Date of Award

Fall 1987

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Psychology

Program/Concentration

Psychology

Committee Director

Valerian J. Derlega

Committee Member

Raymond H. Kirby

Committee Member

Peter J. Mikulka

Call Number for Print

Special Collections LD4331.P65H36

Abstract

To induce stress, subjects were told they would be maneuvering a tarantula spider through a decision maze. While waiting to perform this task subjects were randomly assigned to one of five experimental conditions. In four conditions subjects were paired with either a friend or a stranger, and they were instructed to either communicate or not. In the fifth condition subjects waited alone as they anticipated performing the task. Negative mood state and blood pressure measures were obtained before and after the treatment conditions. A behavioral fear measure was obtained after treatment manipulation. Higher amounts of anxiety were reported between friends who communicated than friends who did not talk. Of those who did not communicate, there was less anxiety reported in the friend than the stranger dyads. Subjects in the alone condition reported more anxiety than those who waited with someone and did not communicate, higher depression scores than those who talked to someone, and more depression and subjective fear than those subjects who waited with a friend.

Rights

In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

DOI

10.25777/mf14-0b97

Download

Included in

Psychology Commons

Share

COinS