Question

The mood-congruence effect explains which of the following?

a. Happy people attempt difficult cognitive tasks more willingly when their mood states are positive.
b. Depressed patients report more memories related to illness, injury, and death than nondepressed people.
c. People under the influence of alcohol at the time of encoding information have better recall of this information when again under the influence of alcohol.
d. All the answers are correct.

Answer 1

The mood-congruence effect refers to the tendency of individuals to recall information that is consistent with their current mood. For instance, depressed patients are more likely to recall sad memories, which exemplifies this effect.

Step-by-step explanation:

The mood-congruence effect explains that people are more likely to remember information that is congruent with their current mood state. The various ways this can manifest are:

• Happy people may be more inclined to undertake challenging cognitive tasks when they are in a positive mood, aligning with their current emotional state.
• Depressed patients often recall memories that are congruent with their mood, such as those related to illness or negative life events, more readily than nondepressed individuals.
• The state-dependent learning aspect, where people who encoded information under the influence of alcohol are more likely to recall this information when they are once again under the influence, illustrates how the physical and mood state during encoding can affect memory recall.

The correct option is b. Depressed patients reporting more memories related to illness, injury, and death than nondepressed people is a direct observation of the mood-congruence effect.