The effect of psychological type on the mood and meaning of two college activities

This study used the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to identify two types of college students who differed in preferred perceptual processes, with one group strongly preferring the use of sense impressions (sensing types), and the other preferring the use of unconscious associations (intuitive types) in becoming aware of phenomena. All subjects then participated in two collage activities with slightly different instructions, one requiring a creative approach and the other requiring imitation. Change in mood after each college was measured by the Bipolar Form of the Profile of Mood States, and the affective meanings of the two activities were assessed by Osgood's 12-scale short-form semantic differential. Results indicated that the creative activity elicited significantly higher scores on two mood states (agreeable-hostile and composed-anxious) and two factors of affective meaning (power and evaluation). Intuitive types rated both activities higher than sensing types on one mood (agreeable-hostile) and one factor of affective meaning (action). Hypothesized interactions were not found. The findings have possible implications for the effects of occupational therapy activities that require creativity as opposed to imitation as well as for the effects of perceptual preferences on the moods and meanings of activities.