Skip to main content
Log in

The velten mood induction procedure: A methodological review

  • Published:
Motivation and Emotion Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The Velten Mood Induction Procedure (1968) has been used extensively to induce elated and depressed moods in experimental subjects, and a wide range of psychological and behavioral effects have been studied following mood induction. This paper reviews experimental findings relating to the effectiveness of the Velten Mood Induction Procedure. Evidence is provided from 46 experiments concerning behavioral and self-report measures of assessment. Implications for the use of this procedure in mood induction research are discussed. It is concluded that the findings relating to the Velten procedure's effectiveness, and assessments of the contribution of demand characteristics to the procedure, are inconsistent and equivocal.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aderman, D. (1972). Elation, depression and helping behaviour.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 24 91–101.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alloy, L. B., Abramson, L. Y., & Viscusi, D. (1981). Induced mood and the illusion of control.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 41 1129–1140.

    Google Scholar 

  • Atkinson, C., & Polivy, J. (1976). Effects of delay, attack, and retaliation on state depression and hostility.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 85 570–576.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beck, A. T. (1978).Depression inventory. Philadelphia: Center for Cognitive Therapy.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berkowitz, L., & Connor, W. H. (1966). Success, failure and social responsibility.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 4 664–669.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bollenbach, A. K., & Madigan, R. J. (1982). Effects of induced mood on social cognitions.Psychological Reports, 51 763–769.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bower, G. H. (1981a). Mood and memory.American Psychologist, 36 129–148.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bower, G. H. (1981b). Mood and memory.Psychology Today, June, pp. 60–69.

  • Bower, G. H., Gilligan, S. G., & Monteiro, K. P. (1981). Selectivity of learning caused by affective states.Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 110 451–473.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bower, G. H., Monteiro, K. P., & Gilligan, S. G. (1978). Emotional mood as a context of learning and recall.Journal of Verbal learning and Verbal Behavior, 17 573–585.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brewer, D., Doughtie, E. B., & Lubin, B. (1980). Induction of mood and mood shift.Journal of Clinical Psychology, 36 215–225.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brunswik, E. (1947).Systematic and representative design of psychological experiments with results in physical and social perception (Syllabus Series, No. 304). Berkeley: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buchwald, A. M., Strack, S., & Coyne, J. C. (1981). Demand characteristics and the Velten Mood Induction Procedure.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 49 478–479.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buss, A. H. (1961).The psychology of aggression. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carson, T. P., & Adams, H. E. (1980). Activity valence as a function of mood change.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 89 368–377.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, D. M. (1983). On the induction of depressed mood in the laboratory: Evalution and comparison of the Velten and musical procedures.Advances in Behaviour Research and Therapy, 5 27–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coleman, R. E., (1975). Manipulation of self-esteem as a determinant of mood of elated and depressed women.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 84 693–700.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coyne, J. C. (1976). Depression and the response of others.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 85 186–193.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feather, N. T. (1966). Effects of prior success and failure on expectations of success and subsequent performance.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 3 287–298.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fiske, D. W. (1971).Measuring the concepts of personality (pp. 164–166, 267–269). Chicago: Aldine.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frodi, A. (1978). Experimental and psychological responses associated with anger and aggression in women and men.Journal of Research in Personality, 12 335–349.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frost, R. O., Goolkasian, G. A., Ely, R. J., & Blanchard, F. A. (1982). Depression, restraint, and eating behavior.Behaviour Research and Therapy, 20 113–123.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frost, R. O., Graf, M., & Becker, J. (1979). Self-devaluation and depressed mood.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 47 958–962.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frost, R. O., & Green, M. L. (1982). Velten mood induction procedure effects: Duration and postexperimental removal.Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 8 341–347.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gatchel, R. J., Paulus, P. G., & Maples, C. W. (1975). Learned helplessness and self-reported affect.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 84 732–734.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodwin, A. M., & Williams, J. M. G. (1982). Mood induction research — Its implications for clinical depression.Behaviour Research and Therapy, 20 373–382.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gouaux, C., & Gouaux, S. M. (1971). The influence of induced affective states on the effectiveness of social and non-social reinforcers in an instrumental learning task.Psychonomic Science, 22 341–343.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hale, W. D., & Strickland, B. R. (1976). Induction of mood states and their effect on cognitive and social behaviors.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 44 155.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hammen, C., & Peters, S. D. (1978). Interpersonal consequences of depression: Responses to men and women enacting a depressed role.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 87 322–332.

    Google Scholar 

  • Herman, C. P., & Polivy, J. (1975). Anxiety restraint and eating behavior.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 84 666–672.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hiroto, D. S. (1974). Locus of control and learned helplessness.Journal of Experimental Psychology, 102 187–193.

    Google Scholar 

  • Isen, A. M. (1970). Success, failure, attention and reactions to others: The warm glow of success.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 15 294–301.

    Google Scholar 

  • Isen, A. M. (1975). Positive affect, accessibility of cognitions and helping. In J. Piliavin (Chair),Current directions in theory on helping behavior. Symposium presented at the meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, New York.

  • Isen, A. M., & Gorgoglione, J. M. (1983). Some specific effects of four affect-induction procedures.Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 9 136–143.

    Google Scholar 

  • Isen, A. M., & Levin, P. F. (1972). The effect of feeling good on helping: Cookies and kindness.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 21 384–388.

    Google Scholar 

  • Isen, A. M., Shalker, T. E., Clark, M., & Karp, L. (1978). Affect, accessibility of material in memory, and behavior: A cognitive loop?Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 36 1–12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Izard, C. E. (1972).Patterns of emotions. New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Izard, C. E. (1977).Human emotions. New York: Plenum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kidd, R. F., & Marshall, L. (1982). Self-reflection, mood, and helpful behavior.Journal of Research in Personality, 16 319–334.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laird, J. D., Wagener, J. J., Halal, M., & Szegda, M. (1982). Remembering what you feel: Effects of emotion on memory.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 42 646–657.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leight, K. A., & Ellis, H. C. (1981). Emotional mood states, strategies, and state-dependency in memory.Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 20 251–266.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lubin, B. (1965). Adjective check lists for measurement of depression.Archives of General Psychiatry, 12 57–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Macht, M. L., Spear, N. E., & Levis, D. J. (1977). State dependent retention in humans induced by alterations in affective state.Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 10 415–418.

    Google Scholar 

  • Madigan, R. J., & Bollenbach, A. K. (1982). Effects of induced mood on retrieval of personal episodic and semantic memories.Psychological Reports, 50 147–157.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marks, T., & Hammen, C. L. (1982). Interpersonal mood induction: Situational and individual determinants.Motivation and Emotion, 6 387–399.

    Google Scholar 

  • Matheny, K. B., & Blue, F. R. (1977). The effects of self-induced mood states on behavior and physiological arousal.Journal of Clinical Psychology, 33 936–940.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mathews, A., & Bradley, B. (1983). Mood and the self-reference bias in recall.Behaviour Research & Therapy, 21 233–239.

    Google Scholar 

  • McNair, D., Lorr, M., & Droppleman, L. (1971). Profile of Mood States Manual. Educational and Industrial Testing Service. San Diego, California.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mischel, W., Ebbesen, E., & Zeiss, A. (1973). Selective attention to the self: Situational and dispositional determinants.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 27 129–142.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mischel, W., Ebbesen, E., & Zeiss, A. (1976). Determinants of selective memory about the self.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 44 92–103.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mukherji, B. R., Abramson, L. Y., & Martin, D. J. (1982). Induced depressed mood and attributional patterns.Cognitive Therapy and Research, 6 15–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Natale, M. (1977). Effects of induced elation-depression on speech in the initial interview.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 45 45–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Natale, M. (1978). Effect of induced elation and depression on internal locus of control.Journal of Psychology, 100 315–321.

    Google Scholar 

  • Natale, M., & Bolan, R. (1980). The effect of Velten's mood induction procedure for depression on hand movement and head down posture.Motivation and Emotion, 4 323–334.

    Google Scholar 

  • Natale, M., & Hantas, M. (1982). Effects of temporary mood states on selective memory about self.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 42 927–934.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nowlis, V. (1965). Research with the Mood Adjective Check List. In S. S. Tompkins & C. E. Izard (Eds.),Affect, cognition, and personality. New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Orne, M. T. (1959). The demand characteristics of an experimental design and their implications. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Cincinnati.

  • Orne, M. T. (1962). On the social psychology of the psychological experiment with particular reference to demand characteristics and their implications.American Psychologist, 17 776–783.

    Google Scholar 

  • Orton, I. K., Beiman, I., LaPointe, K., & Lankford, A. (1983). Induced states of anxiety and depression: Effects of self-reported affect and tonic psychophysiological response.Cognitive Therapy and Research, 7 233–244.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pittman, N. L., & Pittman, T. S. (1979). Effects of amount of helplessness training and internal-external locus of control on mood and performance.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37 39–47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pittman, T. S., & Pittman, N. L. (1980). Deprivation of control and the attribution process.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39 377–389.

    Google Scholar 

  • Polivy, J. (1981). On the induction of emotion in the laboratory: Discrete moods or multiple affect states?Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 41 803–817.

    Google Scholar 

  • Polivy, J., & Doyle, C. (1980). Short reports: Laboratory induction of mood states through reading self-referent mood statements: Affective changes or demand characteristics?Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 89 286–290.

    Google Scholar 

  • Postman, L., & Brown, D. R. (1952). The perceptual consequences of success and failure.Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 47 213–221.

    Google Scholar 

  • Richardson, A., & Taylor, C. C. (1982). Vividness of memory imagery and self-induced mood change.British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 21 111–117.

    Google Scholar 

  • Riskind, J. H., Rholes, W. S., Eggers, J. (1982). The Velten mood induction procedure: Effects on mood and memory.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 50 146–147.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roth, D., & Kubal, L. (1975). The effects of noncontingent reinforcement on tasks of differing importance: Facilitation and learned helplessness effects.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 32 680–691.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schachter, S. (1959).The psychology of affiliation. Stanford California: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scheier, M. F., & Carver, C. S. (1977). Self-focused attention and the experience of emotion: Attraction, repulsion, elation and depression.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 35 625–636.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sherwood, G. G., Schroeder, K. G., Abrami, D. L., & Alden, L. E. (1981). Self-referent versus non-self-referent statements in the induction of mood states.Cognitive Therapy and Research, 5 105–108.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sirota, A. D., & Schwartz, G. E. (1982). Facial muscle patterning and lateralization during elation and depression imagery.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 91 25–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Snyder, M., & White, P. (1982). Moods and memories: Elation, depression, and remembering of the events of one's life.Journal of Personality, 50 149–167.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spiegel, H., & Spiegel, W. (1978).Trance and treatment. Clinical uses of hypnosis. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strickland, B. R., Hale, W. D., & Anderson, L. K. (1975). Effects of induced mood states on activity and self-reported affect.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 43 587.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sutherland, G., Newman, B., & Rachman, S. (1982). Experimental investigations of the relationship between mood and intrusive unwanted cognitions.British Journal of Medical Psychology, 55 127–138.

    Google Scholar 

  • Teasdale, J. D., & Fogarty, S. J. (1979). Differential effects of induced mood on retrieval of pleasant and unpleasant events from episodic memory.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 88 248–257.

    Google Scholar 

  • Teasdale, J. D., & Russell, M. L. (1983). Differential effects of induced mood on the recall of positive, negative and neutral words.British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 22 163–171.

    Google Scholar 

  • Teasdale, J. D., & Taylor, R. (1981). Induced mood and the accessibility of memories: An effect of mood state or of mood induction procedure?British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 20 39–48.

    Google Scholar 

  • Teasdale, J. D., Taylor, R., & Fogarty, S. J. (1980). Effects of induced elation-depression on the accessibility of memories of happy and unhappy experiences.Behaviour Research and Therapy, 18 339–346.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, W. C., Cowan, C. L., & Rosenhan, D. L. (1979).Focus of attention mediates the impact of negative affect on altruism. Unpublished manuscript, Stanford University.

  • Velten, E. (1967). The induction of elation and depression through the reading of structured sets of mood-statements (Doctoral dissertation, University of Southern California).Dissertation Abstracts, 28, No. 4 (Ann Arbor, Michigan: University Microfilms, No. 67-13,045).

    Google Scholar 

  • Velten, E. (1968). A laboratory task for induction of mood states.Behaviour Research and Therapy, 6 473–482.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wessman, A. D., & Ricks, D. F. (1966).Mood and personality. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, J. M. G. (1980). Generalization in the effects of a mood induction procedure.Behaviour Research and Therapy, 18 565–572.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, A. R., & Krane, R. V. (1980). Changes in self-esteem and its effects on symptoms of depression.Cognitive Therapy and Research, 4 419–421.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zuckerman, M., Lubin, B., & Robins, S. (1965). Validation of the Multiple Affect Adjective Chrck List in clinical situations.Journal of Consulting Psychology, 29 594.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zuckerman, M., Lubin, B., Vogel, L., & Valerius, E. (1964). Measurement of experimentally induced affects.Journal of Consulting Psychology, 28 418–425.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kenealy, P.M. The velten mood induction procedure: A methodological review. Motiv Emot 10, 315–335 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00992107

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00992107

Keywords

Navigation