Electrocortical correlates of coping and non-coping

274

J. Gnu&r,

rd. ,/ Psychophysmlogv

Sonety abstracts, 1984

4. SYMPOSIA

4.1. EFFORTFUL

Symposium

ACTIVE

convened

ELECTROCORTICAL

COPING

by Rick HOWARD

CORRELATES

OF COPING

AND NON-COPING

Rick HOWARD and John LUMSDEN of Psychology and Mental Health, The QueenS Umuersit.v of Belfast, Belfust. U.K

Departments

George FENTON Department

of Psvchiatty,

Uniuersity of Dundee, Dundee, U.K.

It is suggested that successful active coping (defined as enhancing the perceived controllability of one’s environment) corresponds to the mid-point of an Approach-Withdrawal dimension, where there would occur a moderate sensitivity both to cues (‘safety signals’) which signal reward or non-punishment and to cues (‘danger signals’) which signal punishment or non-reward. Non-coping would be associated with either an extreme predominance of ‘approach’ or an extreme predominance of ‘withdrawal’, defined in terms of state and trait. Two experiments are described in which an attempt is made to induce a state of ‘withdrawal’/non-coping by experimentally manipulating controllability of aversive stimulation as an independent variable. Dependent variables include electrophysiological (CNV), subjective state (‘stress’) and behavioural (RT) measures. Results indicate that there are substantial individual differences in the subjective and electrophysiological responses to removal of controllability but that a CNV response occurs only when accompanied by an increase in perceived stress.

Reference Howard, R.C., Fenton, G.W. and Personality and Psychopathology.

Fenwick, P.B.C. (1982). Wiley: Chichester.

Event-Related

Brain

Potentials

in