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Dissertation Information for Ken Weaver

NAME:
- Ken Weaver
- (Alias) Kenneth Andrew Weaver

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- [No Discipline Recorded]

SCHOOL:
- Columbia University (USA) (1986)

ADVISORS:
- None

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- None

MPACT Status: Incomplete - Not_Inspected

Title: ENCODING MOOD, AFFECTIVE AND NONAFFECTIVE ELABORATION, GENDER, AND MEMORY

Abstract: This study investigated two hypotheses that accounted for the effect on memory of affective state and affective material. The Pollyanna hypothesis predicts that happiness enhances and sadness impairs memory, whereas mood congruity proposes that mood-congruent in contrast to mood-incongruent stimuli are elaborated, and thus better remembered. Gender was included because of its relevance to mood and memory.

108 subjects, blocked on gender, were randomly assigned to one of nine conditions in a 2 (Gender: male or female) x 3 (Induced Mood condition: happy, neutral, or sad) x 3 (Appraisal condition: affective, nonaffective, or none) x 3 (Sentence Affect: happy, neutral, and sad) repeated measures design. The first three factors were between subjects, and Sentence Affect was within subjects. Moods were induced by a facial expression manipulation (smiling, frowning, or neutral) while concurrently listening to music and a story that were mood appropriate. 36 happy, neutral, and sad sentences were then read and appraised as happy or sad; frequent or infrequent; or not appraised. Appraisal latency was automatically recorded. Subjects then experienced neutral mood induction; recalled, recognized, and affectively rated the sentences; and generated continuations of them. Mood was measured at the beginning of the experiment, and after the induction of the encoding and retrieval moods.

Results of analyses of mood (subsequent to initial induction and prior to encoding) revealed the expected differences for the mood conditions. Mood immediately prior to recall did not differ. Overall recall by happy, neutral, and sad subjects, and for happy, sad, and neutral sentences, were not as predicted. Nonaffective compared to affective appraisal took more time and demonstrated better memory. Females recalled and generated more sentences, affectively appraised them faster and affectively rated them sadder than males. Females, more clearly than males, demonstrated mood congruity recall. Males, but not females generated more happy than sad sentences. The sentences were rated more intensely by subjects in the affective appraisal than in the nonaffective or no appraisal conditions.

The results were discussed in relationship to the Pollyanna and mood congruity hypotheses. Explanations for the gender and appraisal differences, and directions for future research were proposed.

MPACT Scores for Ken Weaver

A = 0
C = 1
A+C = 1
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2008-07-06 21:56:09

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