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Updated: Jul 16, 2026
10:39
3D-Neuronavigation In Vivo Through a Patient's Brain During a Spontaneous Migraine Headache
Published on: June 2, 2014
Effects of the headache state on objective and perceived performance
Christine A Hovanitz1, Amy L Christianson, Linda Stokes-Crowe
1Department of Psychology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221, USA.
Headache
|December 17, 2002
Summary
Individuals experiencing headache onset may exhibit heightened ambition, choosing more challenging tasks. This study found increased ambition after headache onset, not driven by perceived effort or accuracy.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Headache is often associated with reduced task performance.
- Previous experimental findings suggest headache onset may correlate with increased task ambition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To reevaluate objective ambition in individuals experiencing headache onset.
- To determine if perceived effort and performance accuracy influence this behavior.
- To control for headache proneness in the analysis.
Main Methods:
- A nonclinical sample of 25 individuals with headache onset and 25 matched controls (headache-free) participated.
- Participants completed mental arithmetic problems measuring ambition, performance accuracy, perceived effort, and perceived accuracy.
- Headache proneness was assessed and controlled for.
Main Results:
- Participants with headache onset demonstrated significantly higher objective ambition compared to the headache-free control group.
- Heightened ambition was not significantly linked to inaccurate perceptions of effort or accuracy.
- The headache group exhibited poorer perceived accuracy after headache onset.
Conclusions:
- Headache onset is associated with increased objective ambition, contrary to general perceptions of reduced performance.
- The observed heightened ambition is not explained by misperceptions of effort or accuracy.
- Headache proneness does not alter the relationship between headache state and performance or ambition.
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