Is cognitive ability a factor in explaining differences in physiological and psychological stress responses?

INTRODUCTION: Determining differences and patterns in responses might help to understand over-excitability of students with high cognitive ability (SHCA) and to design treatments for helping them in controlling stress. METHODS: A comparative research method was used with three different instruments. The data were analyzed by t-test and Welch’s F-test. RESULTS: The SHCA reported significantly higher frequencies of psychological stress responses whereas they expressed significantly lower frequencies of physiological stress responses than their counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: These findings might lead to a discussion about the factors determining differences in the responses given by students with high cognitive ability under stress conditions.