Influence of Attention to Somatic Information on Emotional and Autonomic Responses

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the dissociable effects of two forms of self-focus on emotional and autonomic responses. One form is suppression, which includes the suppression of heart rate and self-evaluation of performance. The other is observation, which includes attention to one's own heart rate with no suppression and no evaluation. 26 undergraduate and graduate students from the Nagoya University campus (13 men, 13 women), ages 18 to 24 years ( M = 20.7, SD = 1.6) were recruited. Participants were provided with their own heart rate as feedback for 5 min., during which participants conducted a self-focus manipulation. Several days after the experimental session for one condition, the same participants conducted another experimental session for the other condition. Instruction to suppress enhanced physiological arousal and subsequent negative emotions; however, instruction to observe did not increase physiological arousal or negative emotions.