This study will employ an experimental within-subjects design, in which all participants are
exposed to the same task and measures. The study will take place in Cubicle 1 of the
Psychology Department, 2nd floor John Hume Building. On entry into the lab, participants will
first be required to read the study information sheet and provide informed consent before the
formal testing session begins. This standard protocol will comprise of the collection of
demographic information, the administration of questionnaires (See supporting documentation)
and the monitoring of physiological responses. The monitoring phase involves the following
periods, a 20 minute acclimatisation, 10 minute baseline, 8 minute intervention, a 12-stress
task and a 10 minute recovery period. During baseline general socio-demographic and lifestyle
information will be collected through standard questionnaires (e.g. age, gender, height
smoking status, health status and family history pertaining to the cardiovascular system; see
supporting documentation). If predictive of blood pressure in the current study all potential
confounds will be controlled for statistically in relevant analyses to isolate the
contribution of the predictor variables, in this case state and trait gratitude, to the
cardiovascular changes. Physiological responses -systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic
blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate (HR)- will be measured noninvasively using a GE Dinamap
Pro 400 and will be recorded throughout with a standard blood pressure cuff placed over the
brachial artery on the participant's non-dominant arm. During the baseline phase
psychological variables will be measured psychometrically.
Following this baseline phase, participants will randomly be allocated to either the control
or experimental condition. The experimental condition will involve writing a letter thanking
someone the participant had not thanked before. The control group will complete a writing
exercise wherein they describe the laboratory room. They will have 8 minutes to complete
this.
Following this intervention phase, participants will then complete an adapted form of the
widely used Trier Social Stress Test, which involves participants subtracting numbers out
loud and giving a short speech wherein they describe three of their best and worst
characteristics . After the stress task, in the recovery phase participants will answer a
series of questions pertaining to how they found the stress task. They will then sit for 8
minutes while recovery measures are taken.
Following this, all participants will be fully debriefed (supporting documentation) and
thanked for their participation.