Examining the Effect of Mood on Problem Solving Ability - Research Paper Example

 Examining the Effect of Mood on Problem Solving Ability Abstract Moods are often described as lasting emotions. Previous research suggests that mood valence (positivity vs. negativity) can have a significant impact upon the processing of cognitive problem solving skills. This study evaluated the effect of mood valence on the cognitive skills of 40 participants. A one-way ANOVA did not show a significant effect of the independent variable. This finding may not reflect the true nature of this association. The lack of a significant effect may be due to moderating or otherwise confounding variables that were not accounted for in this study’s design. Future research is necessary to clarify the nature of this relationship. Examining the Effect of Mood on Problem Solving Ability Emotions are a phenomenon that is universally experienced among humans. These experiences and can manifest in a variety of possible qualities (anger, happiness, sadness, etc.). As a topic of study, there are several other characteristics that can be compared among emotions, such as intensity, direction, and time period. When an emotion is consistently experienced for a considerable amount of time it can be referred to as a mood. Moods A mood can be categorized in numerous ways (much like emotions), but they are commonly appraised on the characteristic of valence (positivity to negativity). This scale is somewhat encompassing, as a variety of other possible measures may be taken into consideration when appraising the valence of a mood. For example, a positive or “good” mood may be considered as such because it is particularly intense in a desired quality (like happiness), and/or because it is experienced for a long time. Although more precise measures should be considered when researching the various characteristics of a particular mood, the robust nature of the positive-negative designation makes it an ideal measure for the study of mood as an independent variable. Our study employs the positive-negative observation scale since this research does not cover the various underlying aspects of mood. Problem Solving Virtually all people experience problem solving scenarios that require their attention. Problems arise on every level of human experience, from internal psychological conflicts, to physical obstacles, to social barriers, and the development of strong problem solving skills is essential to our day-to-day operations. The ability to solve complex problems is an evolutionary advantage for human beings, and has likely played a large role in our ascent to the top of the food chain. Different problems call for different types of problem solving skills. For example, a situation in which you have offended a friend based on a social expectation that you don’t understand may only be resolved using social problem solving, with minimal cognitive support. Alternatively, social problem solving skills would not be very useful when faced with complex math problems, but cognitive skills are sure to be highly valuable in this type of situation. Cognitive problem solving skills are the dependent variable of interest in this study. Previous Research Anderson, Goddard, and Powell (2009) examined the effect of mood on social problem solving skills. It was found that conditions that could be interpreted as “bad” moods (depressed/anxious) were directly linked to impaired strategies. This research demonstrates that positive and negative moods have varying effects upon social problem solving skills, but does not offer any information regarding the impact of mood upon cognitive processes. A study by Reinecke and Trepte (2008) used cognitive performance tests, which could be interpreted as a measure of cognitive problem solving abilities, to test the effect of mood management techniques. While the researchers did find a significant effect of mood management on cognitive processing, the varying conditions of mood were arousal based and not greatly related to positive-negative attributes. This study does provide evidence that cognitive problem solving tasks are a viable means to measure the impact of mood upon cognitive processing abilities. The measure used to evaluate cognitive problem solving skills has not been firmly established in previous literature. An experiment by Verleur, Verhagen, and Heuvelman (2007) measures the impact of mood on problem solving skills using two types of thought tasks (divergent vs. insightful) and found conflicting results between the variations on the original dependent variable of problem solving. It is possible that this division was unnecessary and may have actually hidden a more significant. For this reason the concept of cognitive problem solving is not dissected any further in this study. Researchers Williams, Barnhofer, Crane, and Beck considered problem solving as a single concept (though not exclusively cognitive) in their 2005 study that examined the effects of a mood challenge (liking inducing negative mood) on subjects’ problem solving skills. In this experiment, they found that all groups displayed a worsening of solving skills following mood challenges, and that the difference was most profound in those who were believed to be the most susceptible to the challenges (depressed and/or suicidal subjects). Additionally, Brand and Opwis (2007) found that mood has an effect upon problem solving during dyadic information transfers. The Current Study The evidence suggests that problem-solving skills are affected as a result of a person’s mood. However, there appears to be a need for clarification when it comes to the terms of each variable. This study will provide information regarding the effect that mood valence may have upon basic cognitive problem solving skills. Our prediction is as follows: H1: Negative moods will result in lower cognitive processing scores when compared to positive moods. Method Participants The subjects for this study were randomly recruited for participation from the general population. There were 40 subjects in total, with twenty assigned to one of two conditions. Negative mood and positive mood constitute the condition levels of the independent variable that were assigned to each group. Materials This study utilized two sets of images, one consisting of pictures designed to induce negative moods, and the other containing positive images. Also used were a short survey to gauge mood, and a ten-question problem-solving sheet. Procedure Subjects in the positive group were given the set of positive images to view while the negative group received negative images. Following the viewing sessions, participants completed a short survey to gauge mood and were given ten minutes to complete the ten-question problem-solving sheet. Results After correcting for the results of the mood tests, the groups were found to contain 22 subjects who experienced a positive mood, and 18 who experienced negativity. The dependent variable (cognitive problem solving skill) was recorded as answers correct per minute, calculated from the ten-question test. The effect of condition was examined with a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Subjects answered almost two questions per minute (M = 1.97) with little variability among them (SD = 0.72). A lack of variability between groups can be inferred from a non-significant ANOVA result (F (1, 38) = 0.82, p = 0.37). The lack of significance can also be observed between the positive mood condition values (M = 2.07, SD = 0.16) and the negative mood condition (M = 1.86, SD = 0.17) scores. Refer to Figure 1 for a visual representation of these results. Discussion This study investigated the effect of mood valence on cognitive problem solving skills. The results show that there is no significant difference in cognitive problem solving test scores between a group of subjects in a positive mood, and a group in a negative mood. These findings suggest that a person’s mood is not significantly impactful on their cognitive processing skills. Even below the level of significance, there is very little variation between the correct per minute scores of each condition, as is observable in Figure 1. Interpreting the Results There are several possible reasons for the presence of an insignificant result. Of course, one possibility is that there really is no effect of mood on cognitive problem solving skills. This perspective is supported by the similarity of condition scores in our results, but is not likely considering the amount of evidence that contradicts these findings. It is possible that mood has an effect during on problem solving performance, but due to an unknown underlying process, the effect of a subject’s mood is neutralized during cognitive processing tasks. In this case, we could consider the unknown process to be a confounding intervening variable that needs to be identified and either eliminated from the study through balancing, or accounted for as a covariant. Williams and colleagues (2005) investigated problem solving as a behavioral variable rather than as a purely cognitive process, but they did uncover a potential moderating factor between mood and the behavior in autobiographical memory. This influence may also affect cognitive processing alone. If the impact of intervening variables like memory characteristics is large enough, then it is possible that they may account for the lack of a significant result in our study. Another possible cause of the observed results is the generality of cognitive problem solving task as a dependent variable. Verleur, Verhagen, and Heuvelman (2007) further divided problem solving tasks into specific types of thought (cognitive) processes. The significant results of their study may be due to this sub-categorization, and a similar dissection of the processes underlying cognitive problem solving may have led to significant results. Instead of (or in addition to) a faulty dependent variable, the findings of this study may be a result of a poor choice for the independent variable. Reinecke and Trepte (2008) studied effects on cognitive processing by the arousal level of mood. We may have observed a similarly significant result if another characteristic of mood were examined in place of, or alongside valence. Additional consideration of various mood characteristics should be considered in future analyses. Limitations This study has several limitations that may be responsible for the lack of an observable mood effect. The lack of a true control group (no intervention) is undesirable in most circumstances, and the inclusion of one would have played a role in reducing potentially confounding variables and revealing a large effect, had their been one to observe. Additionally, subjects could have been pre-screened and groups could have been balanced to account for potentially (and extremely likely) confounding variables such as mood disorders and education level. The lack of a pretest for mood resulted in our inability to evaluate the effectiveness of our mood-inducing pictures. It is possible that these tools were not sufficient in producing a large enough change in mood, and this factor could have been uncovered through the use of a pre-post test design for mood valence. The dependent measure of questions correct per minute is also limited as it was calculated from a relatively small number of responses over a short period of time. The inclusion of a more extensive measure may have altered the findings of this experiment. Future Research Although this study did not find a significant effect of mood valence on cognitive problem solving skills, we cannot be certain that this result was due to an actual lack of effect. Several limitations of this study’s design, as well as the ambiguity of current perspectives on cognitive problem solving processes, leaves a need for further research to clarify the nature of this relationship, or a lack thereof. Future studies should include a pretest-protest design of mood effect analysis to ensure that the subjects have been sufficiently affected by the intended method of valence induction. It is also imperative that potential confounds like comprehension of questions be accounted for either through group balancing and/or in statistical analyses. A more comprehensive test and evaluation of cognitive problem solving skills may be necessary, as may be the dissection of this variable into more specific components. Conclusion Mood valence and cognitive problem solving skills were not found to be significantly related in this experiment, but the design of the investigation leaves room for improvements that may result in different observations. The research discussed in the introduction of this study suggests that the results of this study are due to factors other than those that were intended to be studied, and suggest that differing observations may be obtained from differently designed experiments. Accordingly, further investigations that control for additional confounding variables are required in order to verify the lack of variability in cognitive processing abilities due to mood valence that was observed in this study. References Anderson, R. J., Goddard, L., & Powell, J. H. (2009). Social problem-solving processes and mood in college students: An examination of self-report and performance-based approaches. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 33(2), 175-186. Brand, S., & Opwis, K. (2007). Effects of mood and problem solving in dyads on transfer. Swiss Journal of Psychology, 66(1), 51-65. Reinecke, L., & Trepte, S. (2008). In a working mood? The effects of mood management processes on subsequent cognitive performance. Journal of Media Psychology: Theories, Methods, and Applications, 20(1), 3-14. Verleur, R., Verhagen, P. W., & Heuvelman, A. (2007). Can mood-inducing videos affect problem-solving activities in a web-based environment? British Journal of Educational Technology, 38(6), 1010-1019. Williams, J. G., Barnhofer, T., Crane, C., & Beck, A. T. (2005). Problem solving deteriorates following mood challenge in formerly depressed patients with a history of suicidal ideation. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 114(3), 421-431. Figure 1 Figure 1. Cognitive problem solving scores of positive mood and negative mood groups. Read More