| Abstract: | Recent investigators have attempted to manipulate mood in the laboratory by having Ss read a series of self-referent mood statements and have reported significant changes in affect. The present study assessed the contribution of demand characteristics to the outcomes of these experiments. In addition to having Ss (female undergraduates) read elating, neutral, or depressing self-referent statements or instructing them to act elated or depressed, 2 counter-demand groups were included in which Ss read the elation or depression statements but were told to expect to feel the reverse of what the statements implied. Results indicate that demand characteristics do indeed contribute to mood shifts engendered by this technique, but that the shifts are not merely artifactual. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
