The influence of working memory and emotional intelligence on emotional expression in Spanish as a second language

Authors

  • Irini Mavrou Universidad Antonio de Nebrija
  • Fernando Bustos-López Universidad Antonio de Nebrija

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4995/rlyla.2019.10007

Keywords:

working memory, emotional intelligence, emotional vocabulary, written production

Abstract

The current study intended to examine the influence of working memory capacity and emotional intelligence on emotional expression in Spanish as a second language (SSL). Forty-one learners of SSL (A2 and B1 levels) carried out a writing task about an emotional topic. The global quality of their texts was assessed by means of an analytical scale, and the web-based search engine emoFinder was used in order to measure the number and valence of emotional words produced by the participants. Moreover, participants completed a self-report measure of emotional intelligence and performed three working memory tasks. The results showed an influence of emotional intelligence on written expression in SSL, a positive correlation between the quality of written expression and the number of emotional words, as well as a greater use of positive words compared to the negative ones.

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Author Biography

Irini Mavrou, Universidad Antonio de Nebrija

Profesora/Investigadora

Departamento de Lenguas Aplicadas

Facultad de Lenguas y Educación

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Published

2019-07-19

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Section

Articles