Emotional Granularity Increases With Intensive Ambulatory Assessment: Methodological and Individual Factors Influence How Much
Individuals differ in their ability to create instances of emotion that are precise and context-specific. This skill – referred to as emotional granularity or emotion differentiation – is associated with positive mental health outcomes. To date, however, little work has examined whether and how emot...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.704125/full |
| _version_ | 1819091409973542912 |
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| author | Katie Hoemann Lisa Feldman Barrett Lisa Feldman Barrett Lisa Feldman Barrett Karen S. Quigley Karen S. Quigley |
| author_facet | Katie Hoemann Lisa Feldman Barrett Lisa Feldman Barrett Lisa Feldman Barrett Karen S. Quigley Karen S. Quigley |
| author_sort | Katie Hoemann |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Individuals differ in their ability to create instances of emotion that are precise and context-specific. This skill – referred to as emotional granularity or emotion differentiation – is associated with positive mental health outcomes. To date, however, little work has examined whether and how emotional granularity might be increased. Emotional granularity is typically measured using data from experience sampling studies, in which participants are prompted to report on their emotional experiences multiple times per day, across multiple days. This measurement approach allows researchers to examine patterns of responses over time using real-world events. Recent work suggests that experience sampling itself may facilitate increases in emotional granularity in depressed individuals, such that it may serve both empirical and interventional functions. We replicated and extended these findings in healthy adults, using data from an intensive ambulatory assessment study including experience sampling, peripheral physiological monitoring, and end-of-day diaries. We also identified factors that might distinguish individuals who showed larger increases over the course of experience sampling and examined the extent of the impact of these factors. We found that increases in emotional granularity over time were facilitated by methodological factors, such as number of experience sampling prompts responded to per day, as well as individual factors, such as resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia. These results provide support for the use of experience sampling methods to improve emotional granularity, raise questions about the boundary conditions of this effect, and have implications for the conceptualization of emotional granularity and its relationship with emotional health. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T22:39:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a4cdfc1bfa6447dea6871601cb2b5cb1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T22:39:16Z |
| publishDate | 2021-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-a4cdfc1bfa6447dea6871601cb2b5cb12022-12-21T18:47:52ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782021-07-011210.3389/fpsyg.2021.704125704125Emotional Granularity Increases With Intensive Ambulatory Assessment: Methodological and Individual Factors Influence How MuchKatie Hoemann0Lisa Feldman Barrett1Lisa Feldman Barrett2Lisa Feldman Barrett3Karen S. Quigley4Karen S. Quigley5Department of Psychology, Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven, BelgiumDepartment of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United StatesDepartment of Psychiatry, Harvard University, Boston, MA, United StatesAthinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, United StatesDepartment of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United StatesBedford VA Medical Center, Bedford, MA, United StatesIndividuals differ in their ability to create instances of emotion that are precise and context-specific. This skill – referred to as emotional granularity or emotion differentiation – is associated with positive mental health outcomes. To date, however, little work has examined whether and how emotional granularity might be increased. Emotional granularity is typically measured using data from experience sampling studies, in which participants are prompted to report on their emotional experiences multiple times per day, across multiple days. This measurement approach allows researchers to examine patterns of responses over time using real-world events. Recent work suggests that experience sampling itself may facilitate increases in emotional granularity in depressed individuals, such that it may serve both empirical and interventional functions. We replicated and extended these findings in healthy adults, using data from an intensive ambulatory assessment study including experience sampling, peripheral physiological monitoring, and end-of-day diaries. We also identified factors that might distinguish individuals who showed larger increases over the course of experience sampling and examined the extent of the impact of these factors. We found that increases in emotional granularity over time were facilitated by methodological factors, such as number of experience sampling prompts responded to per day, as well as individual factors, such as resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia. These results provide support for the use of experience sampling methods to improve emotional granularity, raise questions about the boundary conditions of this effect, and have implications for the conceptualization of emotional granularity and its relationship with emotional health.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.704125/fullemotional granularityemotion differentiationexperience samplingecological momentary assessmentdaily diaryambulatory assessment |
| spellingShingle | Katie Hoemann Lisa Feldman Barrett Lisa Feldman Barrett Lisa Feldman Barrett Karen S. Quigley Karen S. Quigley Emotional Granularity Increases With Intensive Ambulatory Assessment: Methodological and Individual Factors Influence How Much Frontiers in Psychology emotional granularity emotion differentiation experience sampling ecological momentary assessment daily diary ambulatory assessment |
| title | Emotional Granularity Increases With Intensive Ambulatory Assessment: Methodological and Individual Factors Influence How Much |
| title_full | Emotional Granularity Increases With Intensive Ambulatory Assessment: Methodological and Individual Factors Influence How Much |
| title_fullStr | Emotional Granularity Increases With Intensive Ambulatory Assessment: Methodological and Individual Factors Influence How Much |
| title_full_unstemmed | Emotional Granularity Increases With Intensive Ambulatory Assessment: Methodological and Individual Factors Influence How Much |
| title_short | Emotional Granularity Increases With Intensive Ambulatory Assessment: Methodological and Individual Factors Influence How Much |
| title_sort | emotional granularity increases with intensive ambulatory assessment methodological and individual factors influence how much |
| topic | emotional granularity emotion differentiation experience sampling ecological momentary assessment daily diary ambulatory assessment |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.704125/full |
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