Role-played interpersonal interaction: ecological validity and cardiovascular reactivity.
Conflictual role-play scenarios have been used to model brief interpersonal interaction and to elicit cardiovascular reactivity in the laboratory. Here we discuss data suggesting that role-played interactions constitute an ecologically valid laboratory task that may improve laboratory-to-field generalization of cardiovascular response. Specifically, our research indicates that young adults perceive the stress associated with role-play scenarios as similar to that encountered in everyday life. Furthermore, these stress appraisals moderate cardiovascular response to role-play in men. We also find that a social stressor (i.e. speech task) is perceived as significantly more similar to a real-life stressor as compared to other standard laboratory tasks. We propose that particular constellations of cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses to laboratory-based social stressors, such as role-played interaction, may elicit different patterns of hemodynamic response. Further understanding of interrelations among cognitive, affective, behavioral, and physiological response patterns may assist in the study of cardiovascular reactivity as a potential mechanism linking personality factors and the development of cardiovascular disease.
Waldstein
S R
SR
Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore 21250, USA.
Neumann
S A
SA
Burns
H O
HO
Maier
K J
KJ
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D002320:Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D010551:Personality / Q000502:physiology*; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012381:Role Playing; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014655:Vascular Resistance / Q000502:physiology