Abstract
Previous research demonstrates that individuals in a positive mood are differentially distracted by irrelevant information during an ongoing task (Rowe et al. in Proc Natl Acad Sci 104:383–388, 2007). The present study investigated whether susceptibility to distraction shown by individuals in a positive mood results in greater implicit memory for that distraction. Participants performed a similarity-judgment task on pictures that were superimposed with distracting words. When these previously distracting words could be used as solutions on a delayed implicit task administered several minutes later, performance was positively correlated with pleasantness of mood. Individuals in a positive mood are more likely than others to use previously irrelevant information to facilitate performance on a subsequent implicit task, a finding with implications for the relationship between positive mood and creativity.
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Notes
The removal of this participant from the data set did not change any statistical outcomes.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Aging (R37 AGO4306) and by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research grant (MOP89769). We thank Gillian Rowe for helpful advice on the design of this study.
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Biss, R.K., Hasher, L. & Thomas, R.C. Positive mood is associated with the implicit use of distraction. Motiv Emot 34, 73–77 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-010-9156-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-010-9156-y