This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Pham, L. B. Articles by Seeman, T. E. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Pham, L. B. Articles by Seeman, T. E. Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Effects of Environmental Predictability and Personal Mastery on Self-Regulatory and Physiological Processes

University of California, Los Angeles

Shelley E. Taylor

University of California, Los Angeles, taylors{at}psych.ucla.edu

Teresa E. Seeman

University of California, Los Angeles

College student participants high and low in personal mastery were exposed to an experimental priming manipulation that made salient the unpredictable aspects of college, the predictable aspects of college, or neutral features of the college environment. They then completed a thought-listing task regarding thoughts about college and measures of self-regulatory processes. Blood pressure and pulse data were collected every 2 minutes. Participants exposed to the predictable manipulation made more references to the future and more references to personal goals and had lower systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure reactivity compared with those in the neutral condition and to those in the unpredictable condition. Participants high (vs. low) in mastery showed more evidence of active self-regulation. Implications for the study of stress are discussed.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?