Dr. Adriel Boals 
Assistant Professor of Psychology  

Publications [#42341] of Adriel Boals

1. K. Klein & A. Boals (2001). The relationship of life stress and working memory.. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 15, 565-579. (last updated on 2005/10/20)

Abstract:

The relationship between life stress and working memory capacity (WM) was examined in three studies. Participants with more life event stress performed more poorly on Turner and Engle's ([1989]) operation-word span WM task, and this impairment was more pronounced on longer operations. Life event stress also predicted intrusion errors. Finally, self-reports of intrusive and avoidant thinking predicted functional WM capacity as did the recency of negative life events. The results are interpreted using a limited capacity model of WM in which cognitive representations of stressful life events compete with task demands for attentional resources.

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