Mood and the generation effect

Three experiments address the assumptions, derived from a dual-force model, that positive mood supports assimilative (knowledge-driven) processes whereas negative mood supports accommodative (stimulus-driven) functions, and that mood-selective recall (mood congruency) is mainly a matter of assimilation. The generation-effect paradigm was borrowed from memory research to test these assumptions. In Experiment 1, the theoretical variable, degree of assimilation, was operationalised by the ease with which stimulus meaning could be generated from word fragments. In Experiment 2, self-generated stimuli (assimilation) were compared to experimenter-provided stimuli (accommodation). As predicted, positive mood supported assimilation which in turn enhanced mood-congruent recall. In Experiment 3, retrieval mood rather than encoding mood was manipulated. In this situation, positive mood facilitated the recall of all self-generated information, whether congruent or not. The empirical results are generally consistent with the predictions derived from the dual-force framework.     

PREDICTORS OF ENGAGEMENT IN PSYCHODYNAMIC PSYCHOTHERAPY DERIVING FROM PRE‐ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRES

Patients attending the Maudsley Hospital Psychotherapy Unit complete a semi‐structured questionnaire as a matter of standard procedure prior to assessment. Clinical experience suggests that this instrument reveals important aspects of a patient's internal world, regularly borne out at the assessment interview. The questionnaire may thus contribute to predicting engagement in the therapeutic relationship. To evaluate this hypothesis we conducted a qualitative analysis of 40 questionnaires, 20 of patients who attended 20 sessions or more, the other 20 of patients who discontinued at or before the sixth session. We differentially explored characteristics that may indicate the probability of patients' engagement and, hence, help to predict outcome in terms of completion of the treatment. The results indicate that there are no strong discriminating factors discernable in the questionnaires for the prediction of engagement in psychotherapy. Two themes emerged from the analysis that seemed to have a moderate bearing on completion. These are the willingness of patients to observe themselves reflectively as well as the awareness that psychotherapy might be a difficult but necessary and beneficial undertaking.