On the independence of positive and negative affect

Three separate but mutually compatible explanations are offered for N. M. Bradburn's (1969) finding that positive and negative affects are statistically independent: (1) In terms of a higher-order generalization, numbers of experienced desirable and undesirable episodes are generally uncorrelated. (2) The independence is a function of a response mode and scoring procedure that differ from those used elsewhere. (3) Short-term affective states are linked with more stable personality dispositions. 500 undergraduates served as Ss. Findings support each of these explanations: (a) Numbers of desirable and undesirable recent life events were statistically independent and correlated with positive and negative affect in the predicted manner. (b) Amending the response format from counting the number of positive and negative experiences to requiring reports of the proportion of time each was experienced yielded an intercorrelation of -.54 compared to -.01 in the original format. (c) Positive and negative affects were significantly associated with extraversion and neuroticism, respectively, but not with the other dispositional measure. Each explanation had value within 3 different conceptual and methodological frameworks. (27 ref)