Content Dimensions of the Velten Mood Induction Procedure: Multiple Routes to Negative Mood
Smith, James Ralph
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/69686
Description
Title
Content Dimensions of the Velten Mood Induction Procedure: Multiple Routes to Negative Mood
Author(s)
Smith, James Ralph
Issue Date
1987
Department of Study
Psychology
Discipline
Psychology
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Psychology, Clinical
Abstract
Researchers investigating the relationship between affect and cognition have often used mood induction procedures to manipulate mood in the laboratory. Only a few studies, however, have made an effort to examine how these induction procedures operate. Little effort has been made to investigate the processes that result in mood change. In this study the Velten Mood Induction Procedure, the most commonly used mood change technique, was separated into its two apparent dimensions (degree of self-reference and negative content) in order to test the relative importance of each dimension in producing negative mood and to explain the psychological processes which account for the procedure's mood altering effects.
One hundred forty nondepressed female undergraduate students were given a number of preinduction assessment measures in order to test the relationship of personality variables to susceptibility to the induction techniques. Following the assessment subjects were randomly assigned to one of four induction procedures: Neutral content-Other focus; Neutral content-Self-focus; Depressed content-Other-focus; and Depressed content-Self-focus. They then completed a number of measures of mood, attention, motor response, and self-evaluation and described their reactions to the induction procedures.
Both depressed content and self-focus (singly and in combination) produced negative mood. Subjects in all three active treatment conditions reported significant mood changes on the more reactive, immediate measures of mood and attention (short-term measures); only the Depressed-Self-focus (combined) treatment produced changes on the more global self-evaluative measures.
The processes that produced negative mood were explained using Kanfer's self-regulation model and Bower's cognitive network theory. The findings help improve our understanding of the multiple routes to mood change and have methodological implications for both cognitive psychology research and depression analogue studies. The results also support and help explain the efficacy of a number of current psychotherapy approaches.
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