5. Background
• Two construal levels (CL):(Vallacher & Wegner, 1989)
– abstract
– concrete
5
Abstract Description Concrete Description
Why How
The meaning and impact The action sequence and
physical appearance
Goal-orientation Detail-orientation
More abstract words More concrete words
6. Background
Quiz: “Pushing a door bell”
6
Abstract Description Concrete Description
Why How
The meaning and impact The action sequence and
physical appearance
Goal-orientation Detail-orientation
More abstract words More concrete words
7. Background
• Two construal levels (CL):(Vallacher & Wegner, 1989)
– abstract
– Concrete
• Effective on:
– Emotion regulation
– Consumer behaviours
– Self-control
– Decision making behaviours.
7
8. Background
8
Abstract description (why-focus) and negative
outcomes:
1. Intensify despondent feeling. (Watkins, Moberly, & Moulds, 2008)
2. More abstract description in depressed people. (Watkins & Moulds, 2007)
9. Background
Abstract description (why-focus) and negative
outcomes:
1. Intensify despondent feeling. (Watkins, Moberly, & Moulds, 2008)
2. More abstract description in depressed people. (Watkins & Moulds, 2007)
9
Abstract description (why-focus) and positive
outcomes:
1. Increase positivity. (Williams, Stein, and Galguera, 2014)
2. Reducing negative mood. (Lepore, 1997)
10. Background Summary
10
Abstract – Why and impact
Concrete – How and appearance
Self-focus abstract – negative outcomes
Other-focus abstract – positive outcomes
16. Result – Hypothesis 1
Abstract description reduces the distress caused by the negative
memory.
16
17. Result – Hypothesis 2
Abstract description should result in more positive ratings of
memories of the video.
17
18. Result – Exploratory analyses
After 2nd description, low childhood traumatic event (CTE) group
(≤1) viewed the memory more positive than high CTE group (>1).
18
19. Result – Exploratory analyses
People who have two or more childhood traumatic events (CTE)
viewed the memory more positive after using abstract description.
19
22. Discussion
Abstract description:
1. Does not reduce distress.
2. Improve the valence in people with >1 CTEs
Implication:
1. Advises current psychotherapy (e.g. CBT).
2. Why CBT works
3. be applied to clinical setting
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24. Strength & Limitation
Strength:
• The study mimics real-life situations
Limitation:
• Sample issue:
– Majority are non-native English speakers
– Poor English competence
– Pre-existing difference of construal level use
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26. Future direction
• Clinical
– Applying abstract description in clinical
population
• Research
– Long-term effect of construal level description
– Self-focus vs other-focus
– Develop research instruments to assess construal
level
– Adjust for depression score
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29. Reference
Copeland, W., Keeler, G., Angold, A., & Costello, E. (2007). Traumatic Events and Posttraumatic Stress in Childhood. Arch Gen
Psychiatry, 64(5), 577. http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.64.5.577
Hayes-Skelton, S., & Graham, J. (2013). Decentering as a common link among mindfulness, cognitive reappraisal, and social
anxiety. Behavioural and cognitive psychotherapy, 41(03), 317-328.
Jamieson, J. P., Mendes, W. B., & Nock, M. K. (2013). Improving acute stress responses the power of reappraisal. Current
Directions in Psychological Science, 22(1), 51-56.
Lepore, S. (1997). Expressive writing moderates the relation between intrusive thoughts and depressive symptoms. Journal Of Personality And
Social Psychology, 73(5), 1030-1037. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.73.5.1030
Lepore, S., Ragan, J., & Jones, S. (2000). Talking facilitates cognitive–emotional processes of adaptation to an acute stressor.
Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology, 78(3), 499-508. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.78.3.499
Vallacher, R. & Wegner, D. (1989). Levels of personal agency: Individual variation in action identification. Journal Of Personality
And Social Psychology, 57(4), 660-671. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.57.4.660
Watkins, E., Moberly, N., & Moulds, M. (2008). Processing mode causally influences emotional reactivity: Distinct effects of
abstract versus concrete construal on emotional response. Emotion, 8(3), 364-378.
Watkins, E. & Moulds, M. (2007). Reduced concreteness of rumination in depression: A pilot study. Personality And Individual
Differences, 43(6), 1386-1395. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2007.04.007
Williams, L., Stein, R., & Galguera, L. (2014). The Distinct Affective Consequences of Psychological Distance and Construal Level. J
Consum Res, 40(6), 1123-1138. http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/674212
29
Editor's Notes
Hello evveryone, today I am talking about description and appraisal. This topic is actually quite important in mental health because we describe things everyday. How we describe one thing affect how we appraise an event and how we feel. For example, (click)
such as social perception, social power, self-control, decision making behaviours), negotiation and persuasion, consumer behaviours and affect change
such as social perception, social power, self-control, decision making behaviours), negotiation and persuasion, consumer behaviours and affect change
Imagine one of your friends die.
(click) Someone would say they are gone forever and feel extremely sad.
(click) Other may say they are going to heaven and feel better
(click) The rest may say its just life and move on.
Is there possible to change our perception when changing our description?
such as social perception, social power, self-control, decision making behaviours), negotiation and persuasion, consumer behaviours and affect change
Watkins and colleagues trained participants to describe 30 scenarios either in abstract way or in a concrete way. They then tried to solve an unsolvable anagram, although Watkins told them the anagrams predict future success.
When they are asked to describe current problems they encountered.
Watkins and colleagues trained participants to describe 30 scenarios either in abstract way or in a concrete way. They then tried to solve an unsolvable anagram, although Watkins told them the anagrams predict future success.
When they are asked to describe current problems they encountered.
Watkins and colleagues trained participants to describe 30 scenarios either in abstract way or in a concrete way. They then tried to solve an unsolvable anagram, although Watkins told them the anagrams predict future success.
When they are asked to describe current problems they encountered.
such as social perception, social power, self-control, decision making behaviours), negotiation and persuasion, consumer behaviours and affect change
Lepore, 1997 - 1
such as social perception, social power, self-control, decision making behaviours), negotiation and persuasion, consumer behaviours and affect change
Orginial 4:40
such as social perception, social power, self-control, decision making behaviours), negotiation and persuasion, consumer behaviours and affect change
Hypothesis 1: Abstract CL description reduces the distress caused by the negative memory.
The result shows no difference between two groups. Not support
Hypothesis 2: Abstract CL description should result in more positive ratings of memories of the video.
The result shows that abstract group has a significant improvement than the concrete group. However, when you look at time 1 the score in abstract group is lower than the concrete group. The significant improvement can be due to regression to the mean which is a statistical phenomenon where two unrelated variables can be found significantly associated because the mean score in one group is lower than the other at the first time of measure . And the mean score returns to the mean at the second time of measure.
Among all the clinical measures, I found that only childhood traumatic events has an significant effect on the positive ratings of memories. High group viewed the memory consistently negative after both description when low group has viewed the memory more positive after the 2nd description. High group has two or more childhood traumatic events, Low is one or none.
So I put Childhood traumatic events as a covariate to my main analysis. I find CL description only has an effect within people who have two or more childhood traumatic events. Where people who have two or more childhood traumatic events viewed the memory more positive after using abstract CL description. However, the suggestion here is harking (hypothesise after results are known)
such as social perception, social power, self-control, decision making behaviours), negotiation and persuasion, consumer behaviours and affect change
1 – it advise current
1 – it advise current
You encounter a stressful event. Describe to a friend, appraise it. And learn a new description in therapy
Description require good english level. Participants may think in their home language and write in English where some meaning may not be translated.
Some people may think pre-dominantly in a concrete way. If concrete thinkers are assigned to concrete condition, the change may be limited.
You encounter a stressful event. Describe to a friend, appraise it. And learn a new description in therapy
Description require good english level. Participants may think in their home language and write in English where some meaning may not be translated.
Some people may think pre-dominantly in a concrete way. If concrete thinkers are assigned to concrete condition, the change may be limited.
Orginial 4:40
After I described the memory, I felt
Relaxed and at ease Tense or anxious
2. After I described the memory, the memory is overall
Negative Positive
