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Published on: December 16, 2010
17.1K
Game Face expressions and performance on competitive tasks
Matthew T Richesin1, Michael D Oliver1, Debora R Baldwin1
1Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee.
Summary
Making a "Game Face" expression improved cognitive task performance and reduced physiological stress responses. This focused facial expression did not significantly impact physical task performance.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Psychophysiology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Facial expressions impact stress responses, but research mainly covers positive expressions.
- The
- Game Face
- - a serious, focused expression - is commonly used but understudied.
- Limited research exists on how non-positive facial expressions affect psychophysiological and performance outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the psychophysiological and performance effects of the
- Game Face
- - a determined facial expression.
- To examine if adopting a
- Game Face
- influences physical and cognitive task performance.
- To assess the impact of
- Game Face
- on stress markers like skin conductance and heart rate.
Main Methods:
- Two studies were conducted with 62 participants each.
- Study 1: Participants completed a cold-pressor task (physical) with or without
- Game Face
- instruction.
- Study 2: Participants completed a puzzle task (cognitive) with or without
- Game Face
- instruction, with psychophysiological measures recorded.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in physical task performance between groups.
- Participants using a
- Game Face
- showed significantly better cognitive performance.
- Skin conductance decreased significantly from baseline in the
- Game Face
- group during the cognitive task.
Conclusions:
- The
- Game Face
- expression shows promise for enhancing cognitive performance.
- Adopting a
- Game Face
- may help regulate sympathetic nervous system activation during cognitive tasks.
- Facial expressions, beyond positive ones, warrant further investigation for their psychophysiological effects.
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