to only a subset of races.

Infant arousal in an en-face exchange with a new partner: effects of prematurity and perinatal biological risk.

Very low birth weight (VLBW) infants of higher (n = 18) and lower (n = 29) perinatal biological risk were contrasted at 4 months adjusted age with healthy full-term infants (n = 32) in their arousal during a standardized peekaboo game with an examiner. VLBW infants showed less positive arousal, more negative arousal, and 3 mixtures of behavioral cues across the peekaboo game seldom seen for full-term infants-strong cues of both positive and negative arousal, strong cues of negative arousal alone, and no strong cues of either positive or negative arousal. Contrary to expectations, perinatal biological risk did not strongly predict variations in arousal within the VLBW group. Possible changes in how internal and external sources of arousal are integrated provide one explanation for the presence of strong relationships between perinatal biological risk and social responsiveness near term age and their disappearance by 4 months of age.

AN EXPLORATORY INVESTIGATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SPORT FANS' MOTIVATION AND RACE

The current investigation was designed to examine racial differences in sport fans' motivation. 65 Euro-Americans and 32 African Americans were asked to complete the Sport Fan Motivation Scale to assess eight different motives of eustress or positive arousal, self-esteem, escape as diversion, entertainment, economics as gambling, aesthetic value, group affiliation, and family needs. The results revealed that Euro-Americans reported higher motivation than African Americans. Further, men and women of the two racial groups differed in their motivational patterns. Discussion centers on the need for research on racial differences in fans' motivation and the possibility that certain motives may be applicable to only a subset of races.

Infant arousal in an en-face exchange with a new partner: Effects of prematurity and perinatal biological risk.

Very low birth weight (VLBW) infants of higher (n = 18) and lower (n = 29) perinatal biological risk were contrasted at 4 months adjusted age with healthy full-term infants (n = 32) in their arousal during a standardized peekaboo game with an examiner. VLBW infants showed less positive arousal, more negative arousal, and 3 mixtures of behavioral cues across the peekaboo game seldom seen for full-term infants-strong cues of both positive and negative arousal, strong cues of negative arousal alone, and no strong cues of either positive or negative arousal. Contrary to expectations, perinatal biological risk did not strongly predict variations in arousal within the VLBW group. Possible changes in how internal and external sources of arousal are integrated provide one explanation for the presence of strong relationships between perinatal biological risk and social responsiveness near term age and their disappearance by 4 months of age.

Narrative Dynamics and Psychodynamics

Everyday narratives refer to events, but the act of narrating does not serve merely to retell facts. Instead, in narrating, we recount personal experience. We do this suggestively, attempting to involve the listener emotionally. We tell about conflict issues that are affecting us as positive or negative arousal, and that—in the service of integration—demand social resonance. We seek the emotional involvement of an empathetic audience in our subjective concerns. Narratives are linguistic stage productions. The storyteller directs the scene and assigns dramatic roles and degrees of involvement to the speaker-listener group. Thus, conflict-laden experience becomes something that can be articulated, and finds emotional acceptance in the social sphere. Using a psychodynamic concept of scene production, this finding, formulated in psychodynamic terms, can be implemented in psychotherapy. Stories presented by clients in the psychotherapeutic setting may be systematically viewed as linguistic enactments of conflicts and subjective concerns. The narrative-analytic program called “Jakob” is introduced. Alltagserzählungen verweisen auf Vorgefallenes. Sie referieren auf Vorfälle und Begebenheiten der Vergangenheit. Die T4aUtigkeit des Erzählens steht aber nicht im Dienst des Faktischen. Wer erzählt, präsentiert nicht Sachverhalte auf der Ebene der Information, sondern persönliches Erleben. Er tut das suggestiv. Er wirbt um emotionales Engagement beim Hörer. Der Erzähler verwesit auf Vorgefallenes, um auszudrücken und vorzuführen, in welcher Weise er darin verstrickt ist. In diesem Sinne ist das Erzählen ein Mittel egozentrischer Artikulation. Man erzählt, was als konflikthafter Gegenstand des pers4oUnlichen Interesses im Sinne negativer oder positiver Erregung destabilisierend wrksam ist und im Dienst einer Integration soziale Resonanz fordert. Gefordert ist die emotionale Beteiligung eines empathischen Publikums für das subjektive Anliegen des Sprechers. Erzählen im Alltag ist eine sprachliche Inszenierung. Der Erzähler führt Regie und gibt dramatische Rollenzuweisungen und Rollenengagements für die Sprecher-Hörer-Gemeinschaft vor. Konflikthaftes Erleben wird so im Rahmen der Erzählung artikulierbar und findet emotionale Akzeptanz im sozialen Raum. Geht man von einer psychodynamischen Konzeption der Inszenierung aus, so läß sich dieser Befund erstens psychodiagnostisch ausformulieren und zweitens pychotherapeutisch umsetzen: Erzählungen, die Ratsuchende und Patienten in er psychotherapeutischen Situation vorbringen, lassen sich systematisch als sprachliche Inszenerungen von Konfliktkonstellationen und subjektiven Anliegen darstellen; diese Inszenierungsmodelle sind interaktiv relevant. Das eraählanalytische Programm Jakob wird vorgestellt. Des narratifs de tous les jours se réfèrent à des événements, mais l'acte de narration ne sert pas à rapporter des faits. En narrant, nous racontons plutôt une expérience personnelle. Nous le faisons de faclon suggestive, cherchant à saisir l'auditeur par l'émotion. Nous parlons au sujet de conflits qui éveillent en nous des réactions positives ou négatives et qui demandent - au service de l'intégration - une résonance sociale: l'engagement émotionnel d'une audience empathique pour nos préoccupations subjectives. Des narratifs sont des mises en scène linguistiques. Le narrateur dirige le scènario et attribue les rôles et les niveaux d'implication au groupe des orateurs et des auditeurs. Ainsi, l'expérience conflictuelle devient quelque chose qu'il est possible d'articuler et qui trouve une acceptation émotionnelle dans le domaine social. Dans le cadre d'une conception psychodynamique de la mise en scène, et formulé en termes psychodynamiques, ce procédé peut être intégré dans la psychothérapie: des histoires racontées par des clients dans un setting psychothérapeutique peuvent être considérées systématiquement comme des mises en scène de conflits et de préoccurpations subjectives. Le programme narratif-analytique “Jakob” est introduit. Las narrativas cotidianas se refieren a acontecimientos, pero el acto de narrar no sirve para recontar hechos. Al narrar, màs bien, recontamos experiencias personales. Lo hacemos en forma sugerente, con miras a involucrar emocionalmente al oyente. Contamos cuestiones coflictivas que nos afectan positiva o negativamente y que - para lograr integrarlas - requirene obteer resonancia social, esto es, la involucraciòn emocional de una audiencia empàtica con nuestras preocupaciones subjectivas. Las narrativas sn producciones escénicas lingüsticas. El narrador dirige la escena y asigna roles dramàticos y grados de involucración al grupo hablante–oyente. De este modo, la experiencia conflictiva se trasforma en alog que puede articularse y encontrar aceptaciòn emocional en la esfera social. Gracias al uso del concepto psicoterapéutco pueden considerarse como sistemàticas puestas en la lengua de los conflictos y preocupaciones subjectivos. Se presenta el programa narrativo-analitico llamado “Jakob”.

Infant self-regulation of positive and negative arousal

Infant self-regulation of positive and negative arousal

Motivational implications of pain: chronicity, psychological distress, and work goal construal in a national sample of adults.

A heterogeneous national sample of adults (mean age = 40 years) employed in management positions was contacted by random digit dialing procedures and interviewed about current pain experience, work-goal cognitions, and psychological status (depression and anxiety). In accord with predictions, persistent pain experience was differentially related to the construal of work-related goals. Specifically, individuals with both persistent and episodic pain (relative to those with no pain) reported lower levels of goal-centered value, self-efficacy, and positive arousal and heightened perceptions of goal-based self-criticism, negative arousal, and conflict between work and nonwork goals. Furthermore, regression analyses revealed that goal cognition accounted for unique variance in depression and anxiety over and above the contribution of pain chronicity.

Goal-relevant dimensions of hypochondriacal tendencies and their relation to symptom manifestation and psychological distress.

A national sample of 60 male and 61 female adults completed a telephone interview that included measures of hypochondriacal tendencies, psychological distress, and symptom manifestation. They also provided cognitive evaluations for their most important health goal on scales measuring self-efficacy, value, planning, self-reward, self-criticism, self-monitoring, social comparison, and positive and negative goal-based arousal. Health goal cognition significantly predicted hypochondriacal tendencies measured 15 to 30 days after the goal assessment, even after controlling for chronic illness diagnosis. Correlations between goal cognition and hypochondriacal tendencies differed from those observed for psychological distress, and no significant correlations emerged with symptom manifestation. Results support a motivational account of hypochondriacal tendencies and extend previous goals research.

Maternal employment and the quality of daily experience for young adolescents of single mothers.

The relationship of maternal employment to subjective states, self-esteem, and parent-child experience was examined for 55 5th through 9th grade children of single (divorced, separated, or widowed) mothers. Significant relationships primarily were due to differences between children of full-time employed and nonemployed mothers, with full-time employment linked to more positive experience. Full-time maternal employment was related to higher self-esteem and to more positive daily affect and arousal. Although maternal employment was not related to percentage of time spent with mothers or the overall closeness of the parent-child relationship, it was related to more positive affect with mothers, more time spent with fathers, and a greater perception of friendliness with fathers.

Symptom patterns in late luteal-phase dysphoric disorder

The symptom patterns of 180 women with prospectively confirmed late luteal-phase dysphoric disorder (LLPDD) were examined using a careful application of factor and cluster analytic techniques. Factor analysis of premenstrual change scores on 33 common premenstrual syndrome symptoms yielded four orthogonal factors that were consistent across two sets of menstrual cycle data. These were a negative affect dimension with concomitant behavioral changes, physical symptoms, agitation, and positive arousal. Cluster analysis of factor scores grouped patients into one of five symptom patterns, the most common of which is a general distress cluster, characterized by symptoms across all dimensions. The LLPDD symptom groups identified are remarkably consistent with those of earlier studies using both normative and clinic samples, and consideration of symptom pattern differences in future research may greatly increase our understanding of this disorder.

Infatuation and Attraction to a Dissimilar Other: Why is Love Blind?

The present experiment attempted to increase understanding of the "love is blind" phenomenon. White male American undergraduates exposed to an infatuation induction with an attitudinally dissimilar female confederate showed greater attraction to her than unexposed control subjects. The use of a misattribution-of-arousal manipulation eliminated this difference in attraction between the infatuation induction and control groups, thereby providing support for the role of positive emotional arousal in creating attraction toward the dissimilar other in the infatuation condition. Evidence was also found that suggested that attraction toward the dissimilar other was based not on a distortion by the subjects of her dissimilar attitudes, but rather on a more favorable evaluation of these attitudes.

Measuring affect at work: confirmatory analyses of competing mood structures with conceptual linkage to cortical regulatory systems.

Twenty so-called clear markers of positive and negative mood (Watson & Tellegen, 1985) were applied in the current study to measure affect at work. Confirmatory factor analyses of a bipolar Two-Factor (i.e., positive and negative affect) Model and a competing multifactor model were conducted with three samples: managerial and professional workers in an insurance firm, retail sales personnel, and a heterogeneous group of students who were employed. The first-order Two-Factor Model (i.e., descriptively bipolar positive and negative affect factors) hypothesized to underlie the 20 affect items did not provide a strong fit to the data in the three samples. A first-order Four-Factor Model with descriptively unipolar factors labeled as Positive Arousal (Enthusiasm), Negative Activation (Nervousness), Low Arousal (Fatigue), and Low Activation (Relaxation) provided a better fit across the samples. These results support the measurement of positive and negative mood as descriptively unipolar factors. The measurement implications of these results as well as conceptual linkages between the four mood factors and the two major cortical regulatory systems, left-lateralized dopaminergic activation and right-lateralized noradrenergic arousal, are discussed.

The Effects of Positive and Negative Arousal upon Attitudes, Belief Acceptance, Behavioral Intention, and Behavior

Summary An experiment was performed to test the hypotheses that (a) there would be a curvilinear relationship between increased degrees of a negative communication and persuasion, while (b) there would be a positive and linear relationship between a positive communication and persuasion. Two-hundred forty college undergraduate Smokers and Nonsmokers of both sexes were given false physiological feedback in order to manipulate their perceptions of different types of arousal (positive, negative, and control) and varying degrees of arousal (low, moderate, high, and control). The results showed that perceptions of negative arousal were related to belief acceptance and attitudes, while positive arousal was related to behavioral intentions. The results also demonstrated support for Fishbein and Ajzen's theory: beliefs predicted attitudes, while attitudes predicted intentions. However, subjective norms also predicted attitudes, and both attitudes and intentions predicted behaviors. The results not only demonstrat...