Effective communication and interaction in a second language (L2) imply, among others, the ability to use (i.e., retrieve and produce) a wide range of emotional vocabulary in order to express feelings, moods, and emotional experiences in a precise and pragmatically adequate manner (Dewaele, 2011). Despite the growth that SLA empirical research has experienced on emotional and affective factors influencing L2 learning, studies examining psychological and cognitive determiners of emotional expression are still scarce. Building on the premise that cognition and emotion constitute the basis for understanding the essence of learning and teaching, the current study aims to explore whether and how working memory capacity and emotional intelligence are linked to the number and valence of emotional words used in written expression. Fifty-four learners of Spanish conducted two writing tasks, one related to an emotional topic and the other about a non-emotional topic. We used the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (Salovey et al., 1995) to measure participants' emotional intelligence, a complex memory span to assess their working memory capacity, and the web-based search engine emoFinder (Fraga et al., 2018) to analyse emotional vocabulary. In the light of the results obtained, pedagogical implications and interventions for the L2 classroom will be suggested.
Dewaele, J. M. (2011). Reflections on the emotional and psychological aspects of foreign language learning and use. Anglistik: International Journal of English Studies, 22(1), 23-42.
Fraga, I., Guasch, M., Haro, J., Padrón, I., & Ferré, P. (2018). EmoFinder: The meeting point of Spanish emotional words. Behavior Research Methods, 50(1), 84-93. doi:10.3758/s13428-017-1006-3
Salovey, P., Mayer, J. D., Goldman, S. L., Turvey, C., & Palfai, T. P. (1995). Emotional attention, clarity, and repair: Exploring emotional intelligence using the Trait Meta-Mood Scale. In J. W. Pennebaker (Ed.), Emotion, disclosure, and health (pp. 125-154). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. doi:10.1037/10182-000
