General mood states (‘incidental affect’) demonstrably shape intergroup judgments.

Evidence

The rediscovery of emotions in the field of prejudice and intergroup relations has involved contributions from numerous researchers and groups, operating from several theoretical perspectives. At least three general approaches can be conceptually distinguished. First, some researchers focused on the effects of “incidental” affect – affect arising from outside of the intergroup encounter itself – on stereotyping, prejudice, or related processes (e.g., Bodenhausen, 1993; Mackie, Queller, Stroessner, & Hamilton, 1996). Studies of incidental affect are important in demonstrating how general emotional processes influence thoughts, judgments, and behavior, including those in intergroup situations. However, these studies leave open the question of whether emotion in an intergroup context operates in the same way when it is caused specifically by that context (Bodenhausen, 1993). — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 2257

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines the ‘incidental affect’ approach and flags its key limitation (external vs. context-caused emotion).
• XREF: connects to: Halo effect is implicit attitude diffusion from one attribute to unrelated judgments. — Anthony G. Greenwald and Mahzarin R. Banaji, Implicit Social Cognition: Attitudes,…, 97; Weather mood influences expressed life satisfaction judgments. — Anthony G. Greenwald and Mahzarin R. Banaji, Implicit Social Cognition: Attitudes,…, 108