Date on Honors Thesis

Spring 3-10-2025

Major

Psychology

Minor

Cognitive Science

Examining Committee Member

Megan St. Peters, PhD, Advisor

Examining Committee Member

Daniel Wann, PhD, Committee Member

Examining Committee Member

Patrick Cushen, PhD, Committee Member

Examining Committee Member

Dr. Jessica Nabers, PhD, Honors College Director

Abstract/Description

Stress impacts our emotions, cognition, behavior, and health. Although stress is abundant and unavoidable, recent research suggests our perception of stress can strongly influence its outcomes. The Biopsychosocial Model of Challenge and Threat (BPS) states that we appraise a stressful scenario in one of two ways: challenge or threat. A challenge appraisal involves a positive perception of stress and is associated with lower physiological output while a threat appraisal involves a negative perception of stress and increased physiological arousal. The current research seeks to apply the BPS to a cognitive task and consider its relation to willpower, ego depletion, and trait self-control. The current study manipulates instructions for a Stroop task and randomly assigns participants to a threat- or challenge- condition. Several measures were taken both pre- and post- completion of the Stroop task: ego depletion (grip strength), heart rate variability, and state anxiety. Trait self-control was assessed post-test only. Results revealed significant differences based on condition for the mean RR interval, a measure of heart rate variability, and the demand items for the cognitive appraisal scale which involve an individual's perceptions of the task. Results suggest limited support of the BPS but offers insights into future areas of research to help us better understand how stress appraisals may affect the stress response and how this may be related to other psychological constructs. Such information could help us gain a broader understanding of human behavior and factors that may contribute to stress management, productivity, efficiency, and overall well-being.

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