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Depending on My Mood: Mood-Driven Influences on Text Comprehension.
Catherine M Bohn-Gettler1, David N Rapp
1Wichita State University.
Journal of Educational Psychology
|September 20, 2011
Summary
Mood significantly impacts reading comprehension by influencing how readers build text coherence. This research highlights the role of emotions in text processing, beyond cognitive strategies.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Educational Psychology
- Affective Science
Background:
- Research on reading comprehension has historically emphasized cognitive factors like tasks and strategies.
- There is emerging interest in the influence of emotional factors on text processing.
- Emotional factors are less explicitly goal-driven than cognitive strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of mood on text processing and reading comprehension.
- To evaluate how different mood states affect readers' engagement in coherence-building processes.
Main Methods:
- Participants were assigned to control, happy-induced, or sad-induced mood groups.
- Participants engaged in a think-aloud protocol while reading expository texts.
- The study analyzed the types of coherence-building processes employed by readers across different mood conditions.
Main Results:
- Mood states (happy, sad, neutral) significantly influenced the degree of coherence-building processes during reading.
- Emotional factors, like mood, play a role in comprehension activity.
- The impact of mood on comprehension was observed independently of explicit reading strategies.
Conclusions:
- Mood is an important, though often understudied, factor affecting reading comprehension.
- Findings suggest that mood influences the cognitive processes involved in understanding text.
- Implications exist for reading instruction and the evaluation of reading comprehension, considering emotional states.
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