Simulation, Scenarios, and Emotional Appraisal: Testing the Convergence of Real and Imagined Reactions to Emotional Stimuli

Appraisal research has relied heavily on vignette- and recall-based methodologies in theory construction; however, the validity of these methodologies in capturing the concomitants of online experience is unknown. To assess the convergence of online and simulated accounts of emotion, the authors assigned undergraduate research participants to either online or simulated conditions. Those in the online condition reported on their appraisals and emotions after viewing a series of 10 emotional slides, whereas those in the simulated condition estimated their likely reactions on the basis of short descriptions of the same slides. Despite the different information available in the two conditions, there was a surprising degree of correspondence in the reports. This convergence was seen in mean levels of appraisal and emotion but even more dramatically in the pattern of appraisal-emotion relations across slides. It is concluded that vignette methodologies can play a useful role in theory construction. In addition, the findings raise interesting questions about the role(s) of implicit theory in emotion.