Much theoretical interest has been focused on the role that causal attributions play in the development of mood disorders. Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the impact of outcomes and performance attributions upon mood. In the first experiment subjects performed different tasks which naturally gave rise to internal or external attributions. All subjects performed on the same word association task in the second experiment, but pretask inductions were presented to produce different attributions. Upon completion of tasks, subjects' moods were assessed using a modification of the Depression Adjective Checklist and the hostility and anxiety scales of the Multiple Affect Adjective Checklist. Subjects also rated the internality of their attributions and indicated effort and task difficulty. Results indicated that successful outcomes consistently led to more positive mood states than unsuccessful outcomes. Although the attributions of subjects were differentiated as intended, no main effects for attributions on mood were apparent and attributions did not significantly interact with outcomes to affect mood. The findings suggest that attributions may not be causally related to the onset of depression and that further research is needed to examine their relationship to depression and the lifting of depression. (NRB)