The Effects of Support Provided by a Friend on Stress Reactions

Abstract

Studied the effects of (1) friends' support and (2) evaluation apprehension on physiological, cognitive, and behavioral stress reactions. Human Ss: 79 normal male and female Japanese adults (undergraduate students). A 2 (support or no support) by 2 (apprehension or no apprehension) factorial design was used. In the support condition, a friend provided support spontaneously and according to the S's demands during the S's performance on an anagram task. In the apprehension condition, the friend was able to observe the S during task performance. Dependent variables were mean blood pressure, cognitive interference, and correct anagrams. (English abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)