[Changes in positive mood states by analytic and creative information processing]

Reviews concerning research on the influence of mood on behavior show (a) that mainly the influence of mood on behavior was investigated and (b) that achievements in memory and cognitive tasks were of central concern (Fiedler, 1988; Isen, 1987). Social behavior was analyzed as a function of these factors. Recent reviews restrict themselves to positive feeling states. Summarizing, Fiedler (1988) describes the information processing style in positive feeling states as "loosening" to capture its qualitative aspects. This study investigates the opposite direction of influence, i.e. the effect of cognitive style on positive feeling states. This study restricts itself to positive feeling states. The compatibility thesis which postulates a necessary interaction of feeling state and information processing style is tested. Equivalent states and productions have to go together to generate the mood effects. In a 2 x 2 x 5 mixed design 70 female students (non-psychologists) served as subjects. Using a 20-minute mood induction procedure (autobiographical recollection methodology) a positive or neutral feeling state was elicited in half of the participants. During the next 10 minutes half of each group worked either on a verbal creativity test (Schoppe, 1975) or on an intelligence test (Amthauer, 1973) to establish an creative or analytic style of information processing. Repeated sampling of a measurement repetition factor served as baseline assessments, manipulation checks, and measurements of the feeling states during the task completion of the creativity or intelligence test. The feeling states were assessed by means of a short version (BSK-1982) of the "Eigenschaftswörterliste" (JankeDebus, 1978). The results confirm the compatibility thesis. Only the group in which a positive feeling state and a creative processing style interact reported a positive mood throughout the task completion. Unexpectedly, a slight deterioration of mood was found in the group with a neutral feeling state and analytic reasoning, suggesting that the neutral mood induction might in fact, elicit a mild negative feeling state and that the compatibility thesis might, also be applicable to the field of negative emotions.