Full throttle:Demonstrating the speed, accuracy, and validity of a new method for continuous two-dimensional self-report and annotation

Research on fine-grained dynamic psychological processes has increasingly come to rely on continuous self-report measures. Recent studies have extended continuous self-report methods to simultaneously collecting ratings on two dimensions of an experience. For all the variety of approaches, several limitations are inherent to most of them. First, current methods are primarily suited for bipolar, as opposed to unipolar, constructs. Second, respondents report on two dimensions using one hand, which may produce method driven error, including spurious relationships between the two dimensions. Third, two-dimensional reports have primarily been validated for consistency between reporters, rather than the predictive validity of idiosyncratic responses. In a series of tasks, the study reported here addressed these limitations by comparing a previously used method to a newly developed two-handed method, and by explicitly testing the validity of continuous two-dimensional responses. Results show that our new method is easier to use, faster, more accurate, with reduced method-driven dependence between the two dimensions, and preferred by participants. The validity of two-dimensional responding was also demonstrated in comparison to one-dimensional reporting, and in relation to post hoc ratings. Together, these findings suggest that our two-handed method for two-dimensional continuous ratings is a powerful and reliable tool for future research

The voluntary control of piloerection

Autonomic nervous systems in the human body are named for their operation outside of conscious control. One rare exception is voluntarily generated piloerection (VGP)—the conscious ability to induce goosebumps—whose physiological study, to our knowledge, is confined to three single-individual case studies. Very little is known about the physiological nature and emotional correlates of this ability. The current manuscript assesses physiological, emotional, and personality phenomena associated with VGP in a sample of thirty-two individuals. Physiological descriptions obtained from the sample are consistent with previous reports, including stereotypical patterns of sensation and action. Most participants also reported that their VGP accompanies psychological states associated with affective states (e.g., awe) and experience (e.g., listening to music), and higher than typical openness to new experiences. These preliminary findings suggest that this rare and unusual physiological ability interacts with emotional and personality factors, and thus merits further study

Opening up Openness to Experience: An appraisal process approach towards understanding individual differences in epistemic engagement

This thesis offers new insights into the relationship between epistemic engagement and the personality domain of Openness to Experience. The unique influence of the lower order aspects of Openness and Intellect on engagement was evaluated. Particularly, the proposal that Openness and Intellect represent individual differences in engagement with diverging information is tested—Openness with sensory and perceptual, and Intellect with abstract and semantic. Additionally, a process-based understanding for the differences between the aspects in the context of engagement with information was sought. Such an understanding can shift Openness/Intellect beyond a descriptive construct, and provide explanations for relationships between the domain and epistemic engagement. Four studies evaluated whether Openness and Intellect were differentially related to interest in various informational stimuli—quotations, visual art, philosophy and science. Openness was the consistent predictor of interest in all stimuli. The influence of Openness on engagement was consistently qualified by appraisal-emotion contingencies. Openness was associated with stronger novelty-interest relationships suggesting a reactivity to novel and complex situations. The implications of this finding for the previously observed relationships between Openness, Intelligence, and Educational outcomes are discussed. The lack of associations between engagement and Intellect is, in part, explained by the measurement of the construct being misaligned with its conceptualisation. Overall, these findings suggest that a clear engagement distinction between Openness and Intellect in terms of stimulus type is premature. Instead, Openness seems to currently represent the affective engagement aspect of the domain, while Intellect is related to greater understanding, but not interest

Individual differences in embracing negatively valenced art: the role of openness and sensation seeking

We elaborate on the role of individual differences in the processing mechanisms outlined by the Distancing-Embracing model. The role of openness is apparent in appreciating meaning-making art that elicits interest, feeling moved, and mixed emotions. The influence of sensation seeking is likely to manifest in thrill-chasing art that draws on the arousing interplay of positive and negative emotions.status: publishe

Interested in different things or in different ways? Exploring the engagement distinction between openness and intellect

© 2017 Hogrefe Publis. Openness and intellect may differentially predict engagement for two possible reasons. First, engagement with sensory experiences is associated with openness, whereas engagement with abstract information is associated with intellect -A distinction based on content. Second, openness reflects affective, and intellect cognitive processing -A distinction based on affect. These two positions are contrasted through associations of both openness and intellect with interest in a broad range of stimuli. Participants (N = 191) viewed images of visual art, philosophical quotations, and scientific discoveries and rated them on interest, appraised novelty and understanding. Only openness predicted greater interest in all stimuli types. Appraised understanding mediated the openness-interest relationship for visual art and philosophy, while intellect was associated with greater appraised understanding of science and philosophy. Openness was associated with weaker understanding-interest relationships for visual art, and greater reactivity to novelty for science and philosophy. We conclude that one way to think of the engagement distinction between openness and intellect is in terms of emotional versus cognitive engagement. That is, the aspects reflect engagement in different ways rather than in different things.status: publishe

The Internal Consistency Reliability of the Katz-Francis Scale of Attitude toward Judaism among Australian Jews

The Katz-Francis Scale of Attitude toward Judaism was developed initially to extend among the Hebrew-speaking Jewish community in Israel a growing body of international research concerned to map the correlates, antecedents and consequences of individual differences in attitude toward religion as assessed by the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity. The present paper explored the internal consistency reliability and construct validity of the English translation of the Katz-Francis Scale of Attitude toward Judaism among 101 Australian Jews. On the basis of these data, this instrument is commended for application in further research

Aesthetic Emotions and Aesthetic People: Openness Predicts Sensitivity to Novelty in the Experiences of Interest and Pleasure

There is a stable relationship between the Openness/Intellect domain of personality and aesthetic engagement. However, neither of these are simple constructs and while the relationship exists process based evidence explaining the relationship is still lacking. The current research looked to clarify the relationship by evaluating the influence of the Openness and Intellect aspects on several different aesthetic emotions. Two studies looked at the between- and within-person differences in the emotions of interest, pleasure and confusion in response to visual art. The results suggest that Openness, as opposed to Intellect, was predictive of greater interest and pleasure, while both aspects explained less confusion. Differences in Openness were associated with within-person emotion appraisal contingencies, particularly greater novelty-interest and novelty-pleasure relationships. Those higher in Openness were particularly influenced by novelty in artworks. For pleasure this relationship suggested a different qualitative structure of appraisals. The appraisal of novelty is part of the experience of pleasure for those high in Openness, but not those low in Openness. This research supports the utility of studying Openness and Intellect as separate aspects of the broad domain and clarifies the relationship between Openness and aesthetic states in terms of within-person appraisal processes

Nuanced aesthetic emotions: Emotion differentiation is related to knowledge of the arts and curiosity.

The ability to distinguish between emotions is considered indicative of well-being, but does emotion differentiation (ED) in an aesthetic context also reflect deeper and more knowledgeable aesthetic experiences? Here we examine whether positive and negative ED in response to artistic stimuli reflects higher fluency in an aesthetic domain. Particularly, we test whether knowledge of the arts and curiosity are associated with more fine-grained positive and negative aesthetic experiences. A sample of 214 people rated their positive and negative feelings in response to various artworks including positive and negative themes. Positive ED was associated with the embracing sub-trait of curiosity that reflects engagement and enjoyment of novelty and complexity, but was unrelated to artistic knowledge and perceived comprehension. Negative ED was associated with higher curiosity and particularly more knowledge of the arts. This relationship was mediated by appraised comprehension suggesting that deeper engagement with art, by those with more art knowledge, is associated with more fine-grained emotional experiences. This finding extends ED beyond well-being research and suggests that more nuanced emotional experiences are more likely for those with expertise in the arts and motivation for exploration.status: publishe