Psychological and physiological reactions to visual representations of war

Abstract

This paper explores the immediate psychological and physiological effects of aversive visual stimuli, represented as pictures of war, in a balanced mixed design (n=24). The moderating effects of individual differences in locus of control and sex were examined, along with those of a requirement to report on the stimuli presented. The results indicated a fractionation of the autonomic response with electrodermal measures (EDA) and salivary function showing a sympathetic type response to war slides whilst measures of cardiac activity (heart rate and heart rate variability) tended to show increased parasympathetic activity over the response to neutral slides. Psychological measures showed an increase in self-reported stress, higher disturbance ratings and unprompted reports of various coping strategies (postexperimental interviews) in response to war slides. Additionally, self reported arousal and EDA's proved sensitive to the report requirement and cardiac activity appeared to be tied to individual differences in terms of locus of control. Although the physiological results could be taken as congruent with Hare's (1972) suggestion that ‘morbid curiosity’ accompanies the viewing of aversive stimuli, psychological measures tended to disconfirm this interpretation. The situational determinants of the cardiac response are discussed as a solution to the paradoxical cardiac response elicited with aversive visual stimuli, along with individual styles of coping with aversive situations which may be reflected in individual's locus of control.