Students in foreign countries face challenges when adjusting to a new socio-economic and cultural environment. Our aim was to study the stress experienced by first-year foreign (F) medical students in a new educational environment. We used sensorimotor reaction times (SMRT) as a tool to assess their adaptation to stress. The study included 14 F and 10 local (L) first-year healthy female medical students. They were exposed to two simulated virtual visual tasks: simple (S) and choice (C) SMRT (SSMRT/CSMRT) in random order. We calculated the means (M), standard deviations (SD), and residual standard deviations (RSD) for both groups during SSMRT and CSMRT. For statistical check, we calculated the accuracy index (AI) and some derivative parameters of RT histograms: coefficient of variation (CV), and reaction sustainability (RS). Our results showed no significant differences in the M, SD, and RSD during SSMRT and CSMRT between the two groups, indicating almost equal and high mental abilities in both groups. However, higher CV for L students compared to the F students were found during CSMRT, indicating less concentration of attention in the L students. Significant differences between the means of RS in F and L students during CSMRT were also revealed, indicating more reaction stability in the L students. On the contrary, the F students showed lower accuracy, especially during SSMRT, implying faster and more impulsive error responses as they familiarized themselves with the new environment. The mental chronometry parameters in F and L first-year female medical students are the same. Some neuroticism in F-students can be explained by the presence of certain stress related to the difficulty adapting to a new environment. However, F-students showed better concentration than L-students in choice tasks, indicating a “focus on achievement coping strategies” of F-students.
References
[1]
(2024). Psychophysiological Methods, Method “Simple Visual-Motor Reaction”. Psychophisio-Logical Studies Using the Neurosoft-Psychotest Pac. (In Russian) https://studme.org/101602/ekologiya/psihofiziologicheskie_metodiki
[2]
Auerbach, R. P., Mortier, P., Bruffaerts, R., Alonso, J., Benjet, C., Cuijpers, P. et al. (2018). WHO World Mental Health Surveys International College Student Project: Prevalence and Distribution of Mental Disorders. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 127, 623-638. https://doi.org/10.1037/abn0000362
[3]
Blanch, D. C., Hall, J. A., Roter, D. L., & Frankel, R. M. (2008). Medical Student Gender and Issues of Confidence. Patient Education and Counseling, 72, 374-381. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2008.05.021
[4]
Bobrova, N. (2015). The Rationale for the Use of the Complex of Diagnostic Methods for Assessment of Human’s Psychophysiological State, Bulletin of NTUU “KPI” Informatics, Management and Computer Engineering. (In Russian) https://ela.kpi.ua/bitstream/123456789/16717/1/8.pdf.pdf
[5]
Chen, C. (2016). The Role of Resilience and Coping Styles in Subjective Well-Being among Chinese University Students. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 25, 377-387. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-016-0274-5
[6]
Chen, Y., Su, J., Ren, Z., & Huo, Y. (2019). Optimism and Mental Health of Minority Students: Moderating Effects of Cultural Adaptability. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, Article 2545. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02545
[7]
Craig, A. D. (2009). How Do You Feel—Now? The Anterior Insula and Human Awareness. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 10, 59-70. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2555
[8]
Crow, A. J. D. (2019). Associations between Neuroticism and Executive Function Outcomes: Response Inhibition and Sustained Attention on a Continuous Performance Test. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 126, 623-638. https://doi.org/10.1177/0031512519848221
[9]
Damiano, R. F., de Oliveira, I. N., Ezequiel, O. d. S., Lucchetti, A. L., & Lucchetti, G. (2021). The Root of the Problem: Identifying Major Sources of Stress in Brazilian Medical Students and Developing the Medical Student Stress Factor Scale. Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry, 43, 35-42. https://doi.org/10.1590/1516-4446-2019-0824
[10]
Deary, I. J., Der, G., & Ford, G. (2001). Reaction Times and Intelligence Differences a Population-Based Cohort Study. Intelligence, 29, 389-399. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0160-2896(01)00062-9
[11]
DeYoung, C. G. (2020). Intelligence and Personality. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of Intelligence (2nd Ed., pp. 1011-1047). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108770422.043
[12]
Dyrbye, L. N., Thomas, M. R., & Shanafelt, T. D. (2005). Medical Student Distress: Causes, Consequences, and Proposed Solutions. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 80, 1613-1622. https://doi.org/10.4065/80.12.1613
[13]
Etkin, A., Egner, T., & Kalisch, R. (2010). Emotional Processing in Anterior Cingulate and Medial Prefrontal Cortex. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 15, 85-93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2010.11.004
[14]
Folkman, S., & Moskowitz, J. T. (2004). Coping: Pitfalls and Promise. Annual Review of Psychology, 55, 745-774. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.55.090902.141456
[15]
Fritz, M. V., Chin, D., & DeMarinis, V. (2008). Stressors, Anxiety, Acculturation and Adjustment among International and North American Students. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 32, 244-259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2008.01.001
[16]
Goldstein, E. (2011). Cognitive Psychology: Connecting Mind, Research, and Everyday Experience. Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
[17]
González, C. R., Mesanza, R. B., & Mariel, P. (2011). The Determinants of International Student Mobility Flows: An Empirical Study on the Erasmus Programme. Higher Education, 62, 413-430. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-010-9396-5
[18]
Guthrie, E. A., Black, D., Shaw, C. M., Hamilton, J., Creed, F. H., & Tomenson, B. (1997). Psychological Stress in Medical Students: A Comparison of Two Very Different University Courses. Stress Medicine, 13, 179-184. https://doi.org/10.1002/(sici)1099-1700(199707)13:3<179::aid-smi740>3.0.co;2-e
[19]
Hick, W. E. (1952). On the Rate of Gain of Information. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 4, 11-26. https://doi.org/10.1080/17470215208416600
[20]
Hockley, W. E. (1984). Analysis of Response Time Distributions in the Study of Cognitive Processes. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 10, 598-615. https://doi.org/10.1037//0278-7393.10.4.598
[21]
Janashia, K., Chikviladze, A., Ramishvili, A., & Mikeladze, L. (2022). A Study of Mental Activity among Healthy Medical Students Using a Virtual Model to Investigate Acute Cognitive Stress Effects. European Journal of Education Studies, 9, 305-317. https://doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v9i8.4438
[22]
Janashia, K., Chikviladze, A., Ramishvili, A., & Tvildiani, N. (2023). Analyzing Response Time for Assessing the Adaptation Stress in First-Year Healthy Medical Students. Creative Education, 14, 1258-1268. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2023.146080
[23]
Kotov, R., Gamez, W., Schmidt, F., & Watson, D. (2010). Linking “Big” Personality Traits to Anxiety, Depressive, and Substance Use Disorders: A Meta-Analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 136, 768-821. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0020327
[24]
Kulsoom, B., & Afsar, N. A. (2015). Stress, Anxiety, and Depression among Medical Students in a Multiethnic Setting. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 11, 1713-1722. https://doi.org/10.2147/ndt.s83577
[25]
Lahey, B. B. (2009). Public Health Significance of Neuroticism. American Psychologist, 64, 241-256. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0015309
[26]
Machul, M., Bieniak, M., Chałdaś-Majdańska, J., Bąk, J., Chrzan-Rodak, A., Mazurek, P. et al. (2020). Lifestyle Practices, Satisfaction with Life and the Level of Perceived Stress of Polish and Foreign Medical Students Studying in Poland. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17, Article 4445. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124445
[27]
Moutinho, I. L. D., Maddalena, N. D. C. P., Roland, R. K., Lucchetti, A. L. G., Tibiriçá, S. H. C., Ezequiel, O. D. S. et al. (2017). Depression, Stress and Anxiety in Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Comparison between Students from Different Semesters. Revista da Associação Médica Brasileira, 63, 21-28. https://doi.org/10.1590/1806-9282.63.01.21
[28]
Nowreen, N., & Ahad, F. (2019). Sources of Stress among First-Year Medical Students. International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health, 8, 440-442. https://doi.org/10.5455/ijmsph.2019.0409215042019
[29]
Ormel, J., Jeronimus, B. F., Kotov, R., Riese, H., Bos, E. H., Hankin, B. et al. (2013). Neuroticism and Common Mental Disorders: Meaning and Utility of a Complex Relationship. Clinical Psychology Review, 33, 686-697. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2013.04.003
[30]
Prabhavathi, K., Hemamalini, R. V., Thilip, K. G., Amalraj, C., Maruthy, K. N., & Saravanan, A. (2017). A Correlational Study of Visual and Auditory Reaction Time with Their Academic Performance among the First Year Medical Students. National Journal of Physiology, Pharmacy and Pharmacology, 7, 371-374. https://doi.org/10.5455/njppp.2017.7.1131828112016
[31]
Rabbitt, P., Osman, P., Moore, B., & Stollery, B. (2001). There Are Stable Individual Differences in Performance Variability, Both from Moment to Moment and from Day to Day. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology Section A, 54, 981-1003. https://doi.org/10.1080/713756013
[32]
Ratcliff, R. (2002). A Diffusion Model Account of Response Time and Accuracy in a Brightness Discrimination Task: Fitting Real Data and Failing to Fit Fake but Plausible Data. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 9, 278-291. https://doi.org/10.3758/bf03196283
[33]
Riemann, B., & Lephart, S. (2002). The Sensorimotor System, Part I: The Physiologic Basis of Functional Joint. Stability Journal of Athletic Training, 37, 71-79. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC164311
[34]
Robinson, M. D., Wilkowski, B. M., & Meier, B. P. (2006). Unstable in More Ways than One: Reaction Time Variability and the Neuroticism/distress Relationship. Journal of Personality, 74, 311-344. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.2005.00377.x
[35]
Sanders, A. F. (1998). Elements of Human Performance: Reaction Processes and Attention in Human Skill. Psychology Press.
[36]
Schiller, D., & Delgado, M. R. (2010). Overlapping Neural Systems Mediating Extinction, Reversal and Regulation of Fear. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 14, 268-276. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2010.04.002
[37]
Servaas, M. N., van der Velde, J., Costafreda, S. G., Horton, P., Ormel, J., Riese, H. et al. (2013). Neuroticism and the Brain: A Quantitative Meta-Analysis of Neuroimaging Studies Investigating Emotion Processing. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 37, 1518-1529. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.05.005
[38]
Shelton, J., & Kumar, G. P. (2010). Comparison between Auditory and Visual Simple Reaction Times. Neuroscience and Medicine, 1, 30-32. https://doi.org/10.4236/nm.2010.11004
[39]
Smith, R. A., & Khawaja, N. G. (2011). A Review of the Acculturation Experiences of International Students. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 35, 699-713. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2011.08.004
[40]
Spoorenberg, T. (2007). La qualité des déclarations par âge: Extension et application de l’indice de Whipple modifié. Population, 62, 847-859. https://doi.org/10.3917/popu.704.0847
[41]
Sullivan, C., & Kashubeck-West, S. (2015). The Interplay of International Students’ Acculturative Stress, Social Support, and Acculturation Modes. Journal of International Students, 5, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v5i1.438
[42]
Suls, J., & Martin, R. (2005). The Daily Life of the Garden-Variety Neurotic: Reactivity, Stressor Exposure, Mood Spillover, and Maladaptive Coping. Journal of Personality, 73, 1485-1510. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.2005.00356.x
[43]
Tamir, M., & Robinson, M. D. (2005). Neuroticism as Mental Noise: A Relation between Neuroticism and Reaction Time Standard Deviations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 89, 107-114. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.89.1.107
[44]
Tsarev, A. N. (2006). Method for Assessing Functional Health of Individual’s Central Nervous System by Measuring Individual’s Orientating Hand-Eye Response Time. Patent RU2289297C2. https://patents.google.com/patent/RU2573340C2/ru
[45]
van Ravenzwaaij, D., Brown, S., & Wagenmakers, E. (2011). An Integrated Perspective on the Relation between Response Speed and Intelligence. Cognition, 119, 381-393. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2011.02.002
[46]
Wagenmakers, E., & Brown, S. (2007). On the Linear Relation between the Mean and the Standard Deviation of a Response Time Distribution. Psychological Review, 114, 830-841. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295x.114.3.830
[47]
Wagenmakers, E., Grasman, R. P. P. P., & Molenaar, P. C. M. (2005). On the Relation between the Mean and the Variance of a Diffusion Model Response Time Distribution. Journal of Mathematical Psychology, 49, 195-204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmp.2005.02.003
[48]
Wetherell, A. (1997). Cognitive and Psychomotor Performance Tests and Experiment Design in Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. Environmental Health Perspectives, 105, 495-503. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.97105s2495
[49]
Willoughby, E. A., Kim, Y., Lee, J. J., & DeYoung, C. G. (2023). The Construct Validity of Intellect and Openness as Distinct Aspects of Personality through Differential Associations with Reaction Time. Journal of Intelligence, 11, Article 30. https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence11020030
[50]
Wood, K. H., Ver Hoef, L. W., & Knight, D. C. (2012). Neural Mechanisms Underlying the Conditioned Diminution of the Unconditioned Fear Response. NeuroImage, 60, 787-799. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.12.048
[51]
Woods, D. L., Wyma, J. M., Yund, E. W., Herron, T. J., & Reed, B. (2015). Factors Influencing the Latency of Simple Reaction Time. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 9, Article 131. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2015.00131
