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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Aoife De Brun
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Whilst research shows that mood can influence problem-solving, the influence of cognitively-oriented individual differences constructs has not been studied. Also, as efficient problem-solving can influence adaptive functioning in the social environment, it is important to examine everyday social problem-solving and analytical problem-solving. This exploratory study (n=62) examined the influence of mood on these problem-solving dimensions, whilst controlling for pertinent cognitively-orientated individual differences constructs. Two mood states (sadness and frustration) were induced using a cued autobiographical life event recall technique, and analytical and social problem-solving was assessed by graduate-entry to medicine test items and vignettes depicting social dilemmas, respectively. The individual differences constructs assessed were impulsiveness, mindfulness, and cognitive failures. We predicted that mood state will differentially influence problem-solving performance, in that the sad mood condition would perform better on the analytic problems and the frustrated mood condition would perform better on the social problems. Although no statistically significant results were found, trends in the data revealed that sad mood best predicted analytical problem-solving (compared to control), whereas cognitive failures best predicted social problem-solving. The findings are discussed in relation to the need to further examine the constructs of mindfulness and cognitive failures and the need to develop an empirically-useful analytical problem-solving set.
Author(s): De Brún A, Thomas K, McKenzie K
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Journal of Quantitative Psychological Research
Year: 2012
Volume: 1
Pages: 1-10
Print publication date: 01/05/2012
ISSN (print): 2009-454X
Publisher: Statistical Services for Social Sciences
URL: http://www.jqpr.co.uk/jqpr-issues.html
