Mood induction effects on motor sequence learning and stop signal reaction time

Area of Science:

• Neurobiology
• Cognitive Psychology
• Affective Science

Background:

• The neurobiological theory of positive affect suggests dopamine release enhances cognitive function.
• Existing research on positive affect and cognition yields inconsistent results, possibly due to individual differences.
• Dopamine's influence on performance follows an inverted U-shaped curve, indicating optimal levels.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how positive mood induction affects cognitive performance in tasks mediated by dopamine.
• To examine the moderating role of working memory capacity on the relationship between positive affect and cognitive performance.
• To test the hypothesis that individuals with high working memory capacity show performance decline, while those with low capacity show improvement, after positive mood induction.

Main Methods:

• Participants underwent positive, negative, or neutral mood induction.
• Cognitive performance was assessed using an explicit serial reaction time sequence learning task and the stop signal task.
• Working memory capacity was measured as a proxy for dopaminergic transmission.

Main Results:

• Positive mood induction led to performance declines in explicit sequence learning for individuals with high working memory capacity.
• Conversely, individuals with low working memory capacity showed improvements in explicit sequence learning after positive mood induction.
• No significant relationship was found between mood induction, working memory capacity, and performance on the stop signal task.

Conclusions:

• The findings partially support the neurobiological theory of positive affect.
• Individual differences in working memory capacity significantly modulate the effects of positive mood on specific cognitive tasks.
• The study underscores the importance of considering working memory capacity when investigating mood-cognition interactions.