title: Mood and processing of proattitudinal and counterattitudinal messages.
abstract: Existing research has established the effects of mood on processing of clearly mood-elevating proattitudinal messages and clearly mood-threatening counterattitudinal messages (i.e., mood-relevant messages). Little is known, however, about mood effects on processing of less mood-elevating proattitudinal messages and less mood-threatening counterattitudinal messages (i.e., mood-irrelevant messages). The present research tested hypotheses regarding processing of mood-irrelevant messages based on a mood-congruent expectancies approach. Specifically, two studies were conducted in which prior attitudes were measured (Study 1) or manipulated (Study 2). As predicted, results showed higher scrutiny in negative mood given a proattitudinal message and in positive mood given a counterattitudinal message than in negative mood given a counterattitudinal message and in positive mood given a proattitudinal message. Discussion focuses on implications regarding the accumulated literature, different accounts proposed to understand mood effects on processing effort, and further research.
authors: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Fachbereich Psychologie, Tübingen, Germany. Rene.Ziegler@uni-tuebingen.de
authors: Rene
authors: R
authors: Ziegler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D001290:Attitude; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010565:Persuasive Communication; D060145:Text Messaging; D055815:Young Adult