The Trier Social Stress Test as a paradigm to study how people respond to threat in social interactions.

ABSTRACT: In our lives, we face countless situations in which we are observed and evaluated by our social interaction partners. Social-evaluative threat is frequently associated with strong neurophysiological stress reactions, in particular, an increase in cortisol levels. Yet, social variables do not only cause stress, but they can also buffer the neurophysiological stress response. Furthermore, social variables can themselves be affected by the threat or the threat-induced neurophysiological stress response. In order to study this complex interplay of social-evaluative threat, social processes and neurophysiological stress responses, a paradigm is needed that (a) reliably induces high levels of social-evaluative threat and (b) is extremely adaptable to the needs of the researcher. The Trier Social

SUBMITTER: Frisch JU 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4313597 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature