Stressing the feedback: attention and cardiac vagal tone during a cognitive stress task

The present study examined relationships among gaze behaviour and cardiac vagal tone using a novel stress-inducing task.

Participants' (N = 40) eye movements and heart rate variability (HRV) were measured during an unsolvable computer-based task randomly presenting feedback of "Right" and "Wrong" answers distinctly onscreen after each trial. Subgroups were created on the basis of more frequent eye movements to the right ("Correct"-Attenders; n = 23) or wrong ("Incorrect"-Attenders; n = 17) areas onscreen.

Correct-Attenders maintained HRV from baseline to the stress task. In contrast, Incorrect-Attenders spent significantly more time viewing "Wrong" feedback, exhibited a reduction in HRV during the stress condition (p < .01), and were more likely to negatively self-evaluate performance.

Results demonstrate that pervasive attention to negative feedback ("Wrong") elicits perseverative stress and negative self-evaluations among university students. This study highlights the potential for studying attentional biases and emotional distress through combined measures of gaze behaviour and cardiac vagal tone.