The Impact of Induced Affect on the Perception of Variability in Social Groups

Two studies examined the effects of mood on perceptions of intragroup variability. Following exposure to positive, neutral, or negative mood-inducing stimuli, subjects read information about behaviors performed by members of a group. The group was either high or low in intragroup behavioral variability. In contrast to those in a neutral mood, subjects in a positive or negative mood did not produce differential variability judgments for the two groups. Experiment 2 replicated this finding and indicated that happy, but not sad, subjects showed other indexes of reduced processing. Possible cognitive and motivational mechanisms underlying reduced perception of intragroup variability are discussed.