Document Type
Article
Abstract
Maltreatment, such as physical or emotional abuse, can alter one’s later emotional regularity and responses to stimuli. To be able to study the effect of maltreatment on later stimuli response, appropriate laboratory paradigms need to be available, which is not currently true. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of vocal hostility stimuli on mood change as preliminary steps toward the creation of a laboratory paradigm. Participants were recruited from a regional university in southeast United States and asked to react to recorded audio with a hostile tone. Study 1 found that participants’ mood did not differ based on the level of hostility they were exposed to, although participants indicated they would expect a more negative mood had the situation been real. Additionally, participants could not always differentiate between the hostility levels, indicating adjustments to the study stimuli might be needed. Study 2 investigated whether longer exposure to hostility might impact the relationship between hostility and mood. Results of Study 2 replicated Study 1, suggesting other factors would need to be considered in the adjustment of our stimuli to create a useful paradigm.
Recommended Citation
Sowell, Jaquoy; Gray, Jennifer; and Christ, Christa C.
(2021)
"The Role of Vocal Hostility on Mood: Initial Development of an Alternative Stress Paradigm,"
University of South Carolina Upstate Student Research Journal: Vol. 14, Article 8.
Available at:
https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/uscusrj/vol14/iss1/8