Abstract
This study examined the effect of cognitive resources on inhibition of the mood-congruent effect to reveal the automaticity of the process proposed by the mood-as-information theory. One-hundred and fifty-three participants made judgments either under positive or negative mood. The amount of cognitive resources was also manipulated by restricting time for judgment. Results showed that, only when cognitive resources were not restricted, the mood-congruent effect was inhibited through attribution toward the origin of the mood. Therefore, these results suggest that the mood states serve as information for judgments rather automatically, while cognitive effort is required to inhibit an application of mood to judgments. The discussion considered the adaptive significance of saving cognitive resources by automatically applying mood to judgment.
