Promoting value-congruent action by supporting effective metacognitive emotion-regulation strategies with a gamified app

2022

Conference Paper

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Negative emotions can make maladaptive behavior more likely, especially when people have poor emotion regulation and metacognitive skills (ERMSs). We developed an app to help non-clinical populations train and apply good ERMSs. The app teaches ERMSs with the help of gamified features such as customizable emotion avatars and points for practicing ERMSs. In an initial, brief pre/post test of the app, 60 participants used it to reflect on a difficult emotional challenge and (non-)beneficial ways of acting. Then, they completed a metacognitive skill-building module. After using the app, participants' scores showed significantly decreased/increased perceived likelihood of unwanted/beneficial actions, decreased emotional struggle and emotional intensity, and decreased/increased cognitive endorsement of self-limiting/self-efficacious beliefs (Paired Samples Wilcoxon Test average effect size = 0.71, range = [.26, .87], all p<0.008). These results provide an important proof-of-concept for the app. A subsequent study will test the app's effectiveness for at least two weeks using event-contingent reporting for participants' real-life regulatory challenges and ERMS training in context.

@conference{Amo2022Promoting,
  title = {Promoting value-congruent action by supporting effective metacognitive emotion-regulation strategies with a gamified app},
  author = {Amo, V. and Prentice, M. and Lieder, F.},
  booktitle = {Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) Annual Convention 2022},
  address = {San Francisco, USA},
  month = feb,
  year = {2022},
  doi = {},
  month_numeric = {2}
}