Common executive function predicts reappraisal ability but not frequency.

Abstract

Cognitive reappraisal is an emotion-regulation strategy that positively impacts various facets of adaptive functioning (e.g., interpersonal relations, subjective well-being). Although reappraisal implicates cognitive processing, no clear consensus has been reached regarding its cognitive correlates. Therefore, we examined how executive function (EF)-i. e., a group of general-purpose control abilities comprising working memory, inhibition, and shifting-would be associated with task-based reappraisal ability and self-reported reappraisal frequency. Using a latent-variable approach, we found that the shared variance among EF facets (i.e., common EF)-a general goal-management ability that facilitates the activation and maintenance of task-relevant goals-was positively related to reappraisal ability but not reappraisal frequency. However, the three EF components were not uniquely associated with either reappraisal ability or frequency. Further, when EF was conceptualized at the individual-task level, we found inconsistent patterns of associations between EF constituents and reappraisal. This underscores the need to measure all aspects of EF using multiple indicators at the latent-variable level. Our findings provide vital theoretical, methodological, and empirical insights into the cognitive correlates of reappraisal. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).