Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-2024
Keywords
EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS; NEGATIVE EMOTION; ICONIC MEMORY; EVENTS; PERFORMANCE; MODULATION; MEDIATORS; ANXIETY; ANGER
Abstract
Acute stress has been well-established to impair working memory. However, less is known about how writing about an unresolved stressor may influence working memory or working memory processes. We addressed these issues in the present study (N = 282) by randomly assigning participants to write about an unresolved stressful experience (stressful writing condition or the events of the previous day). We then both measured performance on a change detection task and used computational modeling to estimate the processes underlying performance: attention, capacity, and guessing bias. We found that, relative to the control condition, writing about a stressful experience impaired change detection task performance and significantly impaired task attention. These results show that the effects of writing about an unresolved stressor may mimic the effects of acute stress on working memory, rather than conforming to expectations from mood-as-information theory.
Citation
Hunter, C., & Shields, G. S. (2024). Writing About a Stressful Experience Can Impair Visual Working Memory. PLOS One, 19 (7), e0304406. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0304406
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
