Content area
Abstract
Workplace stress and pressures generate emotions (e.g. disgust, anger, anxiety, fear, sadness) that may have negative effects on productivity and performance. Psychological Capital (PsyCap) is an increasingly recognized core construct composed of the four positive psychological resources of self-efficacy, hope, optimism, and resilience. Previous research has consistently linked PsyCap to positive adaptive workplace outcomes. While there is robust empirical evidence from field studies and cross-sectional studies supporting the external validity of these relationships (e.g., employee attitudes, behaviors, and performance), no previous study has devoted itself to the internal validity of PsyCap and its component constructs. Using both a between group and within group experimental design (n=80), I analyze whether high-PsyCap subjects outperform low PsyCap subjects in a variety of tasks when exposed to positive and negative emotional stimuli in a tightly controlled true experimental design. In addition to the self-report Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ) and Implicit Psychological Capital Questionnaire (I-PCQ), multi-source and multi-mode methods, including electrocardiogram (ECG) and electroencephalogram (EEG) data, are introduced as individual level PsyCap measures. Performance changes were measured through neuropsychological and physiological tests. Findings support that PsyCap may be increased in a micro-intervention training and that PsyCap positively related to several neuropsychological and physiological productivity measures.
