Challenge And Threat Theory

1. This research was conducted to examine and test theories that tries to explain how adolescent react towards challenge and threat. This explores the implicit theories that explains how social stressors are perceived and interpreted by an individual. There is also biopsychological model of challenge and threat that tries to explain how one interprets an event as challenge or threat. Challenge will be recognize when there are resources to cope with the stressors, while threat is considered when there are no resources that can be used to cope. This research also incorporates the entity theory of personality, which talks about one’s fixed personality, and incremental theory, that says one’s personality can change. This an important research as …show more content…
In the first study, it was hypothesized that with incremental-theory teaching, it would help an adolescent to respond to social stress through challenge type attitude. At the beginning of the experiment, each participant have electrocardiography and blood-pressure measured. There were two groups, in which one would be given an incremental-theory or control group reading and writing exercises. Those in incremental theory group, they are given insights about the theory and they were informed that they are able to change depending on their situation. The control lacked this aspect and therefore, only had reading and writing exercises. After that, they are given a social stress test and measured their autonomic recovery after the test. In this experiment, the result supports the hypothesis, in which incremental-theory participants has an improved cognitive and behavioral response to stressors. While there was not any significant changes between incremental theory and control group, incremental theory performed better on the stressor task and examination of cardiovascular and neuroendocrine test. In the end of this experiment, it was concluded that this treatment is only valid for a controlled environment and only last for a short-term period. This is because a long-term study was not conducted and the conditions given to the participants would not be the same every time. On the other hand, the second study hypothesized the incremental theory would have a drastic effect on …show more content…
As a student, this experiment has provide great information and evidence to improve my outlook on stress about school and life in general. If possible, I would try to expose the subjects into a more non-academic pressure such as meeting strangers or doing activities other than speech tests. I would also try to measure adrenaline levels as this could be affected by an individual’s interpretation of the situation. My hypothesis would be, with the help of incremental theory, adrenaline levels and cardiovascular rate would be reduced, compared to the control group, when exposed to a stressor. I would improve it by exposing the subject to various other stressors. For example, the participants would have their vitals, such as heart rate and adrenaline levels, measured before the experiment. Then the participants would be exposed to academic pressures and non-academic pressures such as being a part of crowd or interacting with complete strangers. Their heart rate would be monitored during the experiment and if possible, adrenaline would also be measured. It would measure the reaction of the participant in the initial exposure to stressor and the time for the participant to calm down. Since some stressors, invoke flight or fight responses, which increases adrenaline levels, I predict that those who were taught about incremental theory would have a reduction of time to calm