Public speaking in front of an unreceptive audience increases implicit power motivation and its endocrine arousal signature

Wiemers U, Schultheiss O, Wolf OT (2015)


Publication Language: English

Publication Status: Published

Publication Type: Journal article, Original article

Publication year: 2015

Journal

Book Volume: 71

Pages Range: 69-74

DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.04.007

Abstract

The present study explored the motivational characteristics of the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST; Kirschbaum, Pirke, & Hellhammer, 1993). Seventy-two participants either completed the public-speaking component of the TSST or, as a control condition, the friendly TSST (Wiemers, Schoofs, & Wolf, 2013) and wrote picture stories both before and after treatment. Stories were coded for motivational imagery related to power, achievement, and affiliation as well as for activity inhibition, a marker of functional brain lateralization during stress. The TSST had a specific arousing effect on power motivation, but not on other motivational needs, on activity inhibition, or on story length. TSST-elicited increases in power imagery, but not in achievement or affiliation imagery, were associated with a relatively greater salivary alpha-amylase response and with a relatively lesser salivary cortisol response. These findings suggest that the TSST specifically induces power-related stress.

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How to cite

APA:

Wiemers, U., Schultheiss, O., & Wolf, O.T. (2015). Public speaking in front of an unreceptive audience increases implicit power motivation and its endocrine arousal signature. Hormones and Behavior, 71, 69-74. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.04.007

MLA:

Wiemers, Uta, Oliver Schultheiss, and Oliver T. Wolf. "Public speaking in front of an unreceptive audience increases implicit power motivation and its endocrine arousal signature." Hormones and Behavior 71 (2015): 69-74.

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