The impact of emotions and their regulation on decision making in a risk taking task

• Main Authors: Bernabe, Enrico Nicanor Cubero, Chavez, Rene Lorenzo Dioso, Tan, Izel June Ang, Ty, Wileen Eda Tantuco
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2018
• Subjects: Emotions; Decision making; Risk-taking (Psychology); Psychology
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/7243
• Institution: De La Salle University

The impact of emotions is important thus it may influence an individual's next sequence of decisions. We investigated which among the attentional deployment ER (Emotion Regulation) strategies defined by Gross (Distraction vs. Rumination) has significant differences depending on the person's present emotions (Positive vs. Negative) when doing risk taking activities. Through convenience sampling, 120 undergraduates who are of legal age were gathered from DLSU - Manila. a 2x2 Mixed Factorial Design was used, comprising of Emotion: Positive vs. Negative (Between-subjects) and Emotion Regulation : Disctraction vs. Rumination (Between-subjects). GDT (Game of Dice Task) was used to measure participants risk aversiveness and risk attractiveness towards decision making. Manipulation of Emotion was done by watching a short video and for ER, it was listening to an audio clip. Data was analyzed using Mixed ANOVA analysis. Findings showed that individuals who use rumination as an ER strategy will tend to take the riskier options. Not supporting the hypothesis, individuals who are induced with negative emotions, as well as when individuals who are induced with negative emotion, as well as when individuals who are induced with negative emotion and instructed to ruminate afterwards, will not necessarily tend to take the riskier options in the risk taking task.