Situational perception and affect: Barking up the wrong tree?

The current study was conducted to raise awareness to the possibility that perceptions of situations and in situ affective states might be highly correlated. To investigate this potential overlap, two recent taxonomies of situational perception, the Situational Eight DIAMONDS and the Situation 5, were assessed in a sample of n = 157 along with a measure of positive and negative affect. Participants provided accounts and ratings for all constructs for three self-selected situations. Overall, 383 situations could be analyzed using multiple regression while considering the nested data structure. Both the DIAMONDS and the Situation 5 scores showed considerable overlap with positive and negative affect scores. The study further advances the growing nomological net of situational perception dimensions and other constructs. Limitations such as the selective-reporting-bias and implications for future situation research are discussed.