Table 3.
Comparison of the methodological limitations of different study designs used to assess emotion regulation across levels of analysis. SR: self-report; Beh: behavioral; PP: peripheral psychophysiological; Neu: neural.
| SR: Questionnaire | SR: Experience Sampling | Beh: Stressful Situation | Beh: Observed Interactions | Beh/PP/Neu: Spontaneous Regulation | Beh/PP/Neu: Deliberate Regulation | Neu: Implicit Regulation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Methodological Limitation | |||||||
| Varying content across measures | x | x | |||||
| Limited assessment of positive vs. negative affect | x | x | x | x | x | ||
| Retrospective bias | x | ||||||
| Socially desirable responding | x | x | x | x | x | ||
| Conflates emotional reactivity and regulation | x | x | x | x | |||
| Assumes accurate insight into regulatory strategy | x | x | |||||
| Lacks ecological validity | x | x | x | ||||