Differences in within- and between-person factor structure of positive and negative affect: Analysis of two intensive measurement studies using multilevel structural equation modeling.

Abstract

The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) is a widely used measure of emotional experience. The factor structure of the PANAS has been predominantly examined with cross-sectional designs, which fails to disaggregate within-person variation from between-person differences. There is still uncertainty as to the factor structure of positive and negative affect and whether they constitute two distinct independent factors. The present study examined the within-person and between-person factor structure of the PANAS in two independent samples that reported daily affect over 7 and 14 occasions, respectively. Results from multilevel confirmatory factor analyses revealed that a two factor structure at both the within- and between-person level, with correlated specific factors for overlapping items, provided good model fit. The best-fitting solution was one where within-person factors of positive and negative affect were inversely correlated, but between-person factors were independent. The structure was further validated through multilevel structural equation modeling examining the effects of cognitive interference, daily stress, physical symptoms, and physical activity on positive and negative affect factors.

Individual differences in common factors of emotional traits and executive functions predict functional connectivity of the amygdala

“…The results point to specific neural networks sub-serving the psychological mechanisms that control emotional behavior and may aid in informing us more thoroughly about how emotional traits and executive functions shape each other. While NATI and PACS may at first glance seem to be opposites, it is important to note that negative and positive affect are distinct constructs rather than extremes on the same scale (Rush and Hofer, 2014;Tellegen et al, 1999;Watson et al, 1999), and that neuroticism and extraversion are also distinct constructs rather than opposites (Marsh et al, 2013). Our results support the view that while NATI and PACS both draw on prefrontal, insular and striatal resources when amygdalar networks are queried, the resting-state functional connectivity patterns predicted by each factor are distinct.…”

A bifactor model of subjective well-being: A re-examination of the structure of subjective well-being

“…It is important to note that residuals of seven pairs of similarly worded PANAS items were allowed to correlate in order to yield an adequate model fit. A similar problem with redundancy of the PANAS items has also been observed in previous studies, which yielded poor fit indices unless the overlapping items were allowed to correlate (e.g., Rush & Hofer, 2014).…”

The day‐to‐day concurrence of bodily complaints and affect in patients with severe somatoform disorder

“…The dimensional structure of affect, and especially inter‐ and intra‐individual differences in this structure, are under discussion (e.g., see Rush & Hofer, ; Watson, ). For the mixed‐model multilevel regression analyses performed in the present study, we chose to separate negative and positive mood state.…”