Effects of life stress and dysphoria on complex judgments

A sparse literature concerning the effects of stress on judgment and decision making has produced two tentative conclusions: (1) stress impairs judgment and (2) such impairment is often the result of the narrowing of a judge's focus of attention. While evidence supportive of these propositions exists, there have also been contradictory findings. This investigation attempted to address both of these issues. 98 undergraduate students completed a complex multiple-cue judgment task and were also assessed as to (a) their exposure to two potential sources of stress (life events and irrational thinking) and (b) the amount of personal dysphoria they were experiencing. Two indices of subjective distress, depression and state anxiety, were significantly related to poor judgmental performance. None of several indices of potential stressors confirmed a relationship, which suggests that possible external sources of stress do not negatively affect judgment unless they generate subjective distress at the time judgments are made. There was no support for the "narrowing" hypothesis.