Biomedical subjects

Peter Salovey

Publications and source records attributed to Peter Salovey.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2007

On emotionally intelligent time travel: individual differences in affective forecasting ability.

In two studies, the authors examined whether people who are high in emotional intelligence (EI) make more accurate forecasts about their own affective responses to future events. All participants completed a performance measure of EI (the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test) as well as a self-report measure of EI. Affective forecasting ability was assessed using a longitudinal design in which participants were asked to predict how they would feel and report their actual feelings following three events in three different domains: politics and academics (Study 1) and sports (Study 2). Across these events, individual differences in forecasting ability were predicted by participants' scores on the performance measure, but not the self-report measure, of EI; high-EI individuals exhibited greater affective forecasting accuracy. Emotion Management, a subcomponent of EI, emerged as the strongest predictor of forecasting ability.

Affect↗

PubMed2006

Constraining accommodative homunculi in evolutionary explorations of jealousy: a reply to Barrett et al. (2006).

This article responds to a critique by H. C. Barrett, D. A. Frederick, M. G. Haselton, and R. Kurzban, wherein it is argued that manipulations of cognitive constraints cannot be used to test general evolutionary hypotheses regarding the architecture of mind. In making this argument, Barrett et al. focus on what they believe to be faulty logic in D. DeSteno, M. Y. Bartlett, J. Braverman, and P. Salovey's use of such techniques to examine proposed sex differences in jealousy. In presenting their argument, however, Barrett et al. appear to disregard central findings presented in DeSteno et al. (2002) and, in so doing, fail to grasp the interrelations among findings that might readily address their concerns. Here, the authors present arguments for why and when manipulations of cognitive resources may prove useful in investigating evolved psychological mechanisms and, in so doing, situate their use within the ongoing debate concerning evolved sex differences in jealousy.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2006

Relating emotional abilities to social functioning: a comparison of self-report and performance measures of emotional intelligence.

Three studies used J. D. Mayer and P. Salovey's (1997) theory of emotional intelligence (EI) as a framework to examine the role of emotional abilities (assessed with both self-report and performance measures) in social functioning. Self-ratings were assessed in ways that mapped onto the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT), a validated performance measure of EI. In Study 1, self-ratings and MSCEIT scores were not strongly correlated. In Study 2, men's MSCEIT scores, but not self-ratings, correlated with perceived social competence after personality measures were held constant. In Study 3, only the MSCEIT predicted real-time social competence, again, just for men. Implications for analyzing how emotional abilities contribute to social behavior are discussed, as is the importance of incorporating gender into theoretical frameworks and study designs.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Need for cognition and message complexity in motivating fruit and vegetable intake among callers to the cancer information service.

This field experiment examined the impact of an individual's need for cognition (NFC; the tendency to enjoy thinking deeply about issues), complex versus simple messages, and the interaction of NFC and message type on encouraging fruit and vegetable consumption. Callers to the Cancer Information Service of the National Cancer Institute (N=517) were asked to participate in the experiment at the end of their call. Individual NFC was assessed, and participants were assigned randomly to receive a telephone message promoting fruit and vegetable consumption that was either complex and multifaceted or simple and straightforward. Similarly constructed brochures were mailed immediately following the call, and additional brochures were mailed 2 and 3 months later. Although NFC did not predict intake, complex messages were more effective than simple messages in motivating fruit and vegetable consumption 1 and 4 months later.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Perceived risks and benefits of smoking cessation: gender-specific predictors of motivation and treatment outcome.

The primary aim of this study was to examine gender differences in perceived risks and benefits of smoking cessation and their relationship to pretreatment motivation and treatment outcome. No validated measures that comprehensively assess perceived risks and benefits associated with smoking cessation were available in the literature; consequently, we developed a self-report instrument [Perceived Risks and Benefits Questionnaire (PRBQ)] for this purpose. A sample of 573 treatment-seeking smokers (48% female) entering smoking cessation trials completed the PRBQ, and its association with treatment outcome was assessed in a subsample of 93 participants. Overall, the PRBQ demonstrated good psychometric properties. Females indicated greater likelihood ratings of perceived risks and benefits than males. For women and men, perceived benefits were positively associated with motivation, and perceived risks were negatively associated with motivation and treatment outcome. Women evidenced stronger associations between perceived risks and pretreatment motivation, and treatment outcome. Knowledge of perceived risks and benefits associated with smoking cessation is critical for public education campaigns and could inform intervention strategies designed to modify sex-specific beliefs associated with lowered behavioral intentions to quit smoking.

Attitude to Health↗

PubMed2005

Matching health messages to monitor-blunter coping styles to motivate screening mammography.

This study examined whether providing messages matched to women's monitor-blunter coping styles is effective in encouraging mammography utilization. Female callers to a cancer information hotline were assessed at the end of their regular telephone call and classified as monitors or blunters. A randomly assigned message promoting mammography utilization, tailored for monitors or blunters, was delivered on the telephone, and a similarly tailored brochure and refrigerator magnet were mailed to participants immediately after their call. Women were telephoned 6 and 12 months later to determine whether they had obtained a mammogram. Messages matched to a woman's monitor-blunter coping style encouraged mammography after 6 months more effectively than mismatched messages and were significantly more effective for blunters but not for monitors.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2005

Emotion regulation abilities and the quality of social interaction.

Emotion regulation abilities, measured on a test of emotional intelligence, were related to several indicators of the quality of individuals' social interactions with peers. In a sample of 76 college students, emotion regulation abilities were associated with both self-reports and peer nominations of interpersonal sensitivity and prosocial tendencies, the proportion of positive vs. negative peer nominations, and reciprocal friendship nominations. These relationships remained statistically significant after controlling for the Big Five personality traits as well as verbal and fluid intelligence.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2005

Motivating cancer prevention and early detection behaviors using psychologically tailored messages.

Tailoring health messages to make them salient to recipients is a strategy to motivate cancer prevention and early detection behaviors. Various tactics can be used to tailor health materials; our approach involves tailoring messages to individual differences in the psychological processes by which people understand health information. To summarize our tailoring approach, we review findings from six field experiments (four published, two pending publication) conducted in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) Cancer Information Service (CIS) examining the utility of psychologically tailored messages. Messages were tailored to individual variability in the following: (a) need for cognition, (b) monitor/blunting coping style, (c) health locus of control, and (d) regulatory focus. Collectively, the findings suggest that, as hypothesized, messages congruent with the recipients' psychological style of health information processing (i.e., matched messages) are more persuasive in promoting screening mammography and fruit and vegetable consumption than mismatched messages. This line of research provides evidence for the utility of psychological tailoring as a health communication strategy and direction for developing effective health messages in a variety of settings.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Message framing and pap test utilization among women attending a community health clinic.

In a randomized experiment, women (N = 441) watched either a loss- or gain-framed video emphasizing the prevention or detection functions of the Pap test to test the hypothesis that loss- and gain-framed messages differentially influence health behaviors depending on the risk involved in performing the behavior. As predicted, loss-framed messages emphasizing the costs of not detecting cervical cancer early (a risky behavior) and gain-framed messages emphasizing the benefits of preventing cervical cancer (a less risky behavior) were most persuasive in motivating women to obtain a Pap test.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Emotional intelligence and social interaction.

Two studies found positive relationships between the ability to manage emotions and the quality of social interactions, supporting the predictive and incremental validity of an ability measure of emotional intelligence, the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT). In a sample of 118 American college students (Study 1), higher scores on the managing emotions subscale of the MSCEIT were positively related to the quality of interactions with friends, evaluated separately by participants and two friends. In a diary study of social interaction with 103 German college students (Study 2), managing emotions scores were positively related to the perceived quality of interactions with opposite sex individuals. Scores on this subscale were also positively related to perceived success in impression management in social interactions with individuals of the opposite sex. In both studies, the main findings remained statistically significant after controlling for Big Five personality traits.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2004

How to word effective messages about smoking and oral health: emphasize the benefits of quitting.

This project examined whether smokers differentially responded to messages about oral health that emphasized either the benefits of quitting smoking or the risks of continued smoking. Messages concerning oral health and smoking were developed to emphasize the benefits of quitting smoking (gain-framed) or the costs of continued smoking (loss-framed). These messages were embedded in recruitment brochures for smoking cessation trials, which were placed in twenty dental office waiting rooms for a six-month period. The number of brochures taken from the waiting rooms was tracked, as well as calls to inquire about smoking cessation studies. As hypothesized, dental patients were more likely to acquire gain-framed brochures. Out of 271 brochures taken from the dental office waiting rooms, significantly more brochures contained gain-framed messages compared to loss-framed messages (59 percent vs. 41 percent, p<.05). There was an equal number of calls to inquire about smoking cessation studies for each message type. Overall, individuals in dental office waiting rooms were more likely to take brochures about smoking cessation trials that contained gain-framed messages concerning oral health and smoking. Information about oral health and smoking typically emphasizes the dangers of continued smoking. This study found that smokers are more receptive to information that emphasizes the benefits of quitting.

Communication↗

PubMed2003

Using message framing to motivate HIV testing among low-income, ethnic minority women.

This study compared the effectiveness of 4 videotaped educational programs designed to motivate HIV testing among low-income, ethnic minority women. Four hundred eighty women were assigned randomly to watch one of 2 gain-framed or 2 loss-framed videos. Consistent with prospect theory, participants' perceptions of the certainty of the outcome of an HIV test moderated the effects of framing on self-reported testing behavior 6 months after video exposure. Among participants who reported being certain of the test's outcome, those who saw a gain-framed video reported a higher rate of testing than those who saw a loss-framed message. Among women who perceived the outcome of HIV testing as relatively uncertain, gain- and loss-framed videos led to similar rates of self-reported testing, with some advantage for the loss-framed message.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Measuring emotional intelligence with the MSCEIT V2.0.

Does a recently introduced ability scale adequately measure emotional intelligence (EI) skills? Using the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT; J. D. Mayer, P. Salovey, & D. R. Caruso, 2002b), the authors examined (a) whether members of a general standardization sample and emotions experts identified the same test answers as correct, (b) the test's reliability, and (c) the possible factor structures of EI. Twenty-one emotions experts endorsed many of the same answers, as did 2,112 members of the standardization sample, and exhibited superior agreement, particularly when research provides clearer answers to test questions (e.g., emotional perception in faces). The MSCEIT achieved reasonable reliability, and confirmatory factor analysis supported theoretical models of EI. These findings help clarify issues raised in earlier articles published in Emotion.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2003

Asymmetry in judgments of moral blame and praise: the role of perceived metadesires.

An important consideration in judging the blameworthiness (or praiseworthiness) of an action is whether the agent had sufficient control over it. In three experiments, we investigated judgments of moral blame and praise elicited when individuals were presented with vignettes describing actions that were performed either carefully and deliberately or impulsively and uncontrollably. Experiment 1 uncovered an asymmetry between judgments of positive versus negative actions--negative impulsive actions elicited a discounting of moral blame, but positive impulsive actions did not elicit a discounting of moral praise. Experiments 2 and 3 showed that this asymmetry arises because individuals judge agents on the basis of their metadesires (the degree to which the agents embrace or reject the impulses leading to their actions). Individuals assume that an agent would embrace an uncontrollable positive impulse, and reject an uncontrollable negative impulse.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Matching health messages to information-processing styles: need for cognition and mammography utilization.

The use of tailored health communications has become a favored technique for persuading individuals to engage in health behaviors, such as screening mammography. This experiment examined the impact of tailoring persuasive health communications to one aspect of individuals' information-processing styles, that of the need for cognition (NFC), the enjoyment of thinking deeply about issues. To determine whether messages matched to an individual's NFC are more influential than mismatched messages, 602 women who called the Cancer Information Service (CIS) of the National Cancer Institute were asked to participate in an experiment at the end of their service call. They were assigned randomly to receive 1 of 2 phone messages promoting mammography use and a similarly tailored pamphlet 1 month later. Messages matched to an individual's NFC were better at motivating mammography 6 months later among high-NFC women. After controlling for prior mammography utilization, age, worry, intentions, perceived norms, suggestions to get a mammogram, and marital status, the interaction between participant NFC and message type also approached statistical significance. The differential influence of these brief, tailored communications diminished after 12 months, however.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Sex differences in stress responses: social rejection versus achievement stress.

BACKGROUND: Sex differences in stress responses may be one mechanism underlying gender differences in depression. We hypothesized that men and women would show different adrenocortical responses to different stressors. In particular, we predicted that women would show greater responses to social rejection stressors, whereas men would demonstrate greater responses to achievement stressors. METHODS: Following a rest session in which they habituated to the laboratory, 50 healthy volunteers (24 men and 26 women, mean age 19.1, SD = 1.13) were randomly assigned to achievement or rejection stress conditions. The achievement condition involved a mathematical and a verbal challenge; the rejection condition involved two social interaction challenges. Self-reported affect and salivary cortisol were measured throughout each stress session (baseline, stress, and poststress periods). RESULTS: There were no sex differences in mood ratings following the stressors; however, cortisol responses showed the predicted gender by condition by time interaction. Men showed significantly greater cortisol responses to the achievement challenges, but women showed greater cortisol responses to the social rejection challenges. CONCLUSIONS: Women appear more physiologically reactive to social rejection challenges, but men react more to achievement challenges. Women's greater reactivity to rejection stress may contribute to the increased rates of affective disorders in women.

Achievement↗

PubMed2002

A source of error in self-reports of pap test utilization.

The prevention and early detection of cervical cancer is achieved through women's regular use of Pap tests. Ascertaining adherence to Pap screening guidelines is often based on self-report, which may be unreliable. This study examined the reliability of Pap test self-reports and one potential source of error in them. We predicted that women having any gynecological examination (other than Pap tests) would falsely report having had a Pap test more often than women who had not experienced gynecological procedures. We compared self-reported Pap test utilization with medical records among 161 low-income women. Women with no Pap test in their medical record but who had experienced other gynecological procedures falsely reported a Pap test significantly more often than those women who actually received a Pap test or who had not received any gynecological procedure. Confusion over what type of gynecological procedures these women received could result in their under-utilization of Pap tests. Further, these findings question the validity of study findings based only on self-reported outcomes.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Construing action abstractly and blurring social distinctions: implications for perceiving homogeneity among, but also empathizing with and helping, others.

Most people's actions serve goals that, defined abstractly enough, are quite similar to one another. The authors thus proposed, and found, that construing action in abstract (vs. concrete) terms relates to perceiving greater similarity among persons both within and across different social groups (Studies 1-3). By fostering perspective taking, viewing action abstractly also related to empathizing with and expressing willingness to help nonstigmatized and stigmatized others (e.g., AIDS patients; Studies 3-5) and to donating money to help those in need (Study 6). These findings held when controlling for ideological, motivational, and broad personality variables. Abstract action construals, then, appear to blur social distinctions, fostering perspective taking and empathy on the one hand but also perceptions of group homogeneity on the other.

Adolescent↗