Want information? How mood and performance perceptions alter the perceived value of information and influence information-seeking behaviors

Karen Gasper, Matthew J. Zawadzki

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

Currently, it is not well understood when positive and negative moods would encourage and discourage the process of identifying and seeking out valuable information. Building upon the mood-as-a-resource hypothesis and the mood-behavior-model, this project reconciles mixed findings by investigating and finding support for the hypothesis that positive moods encourage seeking instrumental information when performance is perceived to be weak; whereas negative moods encourage it when performance is perceived to be strong. These effects are due to mood influencing the perceived value (i. e. instrumentality) of information and cannot be explained by arguing that mood altered the affective costs/benefits associated with the information. Overall, these results indicate that positive moods may help individuals acquire information to resolve an existing problem, whereas negative moods may help individuals acquire information when there is no apparent problem.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)308-322
Number of pages15
JournalMotivation and Emotion
Volume37
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2013

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Social Psychology
  • Experimental and Cognitive Psychology

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