Effects of Self-Verbalizations upon Emotional Arousal and Performance: A Test of Rational-Emotive Theory

Abstract

As a test of rational-emotive theory, the idea that our beliefs influence our emotions and subsequent overt behavior, 36 undergraduate women were presented rational, irrational, or neutral statements prior to and regarding their performance of a perceptual-motor task. Palmar skin resistance responses (SRRs) and forearm extensor muscle-action potentials (MAPs) were recorded to assess the relationship of covert self-verbalizations (generated by rehearsed statements), emotional or physiological arousal, and behavioral efficiency in task performance. Ellis hypothesized that rational self-verbalizations lead to optimal arousal and superior performance while irrational self-verbalizations lead to over-arousal and subsequent poor performance. Subjects given rational statements reduced mirror-star tracing errors more quickly than did subjects given neutral and irrational statements. Self-verbalization groups were not distinguished by electrodermal measures. MAP measures were in the direction predicted by rational-emotive theory. Results provided information about the form of the relationship of self-verbalizations, physiological arousal, and performance.