Date of Award

Fall 1986

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Psychology

Program/Concentration

Psychology

Committee Director

Valerian J. Derlega

Committee Member

Cephas J. Adkins

Committee Member

Barbara A. Winstead

Committee Member

Gary Allen

Call Number for Print

Special Collections LD4331.P65C67

Abstract

To induce stress, pairs of friends, serving as subjects, were told they would be moving a spider through a maze. In three experimental conditions the friends were allowed to talk with one another prior to interacting with the spider; in the fourth condition the subjects waited alone. The conversations were structured so that the differential effects of problem-solving, emotion-based, or situationally unrelated discussion between friends could be observed on measures of negative mood state and behavioral fear. Subjects in the emotion-based condition generally experienced the greatest amounts of negative mood and fear. Problem-solving and unrelated discussions resulted in lower levels of self-reported anxiety and fear than did the emotion based or alone conditions. The effectiveness of problem-solving and unrelated conversations as means of socially supportive conversation is discussed in terms of avoidant versus vigilant modes of coping.

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DOI

10.25777/rjqq-3v72

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