Description

The study investigated the effect of activation and negative affect on self-regulation. The activation factors are self-determination, disengagement, initiative, and persistence while negative affect is composed of worry, anxiety, thought suppression, and fear of negative evaluation. Separate measures were used for each factor and administered to 1454 collegiate students. A time-wave design was used where the activation and negative affect factors were administered in the first wave and the self-regulation in the second. It was hypothesized in the study that the effect of negative affect on self-regulation can be moderated by levels of activation factors. Three models were tested using Structural Equations Modeling (SEM) to determine which structure of negative affect and activation best generates self-regulation. The results show that activation and negative affect each differently affect self-regulation, p<.001 (RMSEA=.054, χ2=505.43, GFI=.96). Negative affect can increase self-regulation when mediated by activation, p<.001 (RMSEA=.056, χ2=527.22, GFI=.96). The effect of negative affect on self-regulation is weak if individuals posses high activation levels, p<.001 (RMSEA=.05, χ2=309.64, GFI=.97). The theoretical and educational implications of the findings are discussed.