The Effect of Performance Relevance and Feedback upon Resistance to Anticipatory Stress,
Abstract
The study sought to demonstrate that, in a threatening situation, if occurrence of harm depends upon performance (relevance) and information is supplied regarding performance quality (feedback), resistance to stress will be enhanced even though stress magnitude (probability of harm) remains unchanged. Eighty aviation officer candidates were experimental subjects; ten others were controls. A subject-paced, four-choice discrimination task was used, and all subjects were allowed an initial 5-minute practice session. Subjects anticipated either a noxious event (electric shock) or a benign event (bell). Within each condition, four groups performed the task, each with a different combination of feedback and relevance: with neither, with both, or with one or the other. Controls simply performed the task a second time. Results indicated that: (1) anticipation in itself may be stressful; (2) measured by changes in performance across time, stress resistance is enhanced by both feedback and relevance; (3) stress magnitude is best measured by performance variability; and (4) performance level, which is related by a U-shaped function to stress, may reflect motivational aspects of stress. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 14, 1970
- Accession Number
- AD0747628
Entities
People
- Xenia Coulter
Organizations
- Naval Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory