Norms of Emotional Valence, Arousal, Threat Value and Shock Value for 80 Spoken French Words: Comparison Between Neutral and Emotional Tones of Voice

Abstract

This paper presents a controlled database of 80 neutral, negative, positive and taboo spoken French words rated by 166 participants on scales for emotional valence, arousal, threat value and shock value. Ratings were provided for each word spoken in a neutral and in an emotionally congruent tone of voice. The data point to the importance of taking into account various emotional dimensions of a stimulus: although strongly correlated, these emotional dimensions cannot be mingled and their impact on emotional evaluation varies according to the emotional category of the word. This also holds true for the influence of the tone of voice in which the words are uttered.