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Correlational findings

Study Strack et al. (1985): study XZ Germany West 1983

Public
University students, West Germany, 1983
Sample
Respondents
N = 36
Non Response
20%
Assessment
Questionnaire: Paper & Pencil Interview (PAPI)

Correlate

Authors's Label
Current reminiscence
Our Classification
Operationalization
Subjects were asked to write down either positive or negative life-events from their past.

EXPERIMENTAL VARIATIONS
-Pallid recall:"recall 3 very pleasant
or unpleasant events and describe them
in a few sentences".Four lines were
provided for each event.
-Vivid recall:"imagine 1 event and
re-experience it as vividly as
possible". Subjects were provided two
pages with 21 lines to describe the
event.

Next, subjects were asked to rate their happines.

Observed Relation with Happiness

Happiness Measure Statistics Elaboration / Remarks O-Sum-u-mq-n-11-a DMt = Happiness scores after reminiscence of
POSITIVE EVENT
-pallid recall  Mt=5.8 b
-vivid recall   Mt=8.1 c
NEGATIVE EVENT
-pallid recall  Mt=7.4 ac
-vivid recall   Mt=6.9 ab
                                               Means sharing a common subscript do not differ significantly on adirectional t-test (05).

In Vivid recall-variation the effect is largely mediated by mood. In Pallid recall-variation not.