Sex Differences, Physiological Response, and Emotion
2022-06
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Sex Differences, Physiological Response, and Emotion
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2022-06
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Abstract
Females have a higher prevalence for PTSD and other anxiety disorders than males, thus
fluctuating sex hormones, such as estrogen, are considered to play a role. Research suggests that
during predictable cue tasks, high estrogen females had greater startle response toward
predictable tasks compared to unpredictable and control tasks. The current study used
physiological responses and self-reported measures to investigate fear response during the
oddball task within naturally and unnaturally cycling females. The oddball task consisted of five
time points, consistent with control, unpredictable, predictable, extinction, and control blocks.
Participants viewed a randomized slide show of three visual stimuli consisting of natural and
control images. Participants (n = 26) were split into high or low estrogen groups and were placed
in a separate group if using a hormonal contraceptive. Results found that, overall, participants
had a greater positive affect at time two than at time five, F(4,80) = 3.832, p = .007. Given the
small sample size, a second set of analyses assessed high estrogen level females and those using
hormonal contraceptive (lower estrogen) after time the first control (time two) and after the
unpredictable and predictable block (time three). Results found between group differences in
state anxiety, such that HC females had greater state anxiety than the high estrogen group,
F(1,12) = 4.880 , p = .047. These results were opposite for our hypotheses that overall, females
with high estrogen levels will have greater self-reported mood, anxiety, and physiological
response across the study. Results also opposed our hypothesis such that a group by time
interaction revealed participants in the HC group had significantly higher positive affect at time
two which decreased at time three, F(1,12) = 4.931, p = .046; This significant difference between
time points occurred only in participants using HC.
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A Plan B Proposal submitted to the faculty of the University of Minnesota Duluth by Ashley M. Baumann in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, June 2022. This item has been modified from the original to redact the signatures present.
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Baumann, Ashley M. (2022). Sex Differences, Physiological Response, and Emotion. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/231052.
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