Testing for mood congruent recall with environmentally induced mood

Three experiments examined the effects of natural and urban environments on mood and the subsequent recall of emotionally valenced materials. In experiment 1, subjects read words denoting positive and negative emotions and rated how well the words applied to them in general. Photographic simulations of natural and urban/industrial environments were then used to induce either positive or negative moods prior to free recall of the words used for self-description. Experiment 2 used similar environmental simulations to induce different moods, after which subjects recalled personal memories. Experiment 3 was conducted in field settings (botanical garden and urban intersection) and crossed environment with type of material to be recalled in a factorial design. In all three experiments the environmental manipulation produced changes in self-reported moods as expected; however, the mood effects were, at most, moderate in size. None of the experiments produced clear evidence of mood congruent recall. The results suggest that mood congruence effects do not occur with the normally small to moderate mood variations attributable to environmental variations.

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