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Review
. 2023 Dec 14:14:1183316.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1183316. eCollection 2023.

Outlining a novel psychometric model of mental flexibility and affect dynamics

Francesca Borghesi  1 , Alice Chirico  2 , Pietro Cipresso  1   3
Affiliations
Review

Outlining a novel psychometric model of mental flexibility and affect dynamics

Francesca Borghesi et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

Theoretically, affective states have always been conceived as complex phenomena enabling individuals to respond flexibly and dynamically to environmental demands. Methodologically, the novel field of Affect Dynamics has started to analyze affective states as inherently dynamic and interdependent phenomena by focusing on how and why they fluctuate over time. Fluctuations of affective states can also be conceived as a function of individuals' ability to flexibly modulate their responses according to environmental demands. However, this ability has been sparsely investigated in different disciplines and domains, thus, engendering a plethora of terms and models. In this conceptual analysis, we first aimed to disentangle the puzzle of flexibility by outlining the distinctive cross-domain features of this concept, thus providing a novel comprehensive operationalization. We termed this novel unitary concept "mental flexibility," the general ability to variably adapt to environmental demands. Then, we outlined the interplay between individuals' mental flexibility and affect dynamics by proposing a novel psychometric model of affect dynamics, using Markovian chain.

Keywords: Markov chain; affect dynamics; affective states; core affects; mental flexibility; psychometrics models.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Components of flexibility.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Flexibility as “adaptive variability” property.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Dimensional model of affect.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Summary of affective states models.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Model of affect dynamics, influenced by mental flexibility.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Experimental design (left side) and two examples of block sequences: High flex vs. Low Flex (right side).
Figure 7
Figure 7
Timing of blocks: timing of transition between states (green curly bracket) and timing of self-state transition (red curly bracket).
Figure 8
Figure 8
Structure of transition matrix and delta index.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Graph of the transition matrixes: subject with High Flexibility vs. subject with Low Flexibility.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

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