Metacognition refers to the ability to follow, track, and report the way of thinking and deciding. Studies conducted by researchers at the Centre for Attachment and Emotional Regulation (CARE) in the UDD, have shown that the way in which people react to stress affects metacognitive efficiency.

The objective of this project is to understand how people modify their behavior and make decisions under stressful conditions. As explained by the researcher Silva, “stress affects various systems of the human body, so this research seeks to unravel the mechanisms that are altered, as well as explore how this affects the way we monitor our thinking and our decisions.” Under the understanding that the stress reactivity involves a cascade of reactions that are activated in the body, the question is how the hormonal response participates in the alteration of cognitive functioning.

Research in psychology has shown that the ability to respond favorably to stressful situations is a protective factor of pathologies such as depression or anxiety. However, the understanding of the mechanisms through which different systems of the organism alter their functioning under stressful conditions remains little explored. In this context, what is interesting is to know the relationship between the level of emotional reactivity and the self-regulation capacity of people, through an experimental methodology and considering personality, hormonal and behavioral variables.