AFFECTIVE STATES AND THE INFLUENCE OF ACTIVATED GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

Two studies examined the impact of information activation on individua ls in different mood states. In Experiment 1, happy, neutral, or sad s ubjects judged whether certain attributes (behaviors or traits) apply to a particular target. Prior trait judgments decreased the time for j udging behaviors exemplifying the trait, particularly for happy but no t for sad subjects. In Experiment 2, happy or sad subjects indicated w hether the same or a semantically related stimulus had already been pr esented. Sad subjects responded relatively faster than happy subjects after corresponding information had previously been activated. Additio nal analyses reveal that both patterns are not due to different respon se tendencies. The results suggest that happy mood supports judgmental inferences based on general knowledge structures, whereas sad mood fa cilitates the conservation of information.