Reviewer #2 (Public review): Sense of control buffers against stress

This important research addresses the effects of subjective control and task difficulty on experienced stress using a novel behavioral task administered on the same day in two large online samples.Convincing evidence is provided, establishing the internal and external task validity of the task, as well as a relationship between the sense of control and task difficulty, with individual differences in relevant mental health constructs.Evidence for the specificity of the link between control and stress would be more substantial if the design had not conflated control and reward rate.This work will be of interest to psychologists and clinicians studying the concepts of controllability, stress, and psychopathology.