title: Need for achievement moderates the effect of motive-relevant challenge on salivary cortisol changes.
abstract: The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis plays a key role in the physiological response to stress, preparing the organism for appropriate action. While some research has examined universally relevant threats, other research has suggested that individual differences may moderate the relationship between stress and cortisol release, such that some individuals exhibit modified reactivity to personally relevant stressors or challenges. In the present study we investigated whether one individual difference-the implicit need for achievement-moderates the effect of motive-relevant challenge on salivary cortisol. Participants' salivary cortisol and felt affect were measured before and after engagement in an achievement task. In the positive- and no-feedback conditions, individuals high in implicit achievement motivation demonstrated increased cortisol response to the task, whereas in the negative feedback condition, individuals high in implicit achievement motivation demonstrated a dampened cortisol response. Furthermore, changes in cortisol were accompanied by changes in felt affect in the same direction, specifically hedonic tone. These results suggest that the HPA axis also responds to non-social-evaluative challenge in a personality-contingent manner.
authors.affiliation: School of Sociology and Political Science, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: UniSIM College, SIM University, Clementi, Singapore.
authors.forename: Jonathan E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Ramsay
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Friedrich-Alexander University, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Oliver C
authors.initials: OC
authors.lastname: Schultheiss
authors.affiliation: Division of Psychology, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, HSS-04-08, 14 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637332 Singapore.
authors.forename: Joyce S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Pang
keywords: Cortisol; HPA axis; Implicit motives; Need for achievement; Picture story exercise; Stress