Relationships between Appraisal Factors during Stressful Encounters: A Test of Alternative Models

The cognitive appraisal model presupposes that interaction among appraisal variables is a factor affecting intensity of emotional reaction during stressful encounters. Emotional reaction to ongoing coping difficulties is assumed to increase as a function of the level of stakes in the encounter. However, the few available studies do not support this assumption. In the present work, factors affecting the appraisal of a real-life stressful encounter (i.e. an intelligence test of progressive difficulty) were manipulated independently, using a mixed, within- and between-subjects design. Results indicated that intensity of emotional reaction was affected primarily by test difficulty, with test relevance and improvement options providing marginally significant main- or interaction effects. The results suggest a focal-effect model in which emotional reaction is affected by the most salient appraisal factor rather than an interaction-based model of cognitive appraisal.