Science Majoring Background Modulates the Psychological Responses to Stress on Numerical Task

Indrayanti Indrayanti, Aurelia Virgita Claudia, Satrio Priyo Adi, Galang Lufityanto
(Submitted 9 February 2022)
(Published 28 October 2022)

Abstract


Numerical tasks have become part of the daily activities of individuals even in academic potential tests which have the potential to cause stress to individuals. The background of majoring in science is thought to be one of the factors that influence the individual's physiological response to stress when doing numerical tasks. This study aims to investigate whether there are differences in the final results and processing stages on numerical tasks between students majoring in science and social studies. A simple mathematical numerical task was given to participants to respond by adding numbers that were close to each other within a predetermined time limit. Twenty-two participants took the test twice with a one-week gap between tests. Recording of participants' electrodermal activity while working on a task using a galvanic meter. The results show that there is no difference in performance between students in majoring in social science and science (t = 0.552; p = 0.587), however, there are indications of different stress dynamics, where students in majoring in science show a positive effect of stress, while students in majoring in social science show the opposite. Further discussed the stress response on the difference in the frequency of meetings with numerical tasks during education at school.

Keywords


academic background; numeric task; skin conductance response; stress

Full Text: PDF

DOI: 10.22146/gamajop.72911

References


Andrianome, S., Gobert, J., Hugueville, L., Stéphan-Blanchard, E., Telliez, F., & Selmaoui, B. (2017). An assessment of the autonomic nervous system in the electro hypersensitive population: a heart rate variability and skin conductance study. Journal of Applied Physiology, 123(5), 1055–1062. https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00229.2017


Aschbacher, K., O'Donovan, A., Wolkowitz, O. M., Dhabhar, F. S., Su, Y., & Elissa, E. (2013). Good stress, bad stress and oxidative stress: Insights from anticipatory cortisol reactivity. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 38(9), 1698-1708. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2013.02.004


Benavides-Varela, S., Butterworth, B., Burgio, F., Arcara, G., Lucangeli, D., & Semenza, C. (2016). Numerical activities and information learned at home link to the exact numeracy dkills in 5–6 years-old children. Frontiers in Psychology, 7(94), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00094


Benton, D. (2002). Carbohydrate ingestion, blood glucose and mood. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 26(3), 293–308


Boucsein, W. (2012). Electrodermal Activity. Springer Science & Business Media.


Cañas-González, B., Fernández-Nistal, A., Ramírez, J. M., & Martínez-Fernández, V. (2020). Influence of stress and depression on the immune system in patients evaluated in an anti-aging unit. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01844

Christopoulos, G. I., Uy, M. A., & Yap, W. J. (2019). The body and the brain: Measuring skin conductance responses to understand the emotional experience. Organizational Research Methods, 22(1), 394–420. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428116681073


Cohen, J. 1988. Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. 2nd Edition. Hillsdale, N.J.: L.Erlbaum Associates


Farage, M. A., Osborn, T. W., & MacLean, A. B. (2008). Cognitive, sensory, and emotional changes associated with the menstrual cycle: A review. Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics, 278(4), 299–307. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-008-0708-2


Fazio, L. K., Bailey, D. H., Thompson, C. A., & Siegler, R. S. (2014). Relations of different types of numerical magnitude representations to each other and to mathematics achievement. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 123, 53–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2014.01.013


Giota, J., & Gustafsson, J.-E. (2017). Perceived demands of schooling, stress and mental health: Changes from grade 6 to grade 9 as a function of gender and cognitive ability. Stress and Health, 33(3), 253-266. doi: 10.1002/smi.2693


Goi, N., Hirai, Y., Harada, H., Ikari, A., Ono, T., Kinae, N., Takagi, K. (2007). Comparison of peroxidase response to mental arithmetic stress in saliva of smokers and non-smokers. The Journal of Toxicological Sciences, 32(2), 121-127. https://doi.org/10.2131/jts.32.121


Green, C. S., & Bavelier, D. (2008). Exercising your brain: a review of human brain plasticity and training-induced learning. Psychology of Aging, 23(4), 692-701. doi:10.1037/a0014345


Grøtan, K., Sund, E. R., & Bjerkeset, O. (2019). Mental Health, Academic Self-Efficacy and Study Progress Among College Students - The SHoT Study, Norway. Frontiers in Psychology, 10(45), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00045


Harmison, R. J. (2011). Peak Performance in Sport: Identifying Ideal Performance States and Developing Athletes' Psychological Skills. McGraw-Hill


Herman, S. L., & Lester, D. (1994). Physical symptoms of stress, depression, and suicidal ideation in high school students. Adolescence, 29(115), 639-641


Irawan, A., & Kencanawati, G. (2016). Peranan Kemampuan Verbal dan Kemampuan Numerik Terhadap Kemampuan Berpikir Kritis Matematika. Jurnal Pendidikan Matematika FKIP Universitas Muhammadiyah Metro, 110-119


Jaffe, K. (2014). Social and natural sciences differ in their research strategies, adapted to work for different knowledge landscapes. PLoS ONE9(11), e113901. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0113901


Jankowski, N. W., & Wester, F. (2002). The qualitative tradition in social science inquiry: Contributions to mass communication research. In A Handbook of Qualitative Methodologies for Mass Communication Research (page 58-88). Routledge


Kirschbaum, C., Kudielka, B. M., Gaab, J., Schommer, N. C., & Hellhammer, D. H. (1999). mpact of gender, menstrual cycle phase, and oral contraceptives on the activity of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. Psychosomatic Medicine, 61(2), 154–162. https://doi.org/10.1097/00006842-199903000-00006


Kraeplin, S. A., & Robetson, G. M. (1919). Dementia praecox and paraphrenia. Livingstone


Kuhn, T. S. (1962). The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. University of Chicago Press.


Le Fevre, M., Matheny, J., & Kolt, G. S. (2003). Eustress, distress, and interpretation in occupational stress. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 18(7), 726-744


Leonard, B. (2000). Stress, depression, and the activation of the immune system. The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry: The Official Journal of The World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry, 1(1), 17–25. https://doi.org/10.3109/15622970009150562


Liening, S. H., Stanton, S. J., Saini, E. K., & Schultheiss, O. C. (2010). Salivary testosterone, cortisol, and progesterone: two-week stability, interhormone correlations, and effects of time of day, menstrual cycle, and oral contraceptive use on steroid hormone levels. Physiology & Behavior, 99(1), 8–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2009.10.001


Maier, M., Ballester, B. R., & Verschure, P. F. (2019). Principles of neurorehabilitation after stroke based on motor learning and brain plasticity mechanisms. Frontiers in System Neuroscience,13(74), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnsys.2019.00074


McCloskey, M., Caramazza, A., & Basili, A. (1985). Cognitive mechanisms in number processing and calculation: evidence from dyscalculia. Brain and Cognition, 4(2), 171–196. https://doi.org/10.1016/0278-2626(85)90069-7


Meaklim, H., Swieca, J., Junge, M., Laska, I., Kelly, D., Joyce, R., & Cunnington, D. (2018). The DSM-5 Self-Rated Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure identifies high levels of coexistent psychiatric symptomatology in patients referred for insomnia treatment. Nature and Science of Sleep, 10, 377–383. https://doi.org/10.2147/NSS.S173381


Murtonen, M., & Lehtinen, E. (2003). Difficulties experienced by education and sociology students in quantitative methods course. Studies in Higher Education, 28(2), 171-185

Nock, M. K., & Mendez, W. B. (2008). Physiological arousal, distress tolerance, and social problem-solving deficits among adolescent self-injurers. Journal of Clinical and Consulting Psychology, 28-38


O'Sullivan, G. (2011). The relationship between hope, eustress, self-efficacy, and life satisfaction among undergraduates. Social Indicators Research, 101(1), 155-172.


Peters, E., & Bjalkebring, P. (2015). Multiple numeric competencies: When a number is not just a number. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 108(5), 802–822. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000019


Pieters, J. P., & van der Ven, H. G. (1982). Precision, Speed, and Distraction in Time-Limit Test. Applied Psychological Measurement, 93-109.


Posada-Quintero, H. F., Florian, J. P., Orjuela-Cañón, A. D., & Chon, K. H. (2018). Electrodermal Activity Is Sensitive to Cognitive Stress under Water. Frontiers in Physiology, 8, 1128. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2017.01128


Reiche, E. M., Nunes, S. O., & Morimoto, H. K. (2004). Stress, depression, the immune system, and cancer. The Lancet Oncology,5(10), 617–625. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(04)01597-9


Selye, H. (1936). A syndrome caused by diverse nocuous agents. Nature, 138, 32


Selye, H. (1974). The Stress of Life. McGraw-Hill.


Shimbo, M., Kuroiwa, C., & Yokogoshi, H. (2004). The Effects of Carbohydrate Consumption on Stress Levels in Humans. Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology, 283-285


Sim, Y. B., Park, S. H., Kang, Y. J., Kim, S. M., Lee, J. K., Jung, J. K., & Suh, H. W. (2010). The regulation of blood glucose level in physical and emotional stress models: possible involvement of adrenergic and glucocorticoid systems. Archives of Pharmacal Research,33(10), 1679–1683


Sohail, N. (2013). Stress and academic performance among medical students. Journal of the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan, 23(1), 67-71


Sugimoto, K., Kanai, A., & Shoji, N. (2009). The effectiveness of the Uchida-Kraepelin test for psychological stress: an analysis of plasma and salivary stress substances. BioPsychoSocial Med, (3)5, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1186/1751-0759-3-5



Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2022 Gadjah Mada Journal of Psychology (GamaJoP)

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.