Author:

Abstract:

In the last decades of the twentieth century, a growing body of research has made clear that intraindividual fluctuations in core affect and interpersonal behavior should no longer be considered as error and generally uninformative, as in classical trait approaches, but as meaningful, informative, and often predictable (e.g., Nesselroade, 1991). However, while the importance of establishing a thorough understanding of emotional and behavioral variability is now commonly acknowledged, in practice, research on individual differences in these areas is fairly limited. In this project we will contribute to filling this gap. The outline of the project is as follows: First we will focus on individual differences in intraindividual variability in core affect and interpersonal behavior per se. Looking in more detail into previous studies investigating individual differences in affective and behavioral variability (Moskowitz & Zuroff, 2004, 2005a; Kuppens, Van Mechelen, Nezlek, Dossche, & Timmermans, 2007), an intriguing finding attracted our attention, namely the striking similar relationships between emotional and behavioral variability measures on the one hand and Five Factor Model personality dimensions on the other hand. This points to the interesting possibility that there may be a correspondence between individual differences in emotional and behavioral variability. Otherwise, there are also several theoretical reasons for postulating an inherent link between emotions and behavior. The project continues with a second part in which the focus will be on predicting individual differences in core affect and interpersonal behavior variability. In this regard, we will address the role of both cognitive and time-based predictors. Moreover, we will investigate whether individual differences show up in the relation between these predictors on the one hand and core affect and interpersonal behavior on the other hand. Finally, if such individual differences would occur, we will explore how they relate to classical trait measures.