Enhancing Performance under Stress by Information About Its Expected Duration

Abstract

This research note discusses experiments in which four groups of subjects were given two stressful tasks; the Dynamometer test, and the Cold Pressor test. At the same time, the test subjects were given different information about the tests' duration. The information conditions were: no information, exact information, false long (with subsequent encouraging correction), and false short (with subsequent discouraging correction). Endurance was highest with the exact information condition, lowest in the no information condition, and the other two groups produced intermediate results. Timing of the maximal heart rate during the task was systematically related to information, and its role as a potential indicator of psychological "breakdown" was analyzed.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 1988
Accession Number
ADA196836

Entities

People

  • Shlomo Breznitz

Organizations

  • University of Haifa

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Analysis Of Variance
  • Applied Psychology
  • Cold Water
  • Databases
  • Dynamometers
  • Energy Conservation
  • Feedback
  • Heart Rate
  • Industrial Psychology
  • New York
  • Psychology
  • Psychophysiology
  • Security
  • Social Psychology
  • Social Sciences
  • Students
  • Task Performance And Analysis

Fields of Study

  • Psychology

Readers

  • Mathematics or Statistics
  • Systems Analysis and Design
  • Team-Based Human-Centered Cognitive Task Decision Making and Information Performance.