We investigated whether induced affective states can affect the
process and outcomes of decisions under risk. A mood
induction task was used to elicit a positive or negative mood in
a sample of adult participants (N=48). The participants then
responded to 28 decision problems, each offering a choice
between two mixed-domain risky alternatives. The dependent
variables of interest were decision-making choices, as well as
an eye-tracking based attentional measure: the total fixation
durations for certain critical aspects of the two presented risky
decision options. Mood condition did not have a significant
main effect on participants’ choices, or on mean total fixation
time for problems. However, fixation times showed a three-
way interaction between mood condition, domain (gain versus
loss), and time (block). The fixation time data also provided
some general insights into participants’ patterns of attention
allocation during decision-making. They generally spent more
time looking at values compared to probabilities, and more
time looking at potential gains compared to losses (although
this difference declined over time, especially for positive-mood
participants).