Dynamic lateralization: hostility, cardiovascular regulation, and tachistoscopic recognition

This experiment tested a hypothesis linking the right cerebral regulation of hostility and cardiovascular arousal. It also replicates related research regarding hostility, cardiovascular regulation, and auditory recognition (Shenal Harrison, 2003) through the visual modality. Thirty low- and high-hostile participants (n = 30) were identified using the Cook Medley Hostility Scale (CMHS). Only right-handed male participants with no significant medical or psychological history completed the experiment. All participants completed the cold pressor paradigm. Cardiovascular measures (systolic blood pressure [SBP] and diastolic blood pressure [DBP]) were recorded and tachistoscopic lexical recognition procedures were administered before and after the physical stressor. The primary finding of this research was greater left cerebral activation (decreased cardiovascular reactivity) following the tachistoscopic lexical recognition tasks and greater right cerebral activation following the painful (cold pressor) stressor.