RELATIVE EFFECTIVENESS AND VALIDITY OF MOOD INDUCTION PROCEDURES - A METAANALYSIS

The effectiveness and validity of 11 important mood induction procedur es (MIPs) were comparatively evaluated by meta-analytical procedures. Two hundred and fifty effects of the experimental induction of positiv e, elated and negative, depressed mood in adult, non-clinical samples were integrated. Effect sizes were generally larger for negative than for positive mood inductions. The presentation of a film or story turn ed out to be most effective in inducing both positive and negative moo d states. The effects are especially large when subjects are explicitl y instructed to enter the specified mood state. For elated mood, all o ther MIPs yielded considerably lower effectiveness scores. For the ind uction of negative mood states, Imagination, Velten, Music, Social Int eraction and Feedback MIPs were about as effective as the Film/Story M IP without instruction. Induction effects covaried with several study characteristics. Effects tend to be smaller when demand characteristic s are controlled or subjects are not informed about the purpose of the experiment. For behavioural measures, effects are smaller than for se lf-reports but still larger than zero. Hence, the effects of MIPs can be partly, but not fully due to demand effects.