Psychology
Brain Activity and Cortisol Levels Reflect the Pain of Exclusion
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Location
Indianapolis, IN
Subject Area
Psychology
Start Date
13-4-2018 3:15 PM
End Date
13-4-2018 4:15 PM
Sponsor
Meghan Kahn (Indiana University Southeast)
Description
Social exclusion is relatively common in everyday life, and it can have a significant impact on brain activity and behavior. In this experiment, we investigated two independent but related hypotheses concerning the effects of social exclusion. We hypothesized that exclusion will result in decreased positive affect, and secondly that stress levels, measured using salivary cortisol and delta-beta correlations, would increase following exclusion. Cyberball, a computer ball-tossing game, was used to induce social exclusion. In this game, participants play against the computer for a total of 6 minutes in one of two conditions: included or excluded. During the first 3 minutes of Cyberball, participants placed their hand in ice water to induce physiological stress. Four salivary samples (two pre-stressor, two post-stressor) and three baseline EEG recordings were obtained (one pre-stressor, two post-stressor). An increase in circulating cortisol indicates high stress. An increased correlation between delta and beta activity in the brain, measured by the EEG, is also associated with higher levels of stress. Positive affect was expected to decrease significantly more in the excluded than included group. Delta-beta correlations and salivary cortisol levels were expected to significantly increase in the excluded, but not the included group, indicating a greater increase in stress level for excluded participants. Identifying the neurological effects of social exclusion can aid in improving awareness of the impacts our everyday interactions can have.
Brain Activity and Cortisol Levels Reflect the Pain of Exclusion
Indianapolis, IN
Social exclusion is relatively common in everyday life, and it can have a significant impact on brain activity and behavior. In this experiment, we investigated two independent but related hypotheses concerning the effects of social exclusion. We hypothesized that exclusion will result in decreased positive affect, and secondly that stress levels, measured using salivary cortisol and delta-beta correlations, would increase following exclusion. Cyberball, a computer ball-tossing game, was used to induce social exclusion. In this game, participants play against the computer for a total of 6 minutes in one of two conditions: included or excluded. During the first 3 minutes of Cyberball, participants placed their hand in ice water to induce physiological stress. Four salivary samples (two pre-stressor, two post-stressor) and three baseline EEG recordings were obtained (one pre-stressor, two post-stressor). An increase in circulating cortisol indicates high stress. An increased correlation between delta and beta activity in the brain, measured by the EEG, is also associated with higher levels of stress. Positive affect was expected to decrease significantly more in the excluded than included group. Delta-beta correlations and salivary cortisol levels were expected to significantly increase in the excluded, but not the included group, indicating a greater increase in stress level for excluded participants. Identifying the neurological effects of social exclusion can aid in improving awareness of the impacts our everyday interactions can have.