Work

Opening up in the classroom: Effects of expressive writing on graduate school entrance exam performance.

Year: 2011

Type: article

Study designs: Randomized Controlled Trial, Clinical Trial

Abstract: Our study sought to determine whether experimental disclosure could improve exam performance and psychological health in students taking a graduate school entrance exam. Students preparing for the GRE, MCAT, LSAT, or PCAT were randomly assigned to write expressively about their upcoming exam or to a neutral writing condition. Participants completed measures of depressive symptoms and test anxiety before and after writing, and exam scores were collected. The experimental disclosure group had significantly higher test scores and significantly lower pre-exam depressive symptoms than the neutral writing group. Although benefits for depressive symptoms were found in expressive writers regardless of exam type, the advantage of expressive writing for test performance was only observed in students taking the MCAT or LSAT.

Source: Emotion

DOI: 10.1037/a0022946

Authors: Joanne Frattaroli, Michael Thomas, Sonja Lyubomirsky

Institutions: University of California, Irvine, Arizona State University, University of California, Riverside

Language: English

Topic: Mental Health via Writing

Subfield: Social Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Quality education, Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W2126335965

FWCI: 5.213

Cites: 30

Cited by: 57

Related to: 10