[Development of the Emotion and Arousal Checklist (EACL)]

Area of Science:

• Psychological assessment
• Psychometrics
• Emotion and arousal research

Context:

• Accurate measurement of psychological states is crucial for understanding emotional well-being and cognitive function.
• Existing tools may not adequately capture both momentary and retrospective assessments of emotion and arousal.
• The need for a comprehensive and validated instrument to assess diverse emotional and arousal dimensions.

Purpose:

• To develop and validate the 33-item Emotion and Arousal Checklist (EACL).
• To assess psychological state at a given moment and during the past week.
• To provide a reliable and valid measure of emotions (Fear, Anger, Sadness, Disgust, Happiness) and arousal (Energetic, Tense).

Summary:

• The Emotion and Arousal Checklist (EACL) was developed with 33 items across nine subscales for emotions and arousal.
• Confirmatory factor analyses supported the nine-subscale structure and internal consistency.
• Validity was confirmed through correlations with established measures and sensitivity to task-induced changes.
• Test-retest reliability was demonstrated for assessing psychological state over the past week.

Impact:

• The EACL offers a robust instrument for researchers and clinicians assessing psychological states.
• It facilitates a nuanced understanding of momentary and recent emotional and arousal experiences.
• Provides a validated tool for tracking psychological changes in response to various stimuli or interventions.