Effects on Interpretation Bias, Mood, and Physical Tension During Mobile Device Usage: An Examination of Slumped, Upright, and Lying Down Postures

Authors

Gabriela Flores-Cruz, University of Central FloridaFollow

Mentor

Dr. Valerie Sims

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of posture on interpretation bias, mood, and physical tension when using a mobile device. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: sitting slumped, sitting upright, or lying down. They were then asked to unscramble emotional and neutral sentences to measure interpretation bias. Self-reported measurements were used to measure mood and physical tension. No significant differences were found in the type of sentence unscrambled when sitting slumped and upright. When lying down, participants unscrambled fewer neutral sentences compared to emotional sentences. Physical tension was found to mediate the relationship between posture (slumped and upright) and mood. The results of this study provide insight into possible confounding variables influencing the relationship between posture and mood. Additionally, we showed that emotional content is processed differently compared to neutral content when lying down. Further research is needed to understand how psychological well-being is affected by physical tension caused by posture when using a mobile device.

About the Author

Gabriela earned Bachelor of Science in Psychology at the University of Central Florida. Her research concentrates on how the human body posture adapts to devices and how that influences emotion and cognitive bias. She hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in cognitive or experimental psychology.

Recommended Citation

Flores-Cruz, Gabriela (2021) "Effects on Interpretation Bias, Mood, and Physical Tension During Mobile Device Usage: An Examination of Slumped, Upright, and Lying Down Postures," The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal: Vol. 12: Iss. 2, Article 5.
Available at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/urj/vol12/iss2/5