Journal Articles
Abstract:
As part of a 3 task study of the influence of attentional style on cardiovascular response, 19 normal volunteers were given a 15 min interview during which systolic and diastolic blood pressure, digital pulse volume, heart rate, and forearm blood flow were recorded. At the same time two observers independently assessed 5 elements of the subjects' interview behavior; arousal, eye contact with the interviewer, self revelation of interview center, attentiveness to the interviewer, and overall transactional engagement in the interview task. When subjects were divided into groups of interview attenders and nonattenders on the basis of interviewer ratings, attenders had a mean decrease in forearm blood flow and nonattenders a mean increase. These group differences extended across a word identification (sensory intake) and mental arithmetic (sensory rejection) task as well. When subjects were divided into groups of forearm blood flow increasers and decreasers, increasers displayed less attentiveness to the interviewer, less self revelation, greater arousal, and less transactional engagement than did decreasers (N = 9). Attentiveness to the interviewer and transactional engagement were the two most sensitive behavioral discriminators in comparing the increaser and decreaser groups.