Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454, USA.
Biol Psychol. 2013 Apr;93(1):138-42. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2013.01.003. Epub 2013 Jan 21.
Cortisol responses are typically more pronounced under low controllability conditions, yet little is known about the role of individual differences. This study examined whether cortisol response to a situation with low controllability differs as a function of preexisting control beliefs and age. We manipulated level of controllability using a driving simulator. Control beliefs were assessed prior to the lab session. Salivary cortisol was measured before and after the driving simulation. Participants were 152 adults aged 22-84 from a Boston area sample. In comparison to the normal controllability condition, those in the low controllability condition reported less perceived control over driving, supporting the effectiveness of the manipulation. In the low controllability condition those with higher control beliefs showed a greater cortisol response than those with low control beliefs. Older adults showed a greater cortisol response than younger adults during the challenge. Implications of acute cortisol responses for performance outcomes are discussed.
皮质醇反应在低可控性条件下通常更为明显，但个体差异的作用知之甚少。本研究考察了在低可控性情况下皮质醇反应是否会因预先存在的控制信念和年龄而异。我们使用驾驶模拟器来操纵可控性水平。在实验室会议之前评估控制信念。在驾驶模拟前后测量唾液皮质醇。参与者来自波士顿地区样本的 152 名成年人，年龄在 22-84 岁之间。与正常可控性条件相比，低可控性条件下的参与者报告对驾驶的控制感较低，这支持了操作的有效性。在低可控性条件下，那些控制信念较高的人比那些控制信念较低的人皮质醇反应更大。在挑战期间，老年人的皮质醇反应比年轻人更大。讨论了急性皮质醇反应对绩效结果的影响。
