Mood Congruence Effect in Autobiographical Recall: Is Mood a Mediator?
Mood Congruence Effect in Autobiographical Recall: Is Mood a Mediator?

Summary/Abstract: In the present study we test the hypothesis that the effect of mood congruence in autobiographical recall is underlain by mood. Thirty-eight female participants were subjected to positive, negative and neutral mood inductions, and then asked to recall three personal memories. Participants’ mood was assessed using self-report questionnaires and by electromyograph (EMG) measurements of corrugator supercilii and zygomaticus major muscle activity. We replicated the congruence effect between the mood inductions and the valence of the participants’ recalled memories. Furthermore, this effect was mediated by mood, as measured by EMG and self-report questionnaires. The results suggest that mood influences the mood congruence effect in a way that cannot be explained by semantic priming alone.

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