Two-dimensional affective space: a new approach to orienting the axes

What are the constructs that underlie affective experiences? Some authors have suggested Valence and Activation, whereas others have suggested Positive Activation and Negative Activation-both approaches are represented by different axis orientations in traditional two-mode (People x Adjectives) factor analysis. The authors provide new evidence for this debate by using three-mode (People x Adjectives x Occasions) parallel factor (PARAFAC) analysis to determine the appropriate axes (and hence constructs) for representing affective experiences. Unlike traditional factor analysis, with PARAFAC different orientations of the axes fit the data differently so it is possible to determine the best fitting axes. In Study 1, the authors assessed the extent to which the PARAFAC procedure was able recover the axes defining a two-dimensional factor space under different conditions. In both Study 2 (N = 112) and Study 3 (N = 349), undergraduate students rated their emotional states on a variety of occasions. The best fitting axes for two-dimensional affective space were Valence and Activation in both studies. Exploration of higher dimensional solutions in Study 3 revealed a three-factor solution that, in addition to an activation factor, supported the separation of positive and negative emotions.