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Predicting negative affect variability and spontaneous emotion regulation: Can working memory span tasks estimate
Karin G Coifman1, Michael J Kane2, Melissa Bishop1
1Department of Psychological Sciences.
Emotion (Washington, D.C.)
|March 19, 2019
Summary
Working memory capacity, measured by the Reading Span Task (RSPAN), predicts individuals' ability to regulate negative emotions in daily life and during laboratory challenges. Both neutral and negative-content RSPAN tasks show utility in assessing emotion regulation skills.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Affective Science
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Emotion regulation is crucial for psychological health.
- Working memory capacity is increasingly recognized as a key executive function influencing emotion regulation.
- Existing measures of emotion regulation may be confounded by self-report biases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between working memory capacity and objective indicators of negative emotion regulation.
- To compare the utility of a neutral (RSPAN-N) and a negative-content (RSPAN-E) Reading Span Task in predicting emotion regulation.
- To determine if RSPAN tasks are independent of self-reported distress.
Main Methods:
- Two versions of the Reading Span Task (RSPAN-N and RSPAN-E) were administered.
- Objective measures of negative emotion regulation (behavioral displays, autonomic activation) were assessed during laboratory provocation.
- Negative emotion in daily life was measured using experience sampling.
Main Results:
- Both RSPAN-N and RSPAN-E scores predicted spontaneous down-regulation of negative emotion in daily life and during laboratory challenges.
- RSPAN scores were independent of self-reported distress, mitigating a common confound.
- The RSPAN-E showed some incremental advantage in predicting certain emotion processing indices.
Conclusions:
- Working memory capacity, as assessed by RSPAN tasks, plays a significant role in emotion regulatory processing.
- RSPAN tasks offer a promising, objective tool for research on emotion processing and regulation in psychological health.
- The findings support the integration of cognitive and affective science approaches to understanding emotional well-being.
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