When is a Little Information a Dangerous Thing? Coping with Stressful Events by Monitoring Versus Blunting
Published 1 January 1980
Suzanne M. Miller
Citations170
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TL;DR
Will the person undergoing the predictable procedure experience more or less stress before, during, and after his dental visit than the person undergoing the identical, but unpredictable procedure?
Abstract
Consider two individuals, both of whom must undergo an aversive dental procedure. When the first individual arrives, the dentist describes what is going to take place, including when and under what circumstances the person can expect to feel pain. The second individual receives no such preparation from the dentist. Exactly the same procedure is performed on both individuals. Will the person undergoing the predictable procedure experience more or less stress before, during, and after his dental visit than the person undergoing the identical, but unpredictable procedure?
Keywords
PsychologyArts and Humanities
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