Trait Rumination Moderates the Effect of Executive Control Training

Abstract

The ability to regulate emotions during times of stress plays an important role in risk for psychopathology and resilient responding. Individual differences in executive control may critically affect this ability. Training executive control may therefore improve emotional adjustment to stressful events. The aims of the current study were to examine whether executive control training affects biological stress response and to investigate whether trait rumination moderates the training effect. Using a student sample (N = 69), two versions of the n-back task were administered, one with neutral and one with affective stimuli. The training groups were compared to a control condition on changes in salivary cortisol following a stress induction. Results indicate that trait rumination moderated the training effects. For participants low on trait rumination, condition assignment had no effect on cortisol reactivity. For participants high on trait rumination, however, the training compared to the control condition resulted in diminished cortisol reactivity. These results emphasize the importance of examining moderators when investigating the effects of executive control training.