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The construct of mood (defined as a transient feeling state) has been shown in numerous studies to have a great effect on our daily lives. The purpose of the present study was twofold: (1) to investigate the effects of mood on psychomotor test performance, and (2) to examine the conceptualization of mood more closely. An experiment was conducted investigating the effects of positive (happy, elated) and negative (sad, depressed) mood on a newly developed Air Force selection battery. In addition, self-efficacy, perceived performance, and causal attributions were measured as potential contributors to the mood-performance relationship. Subjects consisted of Air Force Recruits at Lackland Air Force Base. Mood was manipulated by showing emotionally laden film clips before administering the test battery. The selection battery consisted of psychomotor tests, which measure reaction time and hand-eye coordination. The mood and performance model was tested through the structural equation modeling technique, LISREL. Results indicated that mood did not have an effect on any of the variables in the model. However, this null result was likely due to a relatively weak mood induction. Self-efficacy was found to predict both performance and perceived performance, and performance was found to predict perceived performance. Post-hoc analyses revealed that performance predicted mood such that subjects who performed well were in a better mood than subjects who performed poorly. What is still in question is whether mood, in turn, influences performance. The conceptualization of mood was examined by addressing the counter-intuitive theory by Watson, Clark, and Tellegen (1988) that positive and negative mood are two independent factors. This theory was examined by comparing factor structures from two different mood scales. On a more traditional scale in which only extremely worded mood items are included, positive and negative mood factors were not found to correlate. However, on a newly constructed mood scale entitled the Composite Mood Checklist (CMC), the mood factors were found to significantly correlate in a negative direction. This finding lends evidence to Spector et al.'s (1995) argument that positive and negative mood independence is an illusion created by artifactual mood scales. / Ph. D.

There is a growing interest in robust and nonparametric methods with engineering applications, due to the nature of the data. Here, we study two power systems engineering applications that employ or recommend robust and nonparametric methods; topology error identification and voltage calibration. Topology errors are a well-known, well-documented problem for utility companies. A topology error occurs when a line's status in a power network, whether active or deactive, is misclassified. This will lead to an incorrect Jacobian matrix used to estimate the unknown parameters of a network in a nonlinear regression model. We propose a solution using nonlinear regression techniques to identify the correct status of every line in the network by deriving a statistical model of the power flows and injections while employing Kirchhoff's Current Law. Simulation results on the IEEE-118 bus system showed that the methodology was able to detect where topology errors occurred as well as identify gross measurement errors. The Friedman Two-Way Analysis of Variance by Ranks test is advocated to calibrate voltage measurements at a bus in a power network. However, it was found that the Friedman test was only slightly more robust or resistant in the presence of discordant measurements than the classical F-test. The resistance of a statistical test is defined as the fraction of bad data necessary to switch a statistical conclusion. We mathematically derive the maximum resistance to rejection and to acceptance of the Friedman test, as well as the Brown-Mood test, and show that the Brown-Mood test has a higher maximum resistance to rejection and to acceptance than the Friedman test. In addition, we simulate the expected resistance to rejection and to acceptance of both tests and show that on average the Brown-Mood test is slightly more robust to rejection while on average the Friedman test is more robust to acceptance. / Ph. D.

Yes / Knowledge of the underlying mechanisms of effortful listening could help to reduce cases of social withdrawal and mitigate fatigue, especially in older adults. However, the relationship between transient effort and longer-term fatigue is likely to be more complex than originally thought. Here, we manipulated the presence/absence of monetary reward to examine the role of motivation and mood state in governing changes in perceived effort and fatigue from listening. In an online study, 185 participants were randomly assigned to either a ‘reward’ (n = 91) or ‘no-reward’ (n = 94) group and completed a dichotic listening task along with a series of questionnaires assessing changes over time in perceived effort, mood, and fatigue. Effort ratings were higher overall in the reward group, yet fatigue ratings in that group showed a shallower linear increase over time. Mediation analysis revealed an indirect effect of reward on fatigue ratings via perceived mood state; reward induced a more positive mood state which was associated with reduced fatigue. These results suggest that: (a) listening conditions rated as more ‘effortful’ may be less fatiguing if the effort is deemed worthwhile, and (b) alterations to one’s mood state represents a potential mechanism by which fatigue may be elicited during unrewarding listening situations.

Previous research on premenstrual tension has typically focused on the hormonal or biological theories of premenstrual tension. Recent research, however, has begun to show a relationship between negative expectancies and reports of premenstrual suffering. In this study it was hypothesized that negative expectancies could be changed by exposing participants to information which either increased or decreased their sense of control over premenstrual symptomatology. It was proposed that information which offered participants a way to control premenstrual symptoms would decrease expectations while information which informed participants that they could not control their symptoms would increase negative expectations. In this study it was further hypothesized that participants exposed to information which decreased their negative expectancies would report more positive moods during the premenstrual phase of the menstrual cycle than those subjects exposed to information which increased their expectations for premenstrual tension. Results from this study supported the hypothesis that expectancies for premenstrual tension are related to the participants' sense of control over premenstrual tension. However, results did not show a relationship between daily reports of mood during the premenstrual phase and negative expectations. / Master of Science

<p dir="ltr">The feeling of invisibility threatens fundamental needs and negatively affects mood. One could conclude from this research that more visibility should minimize need threats and negative moods. However, studies have also shown that, in some instances, experiences of hypervisibility are distressing. Social media is flooded with videos and articles of Black men and women feeling invisible in the medical fields and not receiving the treatment they deserve. Likewise, social media examples abound of Black individuals feeling monitored in retail situations or being killed by the police because of racial stereotypes. Researchers also found adverse experiences of invisibility or hypervisibility among Black individuals that appear to be contradictory at a phenomenological level. My research aims to assess how invisibility and hypervisibility are experienced qualitatively and how manipulations of invisibility and hypervisibility may cause different psychological effects. In Study 1, Black participants were asked to recall their experiences with both invisibility and hypervisibility. Participants had little difficulty reporting both experiences, in which strangers either dismissed, ignored, and excluded them or spotlighted them because of race-based stereotypes. Coding themes also showed that participants could recall positive events and emotions when asked about hypervisibility but not invisibility. In Study 2, I manipulated invisibility and hypervisibility using a novel method: comics. Results showed that Black participants experienced threatened needs when reading a comic about a Black child being invisible or hypervisible. However, their needs were more threatened when the child recalls an invisibility experience. Lastly, in Study 3, I replicated Study 2 but also added necessary control conditions. Additionally, I examined the impact of comic-induced invisibility and hypervisibility on cognitive interference using a Stroop test. The results of Study 2 were replicated, but there was no difference in cognitive interference between the conditions. In summary, although the present research shows that invisibility and hypervisibility are both aversive, invisibility leads Black individuals to feel worse and have lower need satisfaction. Additionally, invisibility and hypervisibility threaten the needs of self-esteem and control similarly, but invisibility leads to more threats to belonging and meaningful existence than does hypervisibility. Using an innovative method of comics, my research demonstrates the aversive psychological impact of invisibility as well as the aversive reactions to hypervisibility. Future research should focus on whether hypervisibility is primarily detrimental because the individual may feel that while their stereotypic physical or social features are highly noticed, their core attributes of what makes them a person are not.</p>

Reward-based learning is the ability to alter our future behavior following a novel reward. Dysregulation in this system has been linked to different forms of adult and pediatric psychopathologies such as mood disorders, for which it has proved to be an important treatment target given its link to broader health outcomes for these disorders. However, more research is needed to better understand its underlying mechanisms in the pediatric population. The current study examined how probabilistic reward learning, feedback-related negativity (FRN; an event-related potential from EEG), and dimensional ADHD symptom severity relate in adolescents with prominent mood symptoms. The final sample included 36 adolescents (72.2% female; aged 13 to 17) who completed a Probabilistic Reward Task (PRT) during EEG recording. Results revealed an inverse relationship between FRN mean amplitude and the reward learning score, independent of mood and ADHD symptoms. We also found that teens with increased overall ADHD symptom severity showed a larger (i.e., more negative voltage) FRN amplitude and a lower reward learning score. Exploratory analyses also showed that as ADHD inattentive symptom severity increased, FRN mean amplitude became more negative and reward learning score decreased. No significant relationship was found with ADHD hyperactive/impulsive symptom severity. In conclusion, our results showed that a poor modulation of behavior based on prior reward contingencies was related to an increase in dimensional ADHD symptom severity in a sample of adolescents with prominent mood difficulties. This behavioral dysfunction was also reflected by a blunted neural habituation to reward feedback as evidenced by a larger FRN mean amplitude. Additionally, exploratory analyses highlighted how the relationship between overall ADHD symptom severity and FRN may be driven especially by symptoms of inattention vs. hyperactivity/impulsivity. Results suggest deficits in reward learning that could impact response to behavioral therapies in youth with mood disorders and comorbid inattentive ADHD.

The current investigation is framed within variationist sociolinguistics, an area of study that examines how language varies and is influenced by linguistic and extralinguistic factors. Variationist research has reported that the use of verbal moods (the subjunctive and indicative) in Spanish is variable. One of the reasons for this variation appears to be a centuries-long process of language change, during which the subjunctive mood seemed to show a decline in favor of the indicative mood. Considering this gradual process of change, various investigations have examined how sociolinguistic factors condition variability in Spanish, focusing their analyses on different Spanish-speaking regions. To contribute to the understanding of mood variation in Spanish, this study explored a range of sociolinguistic factors across three Spanish-speaking regions (Rosario, Argentina; Barcelona, Spain; and Seville, Spain) by means of a conceptual replication of Gudmestad (2021), which studied variable mood use in Spanish across three regions (Quito, Ecuador; Mérida, Mexico; and Seville, Spain). The current study's participant pool (N = 107) consisted of Spanish speakers—men and women over 18 years old—residing in the three aforementioned metropolitan areas, who had lived in the same location for at least 15 years at the moment of the data collection. The data were collected via a written clause-elicitation task, with the purpose of having enough verbal-mood contexts to analyze, and a background questionnaire with basic demographic information. The results suggested that there was geographical variation of mood use, which reinforced the original study's findings on regional variation of mood use. Like Gudmestad (2021), the patterns of verbal moods with individual governors (e.g., preferir que 'to prefer that'), semantic category, and time reference diverged across the regions. The examination of gender and individual participants also pointed to a possible connection between these factors and variable mood use across regions. These findings indicate that the envelopes of variation of mood use may be diverse across the regions under investigation, which suggests that different geographical regions may have slightly distinct grammars. / Master of Arts / The current investigation is framed within variationist sociolinguistics, an area of study that examines how language varies, and which factors may condition this variation. Research within this field has found that Spanish speakers use subjunctive and indicative moods in a variable way. This variability in mood use may be connected to a long process of language change, over which speakers seem to be using the indicative mood in instances in which, in the past, they would have used the subjunctive mood. Taking this into account, various investigations have studied how the use of verbal moods in Spanish varies by analyzing different locations where Spanish is spoken. To contribute to this body of knowledge, the present investigation studied variable mood use in three regions (Rosario, Argentina; Barcelona, Spain; and Seville, Spain), by partially replicating an original investigation conducted by Gudmestad (2021) on variable mood use in Spanish across the regions of Quito, Ecuador; Mérida, Mexico; and Seville, Spain. Participants of the replication study (a total of 107) were three geographical groups of Spanish speakers. They were men and women over 18 years old who were residing in the three aforementioned urban areas and who had lived in the same location for at least 15 years. The participants completed a story with blanks that elicited the use of verbal moods and a questionnaire with basic demographic information. The findings indicated that Spanish speakers may use the subjunctive and indicative moods variably, according to different linguistic contexts and extralinguistic characteristics. Regarding geographical variation, the results showed that mood use was variable across the different locations analyzed, which reinforced the original study's findings on the presence of regional variation of mood use in Spanish.

Yes / Most studies investigated the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) for healthcare and educational purposes, but little is known on the effectiveness of VR in social interaction. Our aim was to examine whether VR would be similar to in-person interaction in reducing loneliness. A total of 73 participants participated in this study. They were randomly assigned to in-person or VR condition and interacted for 15 minutes about a tourist landmark. Participants completed a set of questions that measured belonging – acceptance and exclusion, positive and negative affect, wellbeing, trust, and mood before and after the interaction. Results showed that in both conditions, loneliness was significantly lower, with higher wellbeing, higher positive and lower negative affect, feeling happier and had more fun post task. Trust was higher in the VR condition post task but not for in-person. Our regression analyses showed that having higher wellbeing was a significant predictor in reducing loneliness for in-person condition and that being older and higher belonging – acceptance were significant predictors on feeling lonelier for the VR condition. In sum, our results demonstrated some success in reducing loneliness in VR but may not be sufficient to develop lasting friendship.

Yes / The aim of the study is to identify the degree of association between mood, activity engagement, activity location, and social interaction during everyday life of people with dementia (PwD) living in long-term care facilities. Method: An observational study using momentary assessments was conducted. For all 115 participants, 84 momentary assessments of mood, engagement in activity, location during activity, and social interaction were carried out by a researcher using the tablet-based Maastricht Electronic Daily Life Observation-tool. Results: A total of 9660 momentary assessments were completed. The mean age of the 115 participants was 84 and most (75%) were women. A negative, neutral, or positive mood was recorded during 2%, 25%, and 73% of the observations, respectively. Positive mood was associated with engagement in activities, doing activities outside, and social interaction. The type of activity was less important for mood than the fact that PwD were engaged in an activity. Low mood was evident when PwD attempted to have social interaction but received no response.