1. Which of the following would James Pennebaker NOT agree with:
not all forms of inhibition require active, effortful control
holding back emotion can undermine the body's health and immunity
expressive writing has the ability to improve health and well-being
expressive writing works particularly well when people focus in great detail on the emotional aspects of their experiences

2. In one of Pennebaker's early studies he collected and analyzed a biological measure of immune functioning.  It involved collecting samples of and culturing those samples for the presence of what types of cells .

3. What is the 'confession effect' Pennebaker discusses in his book?
individuals who take polygraph tests show no physiological reactions until they confess to their actions
individuals who take a polygraph will show an immediate elevation in heart rate right after they confess to their actions
individuals who take a polygraph show a sharp drop in physiological arousal right after they confess to their actions
individuals who take a polygraph show anger and aggression toward their examiners after they confess to their actions

4.  Pennebaker's first study of expressive writing in 1986 found which of the following:
very few subjects chose to discuss personal traumas in his early studies
writing in these early studies that focused solely on emotional expression and exploration led to the best outcomes
increases in distress immediately after writing about traumas
students in the study rarely came back to write after the first day because the process was so uncomfortable

5. In Pennebaker's work subjects who write about both the facts of their experiences and the emotional aspects of their experiences show the most improvement in measures of health and well being:
true
false

6. One study Pennebaker conducted was on career engineers who were laid off unexpectedly.  When they engaged in his expressive writing technique they were almost 3x more likely to find subsequent employment in the next 6 months compared to engineers who did not engage in expressive writing.
true
false

7. Which of the following is NOT a feature of the experience of 'letting go' during expressive writing that Pennebaker uses in his studies:
higher blood pressure and heart write during discussions but lower after the discussions are finished
increases in measures of skin conductance
increases in the pace of a speaking voice
loss of the personal sense of time and space

8. Which of the following is NOT a feature of the types of writing that leads to the most positive health outcomes in Pennebaker's studies:
very limited use of negative emotion words
increased use of causal/ insight words over time
use of many positive emotion words
use of a moderate number of negative emotion words

9. Pennebaker conducted a study of Holocaust Survivors who told their stories to interviewers.  Many of these individuals had not shared their stories and had held them inside for decades.  Which of the following were found in this research
Holocaust survivors typically have processed their stories in great detail so it was difficult to find any effects in the research
there are no health benefits to expressing stories that are so many years old
mid and high level disclosers in these studies showed health improvements that lasted a year
Holocaust survivors show very little interest sharing their stories because they are so painful

10. Pennebaker would argue than any form of self expression (dance, music, art, writing) will have the same impacts on an individual's ability to understand and integrate traumatic experiences.
true
false

Written Paragraph to be turned during class:  none on this homework assignment.