Research article summary (published 30 May 1985):

The influence of positive affect on the unusualness of word associations.

Full Abstract

A pilot study and two experiments investigated the influence of positive affect, induced in three differing ways, on the uniqueness of word associations. Persons in the positive-affect conditions gave more unusual first-associates to neutral words, according to the Palermo & Jenkins (1964) norms, than did subjects in the control conditions. In Study 3, where word type (positive, neutral, negative) was a second factor along with affect, in a between-subjects design, associates to positive words were also more unusual and diverse than were those to other words. These results were related to those of studies suggesting that positive affect may facilitate creative problem solving and to other work suggesting an impact of positive feelings on cognitive organization.

Author information

Author/s: Isen, A M (AM); Johnson, M M (MM); Mertz, E (E); Robinson, G F (GF);

Grants: 37452 (Agency:PHS HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Journal: Journal of personality and social psychology (J Pers Soc Psychol), published in UNITED STATES. (Language: eng)

Reference: 1985-Jun; vol 48 (issue 6) : pp 1413-26

Dates: Created 1985/08/26; Completed 1985/08/26; Revised 2007/11/14;

PMID: 4020605, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Affect Cognition Creativeness Humans

Humans Semantics Set (Psychology) Word Association Tests

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