BPsych (Honours)

PhD Candidate, School of Psychology

Contact details for Mr Magnus Reiestad m.reiestad@griffith.edu.au

Research topic title

Mood and Cognition: Variations in mood intensity and cognitive load

Description

The proposed project has the potential to increase our understanding of the effects of induced positive and negative mood on cognitive task performance. In testing predictions derived from a revised model explaining these effects in terms the allocation of limited cognitive resources, the project will extend empirical research in several ways. First, rather than treating mood as a categorical variable defined by valence alone, verbal and pictorial procedures to manipulate mood intensity over two levels (low and high intensity) within each valence will be developed. Second, these verbal and pictorial procedures will be used to investigate mood valence and intensity effects on verbal and visuospatial working memory capacity as well as possible selective interference effects from the Mood Induction Procedures. Third, individual differences in general fluid intelligence will be incorporated to address to individual differences in cognitive capacity and its impact on the mood cognition relationship. Knowledge of how emotional activity interacts with cognition is important for cognitive science and fundamental to understanding how cognition/emotion relationships can affect behavioural domains, often the focus of clinical intervention in affective disorders. As such, the current project will provide an important contribution to emotion cognition research.

Supervisors

Dr Glenda Andrews (Principal) / Dr Karen Murphy (Associate)