B. Parkinson et al., TIME FRAMES FOR MOOD - RELATIONS BETWEEN MOMENTARY AND GENERALIZED RATINGS OF AFFECT, Personality & social psychology bulletin, 21(4), 1995, pp. 331-339
A computerized diary method was used to investigate relations between
momentary and generalized affect reports. Thirty participants rated cu
rrent mood at 2-hourly intervals and gave retrospective reports of dai
ly and weekly mood for a 2-week period. Average momentary ratings prov
ided a closer estimate of daily mood than either peak or most recent m
omentary ratings. Similarly, average daily mood indexes tended to give
the best estimates of weekly mood. However for positive (bat not nega
tive) mood, daily reports were consistently higher than average moment
ary ratings, and weekly reports were consistently higher than average
daily ratings. Regression analyses suggested that daily ratings were i
nfluenced mainly by average momentary mood but that independent effect
s of peak and most recent momentary mood were detectable too. Retrospe
ctive reports of daily mood were also influenced by current mood. In g
eneral, however memory for affect was rather better than previous rese
arch has implied.