The effects of learned resourcefulness and monitor-blunter coping style on three psychophysiological indicators in the cold pressor task.

摘要

The purpose of this research is to investigate the effects of learned resourcefulness and preferred monitor-blunter coping style on psychophysiological reactions to a robust aversive stimulus, the cold pressor task. Suzanne Miller's monitor-blunter model of coping style defines monitoring as the degree to which a person is alert for and sensitized to threat-relevant information. Blunting is the degree to which a person cognitively avoids or modifies threat/relevant information to blunt or weaken the psychological impact of threat or danger. Miller's hypothesis is that stress reactions vary as a function of both preferred coping style and the predictability and controllability of the situation. Michael Rosenbaum's learned resourcefulness model describes the cognitive processes people use to control their behavior. Learned resourcefulness is the repertoire of behavioral and cognitive skills learned through modeling, conditioning, and instructions with which we regulate internal events such as emotions or cognition that might otherwise interfere with smooth execution of behavior. The central thesis of the study is that both level of learned resourcefulness and preferred monitor-blunter coping style will predict psychophysiological reactions. Two hypotheses are advanced: Blunters will have lower autonomic nervous system (ANS) arousal than monitors; high resourceful people will have lower ANS arousal than low resourceful people. Dependent variables are skin conductance, heart rate, self report, and several measures of wave characteristics found in digitally recorded speech. The research originally intended one dependent measure to be a speech wave characteristic historically referred to as inaudible voice microtremor (IVM). IVM is an inaudible frequency modulation accompanying audible speech alleged to vary inversely with degree of psychological stress. Three additional speech wave characteristics were analyzed. Research participants are males between 18 and 55 years old classified by monitor-blunter coping style and level of learned resourcefulness. Psychophysiological and self-report data are statistically analyzed primarily with analysis of covariance. No statistically significant effects for learned resourcefulness were found in any of the ANS indicators of arousal or in self-reports of distress. The study found that monitors rather than blunters had lower indication of ANS arousal and self-report of distress and concluded: (a) monitoring has significant utility in coping with the robust stress of the cold pressor task; (b) using an equal mixture of monitoring and blunting strategies has utility; (c) monitoring is the more critical factor. Multiple scoring systems with the research instruments and use of posttest self-report was instrumental. The study examined the utility of heart rate and heart rate variability (steadiness of rhythm) in the cold pressor task. The research developed and validated a set of promising psychophysiological indicators of psychological distress in speech sample, counter homeostasis oscillating perturbation signals, CHOPS. CHOPS may or may not be related to inaudible voice microtremor.