Abstract

Studies on mood and task completion tend to focus on task outcomes and task performance. It is typically found that positive mood states result in better test scores and better task outcomes (Martinez & Bartosek, 2015). This study examines the effect mood states have on task completion time through an anonymous online survey involving a mood manipulation and a timed visual search task. I hypothesized that that participants who were exposed to a positive stimulus will complete a visual search task quicker on average than participants who were exposed to a neutral stimulus. A total of 34 participants completed the survey. Participants were randomly assigned to either a positive stimulus group or a neutral stimulus group where they were asked to view a short video of either positive content (Boscoandhisbigstick, 2020) or neutral content (Weratedogs 2022). A manipulation check was provided to determine if the mood manipulation was effective. Participants then completed a timed visual search activity. An independent samples t-test was calculated to compare the mean task completion time between the positive video group and the neutral video group and found there was no significant difference between the groups. In addition, it was found that the mood manipulation had little effect on participants’ overall mood states.

Recommended Citation

Busi, Maia M. (2022) "The Effect of Mood on Task Completion Time," Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal: Vol. 2: Iss. 1, Article 3.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/psych_journals/vol2/iss1/3