| Abstract: | The current study examined the effect of mood and autonomy in problem definition on the idea-generating performance of temporary workgroups. Groups (N=54) were randomly assigned to a mood (positive vs neutral) and autonomy (high vs low) condition and asked to brainstorm ways to improve university student life. It was found that positive mood increased the originality of ideas and that problems that provided low autonomy led to a greater number of ideas. Mood and autonomy interacted to affect group satisfaction. Furthermore, positive mood led to the identification of more important domains for improvement in the high-autonomy condition. Implications for future research using temporary problem-solving groups are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
