Pennebaker (1995, 1990) has discussed the importance of emotional disclosure in maintaining good physical health. Research with European-American samples has generally supported the model. However, there is a dearth of research examining the applicability of this model of emotional expression and its effects on health within minority populations. In addition, there are extremely limited data on the psychophysiological response of African-Americans under conditions of emotional stress. What limited literature exists suggests a pattern that appears to be at variance with the data on European-Americans. As well, there are also very limited data on how developmental changes related to age affect the somatic-physiological response patterns to emotional stimuli. Such data would help determine whether we can generalize current assessment and treatment practices developed with younger adults to older adults. The following study was designed to address these deficiencies in the literature. Objective: To examine interracial differences in emotional expression and psychophysiological responsiveness developmentally as a function of age. Methodology: The participants of this study are to be 120 community-dwelling adults, with 40 participants in each of three age groups: 18-35, 36-56, and 57+, balanced for gender. Approximately half of the sample will be African-American and half will be European-American.
