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Description
Previous studies have shown a difference in perceptions of maternal guilt induction when there are variations in the situation of the event and the structure of the maternal guilt inducting statement (Rote, 2017). This research expands on this by examining whether differences in attention to specific words within guilt inductive statements may underly previously observed variations. Using eye-tracking methodology and hypothetical vignettes, this study examined which words college-aged students attended to most within maternal guilt inductive statements. Vignettes varied in the topic over which guilt was induced (e.g., moral transgression vs personal choice), the focus of the mother’s criticism (behavior vs. person), and the highlighted victim (true victim vs parent). Seventy-nine college students read and responded to twelve vignettes varying in the above elements while their eye movements were tracked using an EyeLink 1000plus eyetracker that samples eye-movement at 500hz. The number of eye fixation periods participants devoted to each word within a vignette was calculated using MatLab. Histograms of the fixation rates were created and were divided based on the vignette type. Examination of the histograms demonstrated that there was variation in the types of words attended to depending on vignette. The analysis of these histograms establishes a proof of concept for this eye-tracking measure and demonstrates cognitive processes potentially underlying situational and structural variations in perceptions of guilt induction. This study also serves as a first step to examine whether individual differences, such as depressive affect, predict variation in attention to specific elements of guilt inductive statements.
Eye-Tracking Guilt Induction
Previous studies have shown a difference in perceptions of maternal guilt induction when there are variations in the situation of the event and the structure of the maternal guilt inducting statement (Rote, 2017). This research expands on this by examining whether differences in attention to specific words within guilt inductive statements may underly previously observed variations. Using eye-tracking methodology and hypothetical vignettes, this study examined which words college-aged students attended to most within maternal guilt inductive statements. Vignettes varied in the topic over which guilt was induced (e.g., moral transgression vs personal choice), the focus of the mother’s criticism (behavior vs. person), and the highlighted victim (true victim vs parent). Seventy-nine college students read and responded to twelve vignettes varying in the above elements while their eye movements were tracked using an EyeLink 1000plus eyetracker that samples eye-movement at 500hz. The number of eye fixation periods participants devoted to each word within a vignette was calculated using MatLab. Histograms of the fixation rates were created and were divided based on the vignette type. Examination of the histograms demonstrated that there was variation in the types of words attended to depending on vignette. The analysis of these histograms establishes a proof of concept for this eye-tracking measure and demonstrates cognitive processes potentially underlying situational and structural variations in perceptions of guilt induction. This study also serves as a first step to examine whether individual differences, such as depressive affect, predict variation in attention to specific elements of guilt inductive statements.
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Faculty Advisor: Dr. Wendy Rote