Keicolt glaser Et Al (stress) Flashcards
What kind of experiment was it?
Natural experiment
What type of design was it?
Repeated measures design
How did they pick the sample?
Self selected
Who were the sample?
75 first year medical students (49M 26F)
When did they take the blood?
- one month before their end of year exams (low stress)
- just after 2 exams taken (high stress)
What did they measure?
NK cell activity
What did they find?
That in the high stress condition the NK cell activity was significantly reduced
What does this suggest?
The immune system was compromised as the NK cells attack abnormal cells preventing cancerous cells from developing
What could this result in?
Illnesses developing if the body is unable to fight off infections or prevent abnormal cells from multiplying
What did they do?
On humans took advantage of a naturally occurring stressful situation
