Effects of Mood and Problem Solving in Dyads on Transfer

2007 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serge Brand ◽  
Klaus Opwis
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Knowledge Acquisition ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Mood Induction ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Positive Mood ◽  
Transfer Performance ◽  
Transfer Tasks ◽  
Main Factor ◽  
Good Transfer

Various studies have shown that problem solving which requires some kind of transfer can be improved subsequent to knowledge acquisition in pairs (cf. Olivera & Straus, 2004 ). It has been observed that positive mood may also lead to increased cognitive performance (e.g., Isen, Daubman, & Gorgoglione, 1987 ). These two approaches were combined in two studies. Results of Experiment 1 show that after learning in dyads and after individual mood induction, individuals in a positive mood were more able to solve transfer tasks than those in a negative mood. In Experiment 2, participants underwent the learning phase alone or in dyads; after mood induction all transfer tasks were solved in pairs. Results indicate that mood induction was the main factor influencing better transfer achievement, whereas learning in dyads only facilitated performance of proximal transfer tasks. Hence, positive mood was the main factor for good transfer performance; whether learning occurred alone or in pairs and whether transfer was performed individually or in dyads is not as important as the mood of a person.

Effects of metacognitive thinking and knowledge acquisition in dyads on individual problem solving and transfer performance

2003 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 251-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Brand ◽  
T. Reimer ◽  
K. Opwis
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Knowledge Acquisition ◽  
Individual Performance ◽  
Test Phase ◽  
Learning Phase ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Transfer Performance ◽  
Tower Of Hanoi ◽  
Learning Tasks ◽  
Transfer Tasks

We investigated if metacognitive thinking and knowledge acquisition in dyads improve individual problem solving performance and transfer to new problems. In the learning phase, participants solved several Tower of Hanoi problems and half of them were stimulated to metacognitive thinking. A second variable studied was if the learning tasks were solved individually or in dyads. The subsequent individually completed test phase consisted of two structurally similar and of two dissimilar transfer tasks. Metacognitive stimulation enhanced performance in all cases. Those participants who had been stimulated to metacognitive thinking, whether individually or in dyads, performed better on every task than did the individuals in the control group. Dyads proved better at solving the learning tasks than did the individuals, although this advantage did not affect individual performance on the transfer tasks.

scholarly journals The Answer Is in the Question? Mood Effects on Processing Verbal Information and Impression Formation

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 578-590 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Matovic ◽  
Joseph P. Forgas
Keyword(s):  
Significant Influence ◽  
Impression Formation ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Mood Induction ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Positive Mood ◽  
Verbal Information ◽  
Linguistic Information ◽  
Question Format ◽  
Mood Effects

Can good or bad mood influence how people process verbal information about others? Based on affect-cognition theories, this experiment predicted and found that the way a question is phrased has a greater influence on impressions than actual answers when judges are experiencing a negative rather than a neutral or positive mood. After an audiovisual mood induction, participants witnessed interview questions and responses by two target characters. The same level of extroversion was communicated, either by affirmative responses to questions about extraversion, or by negative responses to questions about introversion. Question format had a significant influence on impressions in negative mood but not in neutral or positive mood. The implications of these results for interpreting linguistic information in everyday social life are considered, and their relevance to contemporary affect-cognition theorizing is discussed.

scholarly journals Negative mood induction effects on problem solving task in women with eating disorders: a multi-method examination

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie N. French ◽  
Kalina Eneva ◽  
Jean M. Arlt ◽  
Angelina Yiu ◽  
Eunice Y. Chen
Keyword(s):  
Eating Disorders ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Binge Eating ◽  
Skin Conductance ◽  
Mood Induction ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Affective State ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Sinus Arrhythmia

AbstractEating disorders (EDs) are a serious public health concern, affecting about 5.2% of American women. The effects of negative affect on problem-solving and its psychophysiological correlates are poorly understood in this population. This study examined respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and skin conductance responses of 102 women with EDs (Binge eating disorder [BED]: n = 57, Anorexia nervosa: n = 13, Bulimia nervosa [BN]: n = 32) and 24 healthy controls (HCs) at baseline, and then during: a negative mood induction task, an adapted Means Ends Problem-Solving (MEPS) task and recovery. The MEPS Task included four interpersonal scenarios: 1) binge-eating when sad, 2) job dissatisfaction, 3) feeling rejected by friends, and 4) jealousy in a relationship. ED groups reported more negative and less positive emotions than HCs. After a negative mood induction, women with BED provided significantly less effective problem-solving strategies compared to HCs and women with BN for the binge-eating MEPS scenario. Relative to baseline and the negative mood induction, all participants exhibited significantly higher skin conductance response and skin conductance levels throughout the MEPS scenarios and recovery. BED showed significantly lower RSA levels than individuals with BN and HCs throughout the protocol. The multimethod findings suggest individuals with BED are likely to solve problems by binge-eating when in a negative affective state.

scholarly journals The effect of positive mood induction on emotional processing in euthymic individuals with bipolar disorder and controls

2008 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 785-791 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Roiser ◽  
A. Farmer ◽  
D. Lam ◽  
A. Burke ◽  
N. O'Neill ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Bipolar Disorder ◽  
Emotional Processing ◽  
Mood Induction ◽  
Emotional State ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Positive Mood ◽  
Attentional Biases ◽  
Novel Technique ◽  
Emotional Bias

BackgroundMany studies have used negative mood induction techniques to investigate the effect of emotional state on cognitive performance but positive mood induction paradigms have been used less frequently. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of positive mood induction on emotional processing in euthymic individuals with bipolar disorder (BD) and controls.MethodPreviously, we reported that positive mood induction using a novel technique based on feedback produced a longer-lasting effect in euthymic individuals with BD than controls (Farmer et al.2006). Here we report the effect of mood induction on two tests of emotional processing, the Affective Go/No-go test (AGNG) and the Cambridge Gamble task (CGT), on which BD patients in the manic phase differ in their performance from controls.ResultsFollowing positive mood induction, bipolar cases exhibited a positive emotional bias on the AGNG and performed more slowly than controls on the CGT, particularly when making more difficult decisions.ConclusionsThese data confirm that positive mood induction is more effective in individuals with BD than controls. They also suggest that alterations in decision making and attentional biases occur even with transient and subtle changes in mood in bipolar disorder.

scholarly journals Induced Positive Mood and Cognitive Flexibility: Evidence from Task Switching and Reversal Learning

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy T. Nusbaum ◽  
Cristina G. Wilson ◽  
Anthony Stenson ◽  
John M. Hinson ◽  
Paul Whitney
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Reversal Learning ◽  
Task Switching ◽  
Mood Induction ◽  
Mood State ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Positive Mood ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Mood States ◽  
Mood Group

Positive mood often facilitates cognitive functions. Facilitation is hypothesized to be due to an increase in dopamine occurring in positive mood states. However, facilitation has not been consistently found in studies of cognitive flexibility. This inconsistent relationship may reflect the numerous ways cognitive flexibility is measured. Moreover, there is evidence that the role of dopamine in cognitive flexibility performance depends on the type of measure used. In the current study, we employed a probabilistic two-card reversal learning task (n = 129) and a Stroop-like task switching procedure (n = 188) in a college student population. We used a standardized set of mood videos to induce a positive, negative, or neutral mood state. Negative mood states were included to account for possible effects of arousal on performance, which is seen in both positive and negative mood inductions. Based on current theories of positive mood and cognition, we hypothesized that there would be differences in the effects of a positive mood induction on cognitive flexibility as assessed by task switching and reversal learning tasks. The mood induction successfully induced high levels of amusement and increased valence in the positive mood group and high levels of repulsion and decreased valence in the negative mood group. However, there were no differences in cognitive flexibility across any of the mood groups, as assessed by switch costs in task switching and correct choices after the reversal in reversal learning. Overall, these findings do not support the hypothesis that positive mood improves cognitive flexibility.

scholarly journals El poder de los extravertidos: Evaluando la regulación de estados de ánimo positivos y negativos

2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 710 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gonzalo Hervás ◽  
Irene López-Gómez
Keyword(s):  
Positive Affect ◽  
Psychological Functioning ◽  
Mood Induction ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Positive Mood ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mood Regulation ◽  
Mood Repair ◽  
Happy Mood

<p>Extraversion is a personality trait which has been systematically related to positive affect and well-being. One of the mechanisms that may account for these positive outcomes is the ability to regulate the responses to positive, as well as negative, moods. Prior research has found that extraverts’ higher positive mood maintenance could explain their higher levels of positive affect. However, research exploring differences between extraverts and introverts in negative mood regulation has yielded mixed results. The aim of the current study was explore the role of different facets of mood regulation displayed by extraverts, ambiverts, and introverts. After been exposed to a sad vs. happy mood induction, participants underwent a mood regulation task. Extraverts and ambiverts exhibited higher positive mood regulation than introverts, but similar mood repair. Thus, this research highlights the importance of positive mood regulation in the psychological functioning of extraverts, and opens new conceptualizations for developing interventions for introverts to improve their positive mood regulation and, hence, overall positive affect and well-being.</p>

A Musical Mood Induction Alleviates Dysfunctional Attitudes in Needy and Self-Critical Individuals

2007 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 295-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myriam Mongrain ◽  
John Trambakoulos
Keyword(s):  
Mood Induction ◽  
Mood State ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Positive Mood ◽  
Dysfunctional Attitudes ◽  
Dysfunctional Beliefs ◽  
Induction Procedure ◽  
Musical Mood Induction ◽  
Depressive Vulnerability ◽  
Mood Induction Procedure

The “mood-state hypothesis” (Miranda & Persons, 1988) suggests that dysfunctional beliefs are latent in individuals vulnerable to depression until activated by a negative mood. The purpose of the current study was twofold: (a) to validate a new musical mood induction procedure and (b) to test the cognitive reactivity (or changes in the endorsement of dysfunctional beliefs) in individuals hypothesized to be vulnerable to depression (Blatt, Zohar, Quinlan, Zuroff, & Mongrain, 1995). The mood induction procedure was found to be highly effective for both the positive and the negative conditions. Needy and self-critical participants reported increases in the endorsement of dysfunctional attitudes with the depressing music. With the elating music, needy and self-critical participants experiencing an increase in happiness reported lower levels of dysfunctional attitudes. The findings support state-trait models of depressive vulnerability (Zuroff, Blatt, Sanislow, & Bondi, 1999) and further illustrate how positive mood states can ameliorate the report of maladaptive thoughts.

Weekly Exercise Consistently Reinstates Positive Mood

1998 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 271-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Steinberg ◽  
Briony R. Nicholls ◽  
Elizabeth A. Sykes ◽  
N. LeBoutillier ◽  
Nerina Ramlakhan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Exercise ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Positive Mood ◽  
Field Investigation ◽  
Single Bout ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Exercise Class ◽  
Negative Feelings ◽  
Over Time

Mood improvement immediately after a single bout of exercise is well documented, but less is known about successive and longer term effects. In a “real-life” field investigation, four kinds of exercise class (Beginners, Advanced, Body Funk and Callanetics) met once a week for up to 7 weeks. Before and after each class the members assessed how they felt by completing a questionnaire listing equal numbers of “positive” and “negative” mood words. Subjects who had attended at least five times were included in the analysis, which led to groups consisting of 18, 20, 16, and 16 subjects, respectively. All four kinds of exercise significantly increased positive and decreased negative feelings, and this result was surprisingly consistent in successive weeks. However, exercise seemed to have a much greater effect on positive than on negative moods. The favorable moods induced by each class seemed to have worn off by the following week, to be reinstated by the class itself. In the Callanetics class, positive mood also improved significantly over time. The Callanetics class involved “slower,” more demanding exercises, not always done to music. The Callanetics and Advanced classes also showed significantly greater preexercise negative moods in the first three sessions. However, these differences disappeared following exercise. Possibly, these two groups had become more “tolerant” to the mood-enhancing effects of physical exercise; this may be in part have been due to “exercise addiction.”

The Role of Gender and Sensation Seeking in Film Choice

2008 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 97-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Smita C. Banerjee ◽  
Kathryn Greene ◽  
Marina Krcmar ◽  
Zhanna Bagdasarov ◽  
Dovile Ruginyte
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Sensation Seeking ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Positive Mood ◽  
The United States ◽  
High Arousal ◽  
Subject Design ◽  
Happy Mood

This study demonstrates the significance of individual difference factors, particularly gender and sensation seeking, in predicting media choice (examined through hypothetical descriptions of films that participants anticipated they would view). This study used a 2 (Positive mood/negative mood) × 2 (High arousal/low arousal) within-subject design with 544 undergraduate students recruited from a large northeastern university in the United States. Results showed that happy films and high arousal films were preferred over sad films and low-arousal films, respectively. In terms of gender differences, female viewers reported a greater preference than male viewers for happy-mood films. Also, male viewers reported a greater preference for high-arousal films compared to female viewers, and female viewers reported a greater preference for low-arousal films compared to male viewers. Finally, high sensation seekers reported a preference for high-arousal films. Implications for research design and importance of exploring media characteristics are discussed.

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