This project investigates four central issues concerning the nature of neutral affect. Specifically, whether neutral affect is (a) a common experience, (b) dependent on positive and negative affect, (c) occurs at all levels of activation, and (d) is discriminable from other, seemingly similar, affective states. In three studies, participants rated their neutral affect (e.g., feeling indifferent) and affective states that occupy major regions of the affective circumplex. First, neutral affect was a commonly reported experience. Second, neutral affect was independent of and co-occurred with both positive and negative affect, as well as all the other affective states. Third, the activation measures were problematic. The tentative data indicated that neutral affect occurred across the activation dimension, but it was more reflective of a deactivated than activated state. Finally, neutral affect was discriminable from both negative and positive deactivated states. The paper concludes by providing some methodological and theoretical recommendations regarding the conceptualization of neutral affect.

该项目调查了有关中性情感性质的四个核心问题。具体而言，中性情感是否是（a）共同的经历，（b）依赖于正面和负面情感，（c）发生在所有激活水平上，以及（d）是否与其他看似相似的情感状态区分开。在三项研究中，参与者对他们的中性情感（例如，漠不关心）和占据情感环带主要区域的情感状态进行了评分。首先，中性影响是普遍报道的经历。其次，中性情感独立于积极情感和消极情感，以及所有其他情感状态，并同时发生。第三，激活措施存在问题。初步数据表明，在激活范围内发生了中性影响，但它比激活状态更能反映停用状态。最后，可以从消极状态和积极状态中区分中性情绪。本文最后通过提供有关中性情感概念化的一些方法和理论建议。