Ussher J M, Wilding J M
Psychology Division, Sussex University, Brighton, England.
Soc Sci Med. 1991;32(5):525-34. doi: 10.1016/0277-9536(91)90286-l.
Using a broad band testing framework, indices of performance and state were examined in 10 women during one menstrual cycle, over six separate testing sessions. Indices of state were heart rate, the Cruickshank self-report questionnaire and time to basal skin potential. Results showed that self reported arousal was increased premenstrually. There was dissociation between indices of state, supporting the contention that simple models of arousal are inadequate. Performance tests of cognitive processing, tracking skill, reaction time and vigilance, dual task, speed and accuracy, and short term memory capacity showed only one significant result: semantic processing on a word matching task improved premenstrually. There was no significant relationship between state and performance: with high individual differences found between subjects. It was concluded that menstruation was not acting as a stressor for these subjects, and that there was no evidence for a decrement in performance in the menstrual or premenstrual phases of the cycle. Results are discussed in terms of coping with perceived increase in demand premenstrually, resulting in utilisation of compensatory effort and it is suggested that future work should examine womens ability to cope with perceived increase in demand and attribution of arousal during the menstrual cycle. The implications of the findings in terms of the critique of PMS as a valid construct are discussed, and it is concluded that future work should be carried out within an integrated multi-variate framework.
使用一个宽带测试框架，在10名女性的一个月经周期内，分六个独立的测试阶段对她们的表现和状态指标进行了检测。状态指标包括心率、克鲁克尚克自我报告问卷以及基础皮肤电位恢复时间。结果显示，自我报告的兴奋度在经前有所增加。状态指标之间存在分离，这支持了简单的兴奋模型并不充分这一观点。认知加工、跟踪技能、反应时间和警觉性、双重任务、速度和准确性以及短期记忆容量的表现测试仅得出一个显著结果：在单词匹配任务中的语义加工在经前有所改善。状态与表现之间没有显著关系：受试者之间存在很大的个体差异。研究得出结论，月经对这些受试者而言并非压力源，且没有证据表明在月经周期的经期或经前期表现会下降。从应对经前感知到的需求增加导致补偿性努力的运用这一角度对结果进行了讨论，并建议未来的研究应考察女性在月经周期中应对感知到的需求增加和兴奋归因的能力。讨论了这些发现对经前综合征作为一种有效概念的批判的影响，并得出结论，未来的研究应在一个综合的多变量框架内进行。
