How you ask matters: An experimental investigation of the influence of mood on memory self-perceptions and their relationship with objective memory

Abstract

Stronger relationships often emerge between mood and memory self-efficacy (MSE) than between MSE and memory abilities. We examined how social desirability, mood congruency and framing influence the mood–MSE relationship. Social desirability correlated with all self-report measures, and covarying social desirability diminished the mood-MSE relationship while enhancing the relationship between MSE and objective memory. Participants rated their memory more harshly on positively than neutrally or negatively worded MSE items. Current mood state did not affect MSE overall or when items were worded positively or neutrally. However, on negatively worded items, participants in a negative mood exhibited lower MSE than participants in a positive mood. Thus, both MSE and the mood–MSE relationship depended upon question wording. These results indicate that controlling social desirability and item framing on MSE questionnaires may reduce their confounding influence on memory self-perceptions and the influence of mood on self-reported abilities, allowing subjective memory to more accurately reflect objective memory in healthy and clinical populations.

Keywords:

• Memory self-efficacy
• Memory complaints
• Mood
• Subjective memory
• Objective memory

We would like to thank the editor and anonymous reviewers who provided valuable feedback and suggestions for improving the manuscript.

We would like to thank the editor and anonymous reviewers who provided valuable feedback and suggestions for improving the manuscript.

Notes

* We added “email” to these items to make them applicable to modern college students.

** Because modern college students rarely dial complete phone numbers or send letters through the mail service, we reworded one Numeric Recall factor item to ask about their ability to remember television channels.