Reexamining the circumplex model of affect.

Abstract

The circumplex model of affect has been among the most widely studied representations of affect. Despite the considerable evidence cited in support of it, methods typically used to evaluate the model have substantial limitations. In this article, the authors attempt to correct past limitations by using a covariance structure model specifically designed to assess circumplex structure. This model was fit to 47 individual correlation matrices from published data sets. Analyses revealed that model fit was typically acceptable and that opposing affective states usually demonstrated strong negative correlations with one another. However, analyses also indicated substantial variability in both model fit and correlations among opposing affective states and suggested several characteristics of studies that partially accounted for this variability. Detailed examination of the locations of affective states for 10 of the correlation matrices with relatively optimal characteristics provided mixed support for the model.

Four-quadrant investigation of job-related affects and behaviours

“…Thus, although the two PANAS scales are often referred to as measuring "positive affect" (PA) and "negative affect" (NA), they in fact tap only certain kinds of those affectsfeelings in the two upper segments of Figure 1 (e.g., Remington et al, 2000). This restricted coverage was later recognized by the scales' originators.…”

“…Researchers (not themselves studying links with behaviour) have explored alternative factorial structures and assessment dimensions (e.g., Cropanzano et al, 2003;Remington et al, 2000;Russell, 1979Russell, , 1980Russell, , 2003Watson & Tellegen, 1985Yik et al, 2011), typically envisaging measurement axes across sections of Figure 1 -either diagonal (e.g., bottom-left to top-right) or horizontal (i.e., all unpleasant versus all pleasant).…”

“…Covering the four circumplex sections of Figure 1, 28 organizationally appropriate affectdescriptors were selected from previous publications (e.g., Burke et al, 1989;Remington et al, 2000;Russell, 1980;Van Katwyk et al, 2000;Warr, 1990;Watson & Tellegen, 1985). In order to ensure that the item-set remained within the focal construct of core affect (see earlier), terms were excluded which denote specific emotions with additional content beyond merely valence and activation -feelings of disgust, guilt, hostility, shame and so on.…”

CircE: An R implementation of Browne’s circular stochastic process model

“…Remington, Fabrigar, and Visser (2000) found that the correlation matrix reported by Block (1957; see the supplemental materials, file Block.rda) was unanalyzable, and thus did not include it in the analyses reported in their article. The error message reported by CIRCUM highlights that the problem of fitting a CSPMF to Block's data occurs at the early stage of starting value computation.…”

“…The CSPMF proposed by Browne (1992) has been implemented in a program, CIRCUM, that has been widely used by social and personality psychologists, even though it is not integrated in the most-used statistical software packages. This success is partially due to research (e.g., Fabrigar et al, 1997;Remington et al, 2000) that has sought to bridge the gap between exquisitely statistical literature and field studies. Yet the importance of an analytic tool that can be directly applied, is easy to use, and can be adjusted to the researcher's needs cannot be denied.…”