The generalizability of cardiovascular responses across settings

The generalizability of cardiovascular reactivity change scores remains largely unsupported. In previous studies, several factors differed between laboratory and field, making poor lab-to-life correlations difficult to interpret. The present study varied only one parameter between the lab and field: setting. In this study, 24 females were studied on four occasions: twice in the lab (to provide test-retest reliability); once in a classroom; and once at home. After a baseline, subjects performed a math task, while blood pressure and heart rate were monitored. Procedures were identical in all sessions. Blood pressure changes were fairly reliable between the two lab sessions, with rs values 0.68 (systolic) and 0.62 (diastolic pressure); however, lab/nonlab correlations were lower (0.47 for SBP; 0.38 for DBP). This suggests that even a minor variation in procedure, such as a change in setting, can affect generalizability; other lab-field differences may have an even greater impact.