BEYOND MOOD AND SOCIAL JUDGMENT - MOOD-INCONGRUENT RECALL AND MOOD REGULATION

Two studies explored mood incongruent recall and the self-regulation of moods. In Study 1, subjects were put into sad or happy moods before recalling a mood incongruent event. Subjects engaged in one of three types of recall. effortless, effortful, or no recall. Results showed that the greatest change in mood occurred for effortful recall. In Study 2 subjects were again put into a particular mood and were asked to recall anything they wanted - either at the beginning or the end of a class session. In general, subjects chose to remember mood congruent events; however, subjects in negative moods recalled more positive events when they performed the task at the beginning of class. Implications of the results for issues of mood regulation and mood congruent judgment are discussed