Effects of specific and non-specific perceived control on blood pressure response in a stressful mental task

Eighty students volunteered to participate in an experiment with the aim of evaluating the impact of the manipulation of self-efficacy and negative incentive values on systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and pulse pressure. The subjects were asked to solve a series of 15 mathematical problems after having been randomly assigned to one of the four experimental conditions that were generated by combining two levels of self-efficacy (high versus low), and two levels of negative incentive value (high versus low), contingent upon failing to properly perform the task. The subjects’ perceived competence was also evaluated. The results are consistent with those obtained in prior experiments, and they suggest that: (1) self-efficacy and negative incentive value interact in their effects on blood pressure; (2) the cognitive regulation of systolic and diastolic blood pressure and pulse pressure can be distinguished; (3) the subjects with low self-efficacy and high negative incentive value are the ones who generally experience the greatest activation; and (4) perceived competence does not appear to contribute to the psychophysiological regulation.