The effectiveness of affective compared to neutral working memory training in university students with test anxiety.

Background: Test anxiety (TA), defined as the emotional, physiological, and behavioural responses surrounding situations involving formal evaluation of performance, is a relatively common occurrence, and, when present, can be a disruptive factor in students' academic careers. Research indicates that working memory, in particular, affective working memory, is impaired in individuals with TA. The current study therefore explored whether training the application of working memory in affective contexts could reduce TA and associated cognitive and affective impairments.

Improving cognitive control in adolescents with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The adverse impact of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on the developing mind in adolescence can extend well into adulthood. The developmental malleability of cognitive control capacity in this age group, however, may hold particular promise for cognitive training interventions. The present study investigated the effects of affective working memory (aWMT) compared to placebo-training on cognitive and affective functioning in adolescents with PTSD.