ABSTRACT

Background

One mechanism by which acute psychosocial stress effects health-related cognitions and behaviors is through changes in the level of mental abstraction when processing information. However, it is unclear whether levels of mental abstraction would be higher or lower after an acute psychosocial stressor.

Objectives

This research examined acute psychosocial stress’s impact on levels of mental abstraction.

Design

Randomized between-subjects experimental design.

Methods

A diverse sample of 164 undergraduate students aged 18–24 years old were randomly assigned to an acute psychosocial stressor or non-stressful control condition. Blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), and negative affect were monitored throughout the study and mental abstraction was measured at the end of each condition.

Results

Mental abstraction was statistically significantly higher (i.e., more abstract) after the stress condition than after the control condition (p = 0.005, d = 0.44). This association was partially explained by negative affect (p = 0.017), but not BP or HR (ps > 0.60).

Conclusions

Acute psychosocial stress is associated with higher levels of mental abstraction after the stressor. These findings may have implications for stress-relevant interventions as accounting for the level of mental abstraction may enhance the efficacy of the intervention.

中文翻译：

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压力和信息处理：急性心理社会压力会影响心理抽象水平

摘要

背景

急性社会心理压力影响健康相关认知和行为的一种机制是通过处理信息时心理抽象水平的变化。然而，尚不清楚在急性心理社会压力源之后，心理抽象水平会更高还是更低。

目标

这项研究检查了急性心理社会压力对心理抽象水平的影响。

设计

随机受试者之间的实验设计。

方法

164 名 18-24 岁本科生的多样化样本被随机分配到急性心理社会压力源或非压力控制条件。在整个研究过程中监测血压 (BP)、心率 (HR) 和负面影响，并在每种情况结束时测量心理抽象。

结果

心理抽象在压力条件下比在控制条件下显着更高（即更抽象）（p  = 0.005，d  = 0.44）。这种关联部分是由负面影响解释的（p  = 0.017），而不是 BP 或 HR（ps  > 0.60）。

结论

急性社会心理压力与压力源之后更高水平的心理抽象有关。这些发现可能对与压力相关的干预有影响，因为考虑到心理抽象水平可能会提高干预的有效性。