Researchers using mood induction procedures induce and manipulate moods in participants and then make comparisons to control conditions presumed to induce a neutral mood. In a neutral mood state, a participant would not experience any mood strongly and so would lack a specific emotion. What is an unwarranted assumption that researchers may be making when using procedures to induce neutral mood as a control condition?
A) There is really such a thing as neutral mood in which a person does not experience any emotion.
B) Participants in a neutral mood condition might think that they are supposed to be in some mood and then pretend to be in a different mood.
C) A neutral mood is the kind of mood a participant would want to be induced to be in.
D) It is ethical to induce a neutral mood in experimental research.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The assumption that there is really such a thing as a neutral mood in which a person does not experience any emotion is unwarranted. There may always be some degree of emotional experience present, even if it is very subtle. Additionally, some participants may interpret the instructions for a neutral mood condition differently, leading to differences in experienced mood across participants.

Researchers Using Mood Induction Procedures Induce and Manipulate Moods in Participants