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Related Experiment Videos

The effect of a threatening context upon motivation and task-induced physiological changes

S Svebak, O Storfjell, K Dalen

    British Journal of Psychology (London, England : 1953)
    |November 1, 1982
    PubMed
    Summary

    Threatening contexts amplify physiological stress responses during tasks. Increased muscular tension and decreased skin temperature were observed, with steeper changes under threat, impacting self-perception but not task perception.

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    Area of Science:

    • Psychophysiology
    • Human stress response

    Background:

    • Understanding physiological responses to stress is crucial in various fields.
    • Task-induced physiological changes can be modulated by contextual factors.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate the impact of a threatening context on tonic physiological changes during a perceptual motor task.
    • To differentiate between self-perception and task perception under threat.

    Main Methods:

    • 14 male subjects performed a continuous perceptual motor task under two conditions: threat of electric shock and no threat.
    • Physiological measures (muscular tension, skin temperature, heart rate, respiration) and subjective ratings were recorded.
    • Counterbalanced order of conditions was used.

    Main Results:

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    • Task-irrelevant muscular tension increased and skin temperature decreased over time, with steeper gradients under threat.
    • Heart rate showed an initial increase in the threat condition.
    • Respiration mirrored muscular gradients in the no-threat condition, but showed parallel cardiac activation under threat.
    • Subjective self-perception ratings were affected by threat, while task perception ratings remained unchanged.

    Conclusions:

    • Threatening contexts significantly alter physiological responses during tasks, particularly affecting autonomic nervous system activity and somatic tension.
    • The study highlights the differential impact of threat on physiological parameters versus cognitive task perception.
    • Findings suggest that threat primarily influences stress-related physiological adjustments and self-awareness rather than task-specific cognitive processing.