| Abstract: | Investigated the influence of positive affect, induced in 33 differing ways, on the uniqueness of word associations in 2 studies with 227 undergraduates. In Study 1, affect was induced by means of word-association to affectively balanced words. Results show that Ss in the positive-affect conditions gave more unusual 1st associates to neutral words, according to the norms developed by D. S. Palermo and J. J. Jenkins (1964) in a pilot study, than did Ss in the control conditions. In Study 2, where word type (positive, neutral, negative) was a 2nd factor along with affect, in a between-Ss design, associates to positive words were also more unusual and diverse than were those to other words. Results are related to those of studies suggesting that positive affect may facilitate creative problem solving and to other work suggesting an impact of positive feelings on cognitive organization. Findings indicate unusual or flexible responding as a function of positive affect. (45 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
