Mood and Cognition

Question 1

What is it thought that the scope of attention is?

Answer 1

narrower with negative mood (Easterbrook, 1959)
wider with positive mood

Question 2

What is motivational intensity?

Answer 2

Having the goal of approaching or avoiding a stimulus
High motivational intensity: attentional narrowing
Low motivational intensity: attention broadening

Question 3

How is processing strategy thought to change with mood?

Answer 3

It is thought that processing strategy will stay the same with a happy mood, but change with negative mood

Question 4

When is memory performance better?

Answer 4

Memory performance is better when the individual’s mood state is the same at learning and retrival

Question 5

What Kenealy find in relation to mood state dependent memory?

Answer 5

Strong mood-state-dependent effects in free recall

Question 6

What did Eich find?

Answer 6

The do it yourself principle

Question 7

What is the do it yourself principle?

Answer 7

Mood state exerts less influence when crucial information is explicitly presented
Free recall is a more “do-it-yourself” test because it involves generating one’s own retrieval cues
Mood intensity: stronger effects with more intense mood

Question 8

What did Bower find in relation to DID?

Answer 8

Predicted patients with two or more personalities should exhibit inter-identity amnesia
Thought to be an effect of mood-state-dependent memory, as each identity has its own characteristic mood state
Effects should be stronger on explicit memory tests

Question 9

How might people in negative moods attempt to change their mood?

Answer 9

by retrieving pleasant thoughts, thereby reducing the expected effect

Question 10

What did Fiedler find in relation to mood congruity?

Answer 10

Mood congruity effects may reflect a genuine memorial advantage for mood-congruent material
They may, instead, reflect a response bias
People may be more willing to report memories matching their current mood state, even if not genuine
Data support the former but not the latter explanation

Question 11

In a moral dilemma where you can choose to direct a trolly to one or five people, what is taken into account?

Answer 11

No personal involvement
Weak emotional reaction
Utilitarian judgement
Use cognitive system
Slow

Question 12

Footbridge problemm - jump in front of train or watch run over 4 people?

Answer 12

Personal involvement
Strong emotional reaction
Deontological judgement
Use affective system
Fast

Question 13

What are happy people more likely to use than sad?

Answer 13

a heuristic processing strategy

Question 13

What is decision making affected by?

Answer 13

anxiety and sadness
Anxious individuals are risk averse
Sad individuals are risk seeking

Question 14

In judgement, what is misery not?

Answer 14

Misery-is-not-miserly effect
The tendency for sad individuals to be willing to pay more

Question 15

What is the technique of thought congruity?

Answer 15

Put participants into a positive or negative mood state
Ask them to make judgements
Assess whether their judgements are similarly positive/lenient or negative/harsh

Question 16

What did McFarland find about ruminative participants?

Answer 16

Had a neurotic tendency to dwell on negative aspects of the self
Showed large effects of thought congruity

Question 17

What did McFarland find about reflective participants?

Answer 17

Had an open exploratory focus on the self
Generally showed no sign of thought congruity