Role-played interpersonal interaction: Ecological validity and cardiovascular reactivity

Conflictual role-play scenarios have been used to model brief interpersonal interaction and to elicit cardiovascular reactivity in the laboratory. Her e we discuss data suggesting that role-played interactions constitute an ec ologically valid laboratory task that may improve laboratory-to-field gener alization of cardiovascular response. Specifically our research indicates t hat young adults perceive the stress associated with role-play scenarios as similar to that encountered in everyday life. Furthermore, these stress ap praisals moderate cardiovascular response to role-play in men. We also find that a social stressor (i.e. speech task) is perceived as significantly mo re similar to a real-life stressor as compared to other standard laboratory tasks. We propose that particular constellations of cognitive, affective a nd behavioral responses to laboratory-based social stressors, such as role- played interaction, may elicit different patterns of hemodynamic response. Further understanding of interrelations among cognitive, affective, behavio ral, and physiological response patterns may assist in the study of cardiov ascular reactivity as a potential mechanism linking personality factors and the development of cardiovascular disease.