Subjective Evaluation Of Emotional Experiences In 2 Culture; Serbia And Trinidad (Kostic, Chadee, Nedejkovic 2011)

Question 1

How is Emotion defined in this experiment?

Answer 1

Emotion is a construct including cognitive, physiological, motor expression, subjective emotional conditions and motivational components)

Question 2

Hypotheis

Answer 2

Representatives of Serbian and Trinidadian culture will significantly differ in the subjective evaluation of some aspects of their emotional experience

Question 3

Specific hypotheses

Answer 3

Serbs and Trinis will significantly differ in:

• ecology of emotional experience
  -Attempts to regulate and control emotions in social situations
• subjective evaluation of emotion-eliciting situations that trigger specific emotions
• reported bodily expressive and verbal reactions to emotion eliciting situations

Question 4

Results

Answer 4

• guilt and shame had highest degree of regulation, joy had lowest
• fear produced most bodily symptoms, disgust and guilt produced the least
• anger produced the most verbal responses

Question 5

Major findings on differences between culture

Answer 5

Serbians
- more likely to report feeling more intense emotions
- more bodily symptoms and verbal reactions to emotion eliciting situations
- greater expectation on the occurrence of emotion eliciting situations

Trinidadians
- believed no action was necessary for surprise, guilt, and sadness
- believed they could escape from the situation to avoid negative consequences of anger and fear
- believed events that led to fear, anger, shame and sadness were dominant over them

Question 6

Explanations for observed differences in emotion expression between Serbs and Trinis

Answer 6

Serbians
- socio-economic conditions increased events that would trigger negative emotions and emotional reactions
- recognized the positive effect of emotions on self esteem
- thought other people were responsible for causing the emotions they felt
- believed fate and luck triggered emotions
- pink optimism

Trinidadians
- economy prospered
- believed themselves responsible for their emotions
- thought the better response would be to escape a situation and avoid negative consequences of guilt and anger
-reported feeling helpless when they were ashamed, afraid or sad