Answer:
Tabitha is experiencing primary appraisal.
Explanation:
Primary appraisal is a cognitive process which takes place when an individual is evaluating if a certain situation posses a threat or is beneficial to him/her.
In this case, Tabitha's boss has told her that there will be layoffs because of budget cuts but he did not mention is she would be part of that layoff portion.
In response, she feels an increase in stress and if we could look into her mind we would see that she is trying to assess is this situation is going to be harmful to her, present any challenge or if she will be able to overcome it and keep her job.
