Eliciting positive, negative and mixed emotional states: A film library for affective scientists

• Published in: Cognition and emotion Vol. 30; no. 5; pp. 827 - 856
• Main Authors: Samson, Andrea C., Kreibig, Sylvia D., Soderstrom, Blake, Wade, A. Ayanna, Gross, James J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Routledge 03.07.2016; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age Factors; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Amusement; Disgust; Emotional responses; Emotional states; Emotions; Emotions - physiology; Female; Film clips; Film library; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Mixed emotions; Motion pictures; Motion Pictures - statistics & numerical data; Photic Stimulation - instrumentation; Photic Stimulation - methods; Researchers; Sex Factors; Young Adult; Amusement; Mixed emotions; Film library; Film clips; Disgust
• ISSN: 0269-9931; 1464-0600; 1464-0600
• DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2015.1031089

We describe the creation of a film library designed for researchers interested in positive (amusing), negative (repulsive), mixed (amusing and repulsive) and neutral emotional states. Three hundred 20- to 33-second film clips videotaped by amateurs were selected from video-hosting websites and screened in laboratory studies by 75 female participants on self-reported amusement and repulsion (Experiments 1 and 2). On the basis of pre-defined cut-off values, 51 positive, 39 negative, 59 mixed and 50 neutral film clips were selected. These film clips were then presented to 411 male and female participants in a large online study to identify film clips that reliably induced the target emotions (Experiment 3). Depending on the goal of the study, researchers may choose positive, negative, mixed or neutral emotional film clips on the basis of Experiments 1 and 2 or Experiment 3 ratings.