Stress Reactivity of Participants in Response to Same vs. Opposite Gender of Experimenters

Abstract

Beginning in childhood, males and females tend to be more comfortable with individuals of their own gender. This effect tends to be more pronounced in males compared to females. Being in an uncomfortable situation can lead to a stress response in an individual, causing increased heart rate, blood pressure, and electrodermal skin conductance. In addition, males and females have been shown to have different responses to stress. The purpose of this study was to examine gender differences in stress response when the same or opposite gender was present. Participants were asked a series of questions designed to induce stress by either a same or opposite gender experimenter. Blood pressure, heart rate, and electrodermal skin conductance were measured before and during the questioning sessions. It was found that a same or opposite gender experimenter did not have an effect on the stress response of participants. Despite previous research indicating that individuals are more comfortable with members of the same sex, and that there are differences in stress response between genders, this study demonstrates that the gender of others does not affect stress response in individuals.