Physiological reactivity related to selfefficacy and incentiva value, with emotion: the role of visceral selfperception and interruption

This experiment is a preliminary study designed to find evidences about emotional function of physiological reactivity related to self-efficacy evaluations and incentive appraisals, and to assess the implication of symptoms perception as a mediator of such relationship. Moreover, the hypothesis that the effect of theese evaluative variables on emotional processes could be conditioned to an interruption of behavioral and/or cognitive processes, was tested. 122 subjects were recruited to participate in this experiment, and they were ask to perform a cognitive task (previously, they were assigned to each of four experimental conditions generated by combining two levels of incentive value manipulation -high or low-, with two levels of behavior interference -high or low-). Self-efficacy was also measured, but not manipulated. Results suggest that the possible effects of incentive value and selfefficacy on mood state are independent of an interruption of both behavioral processes and perceived interference. Also, evidences that their effects on emotional processes, but not on behavioral performance, are mediated by autonomic perception, are finded.