Why the study?
Does cognitive appraisal of stress (threat of shock) affect heart rate and task performance in subjects with varying baseline fear of shock?
Does cognitive appraisal of stress (threat of shock) affect heart rate and task performance in subjects with varying baseline fear of shock?
Cognitive appraisal of stress, specifically when perceived as contingent on performance, significantly increases heart rate and impairs motor performance in individuals with high baseline fear.
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Performance-contingent threat appraisal may heighten HR responses and impair tasks in high-fear subjects; leaves open whether appraisal-targeted interventions alter outcomes in anxiety.
The effects of threat of shock on heart rate and motor performance were studied on Ss differing in previously expressed fear of shock. Twenty-four high fear-of-shock (HFS) and an equal number of low fear-of-shock (LFS) Ss were given 15 training trials on a conventional pursuit rotor. Following training one third of the Ss were informed that during subsequent trials shock would be administered if performance fell below training levels, one third were told that shock would be randomly administered, and the remaining third served as a control. No shocks were actually administered. HFS Ss revealed significantly greater heart-rate acceleration and performance impairment, but only under the condition in which Ss were told that receipt of shock would be contingent on prior performance level.
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Thackray et al. (1968) studied this question.
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