EMOTIONS AND THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SOCIAL CHESS: HOW OTHERS' INCIDENTAL AFFECT CAN SHAPE EXPECTATIONS AND STRATEGIC BEHAVIOR
Name:
azu_etd_11091_sip1_m.pdf
Size:
1.255Mb
Format:
PDF
Description:
azu_etd_11091_sip1_m.pdf
Author
Kausel, Edgar E.Issue Date
2010Keywords
Behavioral EconomicsEmotions
Interactive Decision Making
Judgment and Decision Making
Lay Theories
Strategic Decision Making
Advisor
Connolly, TerenceCommittee Chair
Connolly, Terence
Metadata
Show full item recordPublisher
The University of Arizona.Rights
Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.Abstract
Researchers have increasingly directed attention to the importance of emotions in decision making. Recent theories have focused on the interpersonal effects of emotions--the influence of the decision maker's expressed emotions on observers' decisions and judgments. In the current research, we examine people's expectations of how incidental, discrete emotions affect behavior. We also study how these expectations affect decisions in interactive settings, and contrast them with how emotions actually impact other people's behavior.These ideas were tested in four studies. In Study 1a, participants (N = 58) answered a questionnaire asking their perceptions of how different emotions affect behavior. In Study 1b, participants (N = 203) read a number of hypothetical scenarios in which different interactions between them and another person took place. Studies 2 (N = 98) and 3 (N = 132) were two economic games -- a Stag-Hunt game and a Trust Game -- involving decisions with non-trivial financial consequences.Across these four studies, I found that people do have strong beliefs about how incidental emotions affect behaviors. Because of these beliefs, when told about their counterparts' emotional state, people in interactive settings modify their behavior. The impact of people's beliefs on behavior, however, was more consistent for negative emotions such as anger and fear, than for positive emotions such as happiness and gratitude. These findings also indicate that people are sensitive to the different effects of different emotions: different negative emotions such as guilt and anger have different effects on their expectations. Finally, I found that people's expectations about how their counterparts' emotions affect behavior can be inaccurate in specific settings.Type
textElectronic Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.Degree Level
doctoralDegree Program
ManagementGraduate College