Negative recall bias and neuroticism: state vs trait effects

Incidental recall of positive and negative trait adjectives was assessed in high and low N (neuroticism) Ss in whom depressed or neutral mood had been induced. Results indicated that the negative recall bias is an interactive function of trait vulnerability (as reflected by N scores) and current mood state. In the depressed mood condition, there was a trend for high N to be associated with relatively better recall of negative material, as expected. However, in neutral mood, high levels of N predicted relatively poorer recall of negative information. This unexpected finding was discussed in relation to previous research into mood-incongruent recall effects and sex differences.