Psychophysiological Effects of Emotional Responding to Goal Attainment Sylvia D. Kreibig, Guido H. E. Gendolla, and Klaus R. Scherer Department of Psychology, University of Geneva and Swiss Center for Affective Sciences Geneva, Switzerland NOTICE: This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Biological Psychology. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Biological Psychology, [VOL#, ISSUE#, (DATE)] DOI 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2009.11.004 Abstract Effects of positive performance feedback on self-reported emotion and associated physiological responding and their relation to motivational engagement were investigated in an achievement context. To create a situation of self-relevant goal striving and goal attainment, appraisals of goal relevance and goal conduciveness were manipulated by presenting 65 female undergraduate students with a psychological test, followed by positive performance feedback. Emotional responding during the 1-min feedback showed elicitation of various positive achievement-related emotions associated with broad sympathetic activation (decreased pre- ejection period, increased cardiac output, and increased skin conductance and response rate). Individual-level emotion reports indicated distinct subgroups of participants experiencing primarily either interest, joy, pride, or surprise. Between-participants physiological reactivity was found to differ based on primary self-reported feelings. We discuss motivational antecedents and consequences in achievement-related emotions. Keywords: emotion, motivation, appraisal, psychophysiological respond- ing, goal attainment, achievement emotion Increasing interest has been devoted within the last decade to positive emotions (Fredrickson, 2001). Still, our knowledge of autonomic correlates of positive emotions remains limited (Cacioppo, Berntson, Larsen, Poehlmann, & Ito, 2000). Views of positive emotions as being comparatively few and relatively undifferentiated question the appli- cability of the hypothesis of autonomic specificity to positive emotions. What is more,