Journal Articles
Abstract:
The effect of emotional disclosure through
expressive writing on available working
memory (WM) capacity was examined in 2
semester-long experiments. In the first
study, 35 freshmen assigned to write about
their thoughts and feelings about coming to
college demonstrated larger working memory
gains 7 weeks later compared with 36 writers
assigned to a trivial topic. Increased use of
cause and insight words was associated with
greater WM improvements. In the second study,
students (n = 34) who wrote about a negative
personal experience enjoyed greater WM
improvements and declines in intrusive
thinking compared with students who wrote
about a positive experience (n = 33) or a
trivial topic (n = 34). The results are
discussed in terms of a model grounded in
cognitive and social psychological theory in
which expressive writing reduces intrusive
and avoidant thinking about a stressful
experience, thus freeing WM resources.