Evaluating the Role of Emotion Regulation in Negotiation Performance.

Abstract

Literature across disciplines asserts a link between emotions, emotional regulation and the ability to negotiate, however, experimental studies confirming this link and the extent of the connection between the two constructs remain limited. This is in part due to the variations in how emotional control has been defined and tested across disciplines. A question likewise remains whether simulated negotiations, performed on the basis of a scripted scenario, have the ability to elevate emotions and thus be well-suited for the study of emotional regulation. This study aimed to fill the research gap by testing a simulation case to see whether it influenced emotions in participants. It was hypothesized that the study and corresponding procedures would be able to elevate emotions during a simulated negotiation and whether participants modulated their emotions in response. Participants were presented with a competitive scored negotiation case scenario, the outcome of which was to be made public to the group. Winning participants with the highest score were promised and presented with a gift card. A qualitative and quantitative questionnaire post-negotiations evaluated whether participants felt that the simulated negotiation elicited emotion and emotional control, as well as inquired whether it felt realistic. Analysis of response data revealed that participants on average experienced moderate emotions during the simulated negotiation and that the level of emotions experienced during the exercise correlated to how much participants controlled their emotions during the exercise. A subsequent study will look at whether negotiation success in this case will be related to emotional regulation. Emotional regulation will be operationalized by utilizing self-report metrics and biometric data from the fields of psychology and psychophysiology. The combination of the two metrics will allow for the testing of both cognitive emotional regulation and emotional regulation that happens outside of individual awareness, and their relation to negotiation success. The second study will be conducted once research restrictions imposed due to the COVID pandemic are lifted.