The Role of Positive Affect and Individual Differences in Intuition in the Accuracy of Pattern Recognition

Abstract

Two studies examined the interaction of individual differences in intuitive processing style and induced positive affect in implicit pattern recognition in undergraduates. In Study 1 ( N = 187), induced mood and intuition interacted to predict accuracy in pattern recognition using an implicit learning paradigm. Participants high in intuition in a positive mood were the most accurate. In Study 2 ( N = 90), induced mood interacted with intuition to predict accurate reports of stimulus-reward contingencies in an operant conditioning paradigm. Intuition predicted accuracy in judgments of reward contingencies in the positive mood condition. This research suggests that individual differences in faith in intuition predict accurate implicit pattern recognition in the presence of positive affect.