[Interaction of differential anxiety states with analytic cognitive style]. / Zur Interaktion von differentiellen Angstzuständen mit analytischen Urteilsstilen.

Interactions of anxiety states with modes of cognitive processing are investigated. It is assumed that the analytic thinking style of negative feeling states consists of probabilistic reasoning in the case of self-relevant anxiety states and of simple bipolar (yes-or-no) decisions in the case of physically threatening anxiety states. Sixty-six female student teachers (M = 23 years of age, SD = 2.7) served as subjects in a 3 x 2 x 4 mixed design. The subjects were divided into three groups of equal size. In each group a self-threatening or physically threatening anxiety state or a neutral feeling state was generated. Half of the subjects in each of the three groups were provided with either a probabilistic or yes-or-no answering format for a list of life events to induce a different style of cognitive processing. Repeated measurements of affect provided a pre-induction baseline, a manipulation check, and an assessment of affect change during task completion. The feeling states were assessed by means of scales for longitudinal studies of mood (Becker, 1988). The results show that the combination of self-threatening anxiety states with probabilistic judgments and--to a lesser degree--of physically threatening anxiety states with simple yes-or-no judgments caused the maintenance of the respective feeling states. Neither the inverse combinations nor the processing styles alone led to similarly stable affective states. Anxiety states seem to be inherently connected with modes of cognitive processing that should be considered relevant for understanding affect-task interactions and processes of mood repair.

[Cognitive and emotional feeling states and controllability: effects on judgment contents and processing style]. / Kognifizierte und emotionale Gefühlszustände und deren Kontrollierbarkeit: Auswirkungen auf Urteilsinhalt und Urteilsstil.

Reviews summarizing experiments on the interaction of emotional and cognitive processes generally conclude that moods or feelings influence memory, decision-making, and learning processes. The congruency effects observed concern the content or quality of cognition involved as well as the style of information processing. This experiment aimed to further differentiate the conditions of the congruency effects. Therefore, with a 3-factorial design, the influence of (1) positive and negative feelings, (2) a detached and vivid mode of experiencing, and (3) cognitive control on two aspects of probability estimates concerning future events were investigated. 194 female and male subjects (M = 22.58, SD = 4.85 years of age) participated. The feeling states were induced by an autobiographical recollection procedure, and the modality and control conditions were manipulated by means of instructions. 3-way interactions for the content and style of judgments as dependent variables support the expected mood-congruency effects. Three factors quality these effects. First, the mood-congruity effect as described in the literature can be interpreted as being composed of two different parts, a strong emotional and a weak cognitive mood-congruency effect, the latter being an artifact, if real emotion-cognition relationships are concerned. Second, the influence of feelings on information processing style can only be replicated under conditions of "hot" cognition, and so is a truly emotional phenomenon. Third, the interactions of mood, control, and modality point towards different control strategies being implicit in various feeling states. Positive mood is ruled by "compensation" control, whereas negative mood states are governed by "congruency" control if future life events are evaluated.

[Effects of probabilistic judgments on negative moods]. / Effekte probabilistischer Urteile auf negative Gefühlszustände.

Theory and research on the effects of mood on cognition have shown that persons in a negative mood tend toward analytic effortful processing strategies, whereas individuals in a positive mood prefer simplifying heuristic strategies. A review of the literature shows that (a) mainly the influence of mood on cognition and social behavior (e.g., persuasion) has been investigated; and (b) achievements in memory and cognitive tasks were of central concern (Abele, 1991; Schwarz, Bless & Bohner, 1991). With this background, and based on propositional network models of human information processing, the present study investigates influences in the opposite direction, i.e., the effect of cognitive style on feeling states. The compatibility thesis (Otto & Schmitz, 1993), which postulates that an interaction of feeling state and information processing style is necessary for the continuation of a mood state, is generalized to negative feeling states (anxiety) and analytic information processing style (probabilistic judgments). Equivalent emotional states and cognitive productions have to go together to sustain the mood states. In a 2 x 2 x 4 mixed design, 76 male and female students from introductory classes in psychology served as subjects. Using a 15-minute mood induction procedure (autobiographical recollection methodology), a negative, anxiety-prone, or neutral feeling state was elicited in half of the participants. During the next 10 minutes half of each group worked on a list of future life events (Weinstein, 1980), either with the instruction to rate the chances of the items (probabilistic judgments) or with the instruction to rate the items' general applicability (control condition). Repeated sampling of a measurement repetition factor served as a baseline assessment and as a manipulation check, along with measurements of the feeling states while completing the task. The feeling states were assessed by means of a multifactor instrument (Eigenschaftswörterliste; Janke & Debus, 1978). The results support the generalization of the compatibility thesis to negative feeling states (anxiety). Only the group in which a negative feeling state and a probabilistic processing style interacted reported a negative mood and anxious state throughout the task completion. Neither the induced negative (anxious) mood nor the probabilistic judgments alone could sustain a negative feeling state. Moods seem to be best conceivable as a combination of genuine emotional elements (feeling states) and cognitive elements (probabilistic judgments in the case of anxiety).

[Effects of natural mood changes on discrimination performance and response trends in pattern recognition]. / Effekte natürlicher Stimmungsveränderungen auf Diskriminationsleistung und Antworttendenz bei der Mustererkennung.

The effects of mood on thinking and behavior are characterized by "loosening" in the case of positive feeling states and "tightening" for negative ones (Fiedler, 1988). Style of cognitive processing, effort expenditure, and capacity models are discussed as explanatory concepts. To compare these approaches, the theory of signal detection provides methods for the independent evaluation of parameters of response bias and discrimination (and also efficiency). A laboratory experiment (Klauer et al., 1991) was replicated and supplemented by a field study. In the sense of convergent and discriminant validation of the insufficient techniques of mood induction, the naturally occurring mood changes of everyday life were used as mood manipulations. 13 subjects (M = 25.9 years of age, SD = 3.8) reported their feeling states on 18 days for self-selected episodes, which represented the range of their mood changes. Immediately after each mood report, they worked on a visual discrimination task. The indices of signal detection theory for response bias, discrimination, and efficiency were calculated in each cases, and correlated with measures of emotional and unspecific feeling states. Along with a shift from negative to positive feeling states, a trend towards a liberal response bias, a higher discrimination rate, and a greater efficiency resulted. Our findings replicate the laboratory experiment and support the effort expenditure and cognitive processing style view, rather than the reduced-capacity explanation. Speculations are offered concerning the emotional and cognitive processes which led to these results.

[Changes in positive mood states by analytic and creative information processing]. / Veränderungen positiver Gefühlszustände durch analytische und kreative Informationsverarbeitung.

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" (Janke & Debus, 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.