Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Publication Date
Spring 4-26-2017
Journal
Undergraduate Honours Theses
Abstract
The present study examined how individuals’ emotions from interpersonal interactions in the workplace influenced their cognitive performance. Fifty-two participants were randomly assigned to either think about a coworker who has made them feel content or a coworker that has made them feel irritated. The findings showed that participants who thought about an irritating coworker not only felt more irritated and less content than their counterparts, but they also ruminated more about the coworker, felt that it would more difficult to work with the coworker, and experienced more negative affect. However, the results showed that there were no differences on cognitive performance between those thinking about a coworker who makes them feel irritated compared to one who makes them feel content. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Notes
Thesis Advisor: Dr. Irene Cheung