Affect Contagion, Positive Emotions, and Affect in Families

Affect Contagion, Positive Emotions, and Affect in Families

Learning Outcomes

• Affect Contagion:
  • Define affect contagion.
  • Explain how researchers use the autonomic nervous system to assess emotions.
  • Describe affect contagion theory and its primary assumptions.
  • Summarize the key findings of the Waters et al. (2014) study regarding emotion and physiology.
• Positive Emotions:
  • Discuss how positive emotions influence cognition and behavior.
  • Explain the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions.
  • Explain why the transition to parenthood is a relevant context for studying emotions.
  • Describe the methods used in the Don et al. (2022) study.
  • Summarize the key findings of the Don et al. (2022) study regarding positive emotions and adjustment to the transition to parenthood.
• Emotional Security Theory and Interparental Positivity Spillover Theory (IPST):
  • Define emotional security theory and its implications for interparental conflict and children.
  • State the primary assumptions of IPST.
  • Explain how positive interparental interactions, according to IPST, can benefit children.

Affect Contagion

• Affect Contagion Theory:
  • Emotions can spread from one person to another.
  • This process is often automatic and unconscious.
  • Occurs through mimicry and mirroring.
  • Biological processes are implicated.

Physiological Methods in Emotion Research

• Measuring bodily responses to understand affective and motivational experiences
• Examples:
  • Neuroimaging
  • Autonomic nervous system activity
  • Neuroendocrine system function

Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)

• Control system that unconsciously influences involuntary bodily processes.
  • Respiration
  • Heart rate
  • Blood pressure
  • Digestion
• Consists of a network of nerves extending from the brain and spinal cord.

ANS and Psychology

• Researchers examine ANS functioning in relation to psychological experiences.
• Represents a nonconscious, bodily assessment.
  • Not prone to self-report biases.
• Sympathetic Nervous System: Activated during threat and stress.
• Parasympathetic Nervous System: Activated during social engagement and connection.

Waters et al. (2014) Study

• Examined affect contagion between mothers (M = 33 years) and infants (12-14 months old).
• Mothers and infants separated.
• Mothers randomly assigned to:
  • Stressful social evaluation task.
  • Non-stressful control task.
• Mothers and children then reunited.
• ANS activity tracked.

Waters et al. (2014) Findings

• In the stressful condition, mothers experienced an increase in SNS activity.
• Upon being reunited, infants’ SNS activity changed to match their mothers.
  • Physiological covariation: Infants