Stress and the Attentional Network
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Stress and the Attentional Network
IRAS ID
240287
Contact name
Stuart Pugh
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Southampton
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Our previous study (208860) investigated the effect of acute stress on attentional networks, using the attentional network task. The current study intends to examine this further, controlling for confounds (e.g. practice) observed in the original study.
Using a socially evaluative cold pressor task (participants immerse their forearm in cold water whilst being filmed) to induce stress, attention changes will be measured using the Attentional Network Task-Revised. In addition to subjective responses, physiological measures will be taken via saliva sample in order to understand the biological reaction to stress and how this is linked to changes in cognition.
Healthy, non-clinical volunteers without any history of mental or neurological illness, or communicable diseases will be tested at the University of Southampton, within the School of Psychology.
Participants will volunteer using an online booking system where the exclusionary criteria will be made clear prior to attending an experimental test session lasting three hours. They will provide baseline scores for various aspects of mood, working memory and attention before being exposed to the acute stressor/control for a maximum of 3 minutes. Participants will then repeat the attention task in order to understand the effect of stress on attentional networks. In addition, participants will provide saliva samples (using saliva salivettes) at 4 time points across the session in order to elucidate physiological reaction to stress and map this to any cognitive changes.
Participants saliva samples will be labelled with unique identifiers so that they cannot be attributed to individuals and analysis will be performed by an external laboratory without access to participant information. Samples will not be available to other studies and will be destroyed following analysis. Participants will be notified of their right to withdraw up to the conclusion of data collection, after which anonymization of samples will mean this is impossible.
REC name
London - Harrow Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/LO/0154
Date of REC Opinion
1 Feb 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion