Examining the Effects of Acute and Chronic Stress on the Interrogative Suggestibility of Young Adults
Abstract
High-stress situations, like police interrogations, can hinder an individual's decision-making and critical-thinking ability (Liston et al., 2009), making them more susceptible to suggestive or leading messages during questioning. While research on suggestibility mainly focuses on children and adolescents, young adults may also be vulnerable to suggestion because of their sensitivity to social feedback (Blakemore & Mills, 2014; Redlich & Goodman, 2003). Since the legal consequences of suggestibility for young adults are more severe than for children or adolescents, it is essential to examine the role of stress in young adults' suggestibility. The present study used objective and subjective methods to examine the impact of acute and chronic stress on young adults' suggestibility. Participants (N = 128) aged 18 to 26 were randomly assigned to complete either a stressful social task (TSST; Kirschbaum et al., 1993) or a control condition. The Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale (GSS; Gudjonsson, 1984) and self-report measures were used to assess the participants' suggestibility and experiences with stress. Heart rate and Galvanic Skin Responses (GSR) were also obtained as physiological indices of stress. Although our study did not find significant evidence to support the hypothesized effects of acute and chronic stress on young adults' suggestibility, this research nonetheless highlights the importance of understanding the complex interplay of stress and suggestibility to extend legal recommendations beyond children and adolescents to include young adults in situations where suggestibility is likely to occur.
Subject Area
Developmental psychology|Physiological psychology|Experimental psychology
Recommended Citation
Cota, Claudia, "Examining the Effects of Acute and Chronic Stress on the Interrogative Suggestibility of Young Adults" (2024). ETD Collection for University of Texas, El Paso. AAI31298257.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/dissertations/AAI31298257