Bast, D. F., & Barnes-Holmes, D. (2015). Priming thoughts of failing versus succeeding and performance on the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP) as a measure of self-forgiveness. The Psychological Record, 65(4), 667-678.
Purpose This study aimed to test the effect of positive and negative priming on the assessment of self-forgiveness in the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP) related to emotional reactions and expected outcomes in everyday life. Additionally, the research explored the extent to which such implicit reactions were related to standardized measures of psychopathology, including depression, anxiety, stress, and a scale that was based directly on the IRAP.
Method Eighty-one undergraduates were assigned in 2 groups, where they were presented with different conditions, positive and negative priming, in which participants had to recall in writing three experiences of failing or succeeding; participants then completed 2 IRAPs, 1 targeting feelings and the other targeting outcomes as related to failing and succeeding behaviors. In addition, participants were asked to complete 2 explicit measures that were derived from the 2 IRAPs and another 2 explicit measures that targeted selfcompassion and stress, anxiety, and depression.
Results The findings showed that the priming conditions affected the 2 IRAPs differentially. Furthermore, the IRAP that targeted feelings predicted level of self-reported psychopathology but only for participants in the positive priming condition. The findings are discussed in the context of providing tentative evidence for experiential avoidance.