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The aftereffects of stress: An attentional interpretation

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Abstract

Two studies were conducted in order to test the hypothesis that the aftereffects of stress on both performance and social behavior are attributable to a depletion of attentional capacity. This depletion, or “cognitive fatigue,” was predicted to increase with both the attentional load and duration of an activity. A laboratory study demonstrated that aftereffects can be induced (without a stressor such as noise, crowding, or shock) by the performance of an attention-demanding task. Deficits on an aftereffects task increased as principal task demand and task duration increased. A second study, conducted in a field setting, found that after performing a high-load task, subjects were less likely to help a woman search for a contact lens than were their counterparts who performed a low-load task. Similarly, subjects who had been crowded were less likely to help than were those who had not been crowded. The data are interpreted as providing support for the “cognitive-fatigue” explanation of the aftereffects of stress.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, 97403, Eugene, Oregon

    Sheldon Cohen & Shirlynn Spacapan

Authors
  1. Sheldon Cohen
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  2. Shirlynn Spacapan
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Additional information

The research reported in this article was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (SOC 75-09224). Study II was part of the second author's Master's thesis.

The authors are indebted to Art Ellsworth, manager of Valley River Center; to Ann Lezak and George Hochstetler for serving as experimenters; to Caroline Gredvig and Valerie Kimble for serving as confederates; to Lita Furby for statistical counsel; to Mike Kemp, Al Murphy, and Nick Garshnek for technical assistance; and to David Krantz, Myron Rothbart, and David Mandel for comments on an earlier draft.

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Cohen, S., Spacapan, S. The aftereffects of stress: An attentional interpretation. J Nonverbal Behav 3, 43–57 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01114531

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