title: Performance feedback, self-esteem, and cardiovascular adaptation to recurring stressors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study sought to examine the effects of performance feedback and individual differences in self-esteem on cardiovascular habituation to repeat stress exposure.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-six university students (n = 39 female) completed a self-esteem measure and completed a cardiovascular stress-testing protocol involving repeated exposure to a mental arithmetic task. Cardiovascular functioning was sampled across four phases: resting baseline, initial stress exposure, a recovery period, and repeated stress exposure. Participants were randomly assigned to receive fictional positive feedback, negative feedback, or no feedback following the recovery period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Negative feedback was associated with a sensitized blood pressure response to a second exposure of the stress task. Positive feedback was associated with decreased cardiovascular and psychological responses to a second exposure. Self-esteem was also found to predict reactivity and this interacted with the type of feedback received.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that negative performance feedback sensitizes cardiovascular reactivity to stress, whereas positive performance feedback increases both cardiovascular and psychological habituation to repeat exposure to stressors. Furthermore, an individual's self-esteem also appears to influence this process.
authors.affiliation: a Study of Anxiety, Stress and Health Laboratory, Department of Psychology , University of Limerick , Limerick , Ireland.|b Centre for Social Issues Research , University of Limerick , Limerick , Ireland.
authors.forename: Eoin G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: a Study of Anxiety, Stress and Health Laboratory, Department of Psychology , University of Limerick , Limerick , Ireland.|b Centre for Social Issues Research , University of Limerick , Limerick , Ireland.
authors.forename: Ann-Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Creaven
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D000068156:Formative Feedback; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D012649:Self Concept; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cardiovascular adaptation; cardiovascular reactivity; feedback; self-esteem; stress