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The Defense Mechanism Test predicts inadequate performance under stress
Author(s) -
VÆRNES RAGNAR J.
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.743
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1467-9450
pISSN - 0036-5564
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9450.1982.tb00411.x
Subject(s) - psychology , moderation , anxiety , recall , test (biology) , audiology , medicine , psychiatry , social psychology , cognitive psychology , paleontology , biology
Perceptual defense reactions as tested by the Defense Mechanism Test (DMT) correlated to specific performance criteria in parachutists and divers. In the parachute study ( N =34), 8 trainees were identified on the Reaction Formation variable of the DMT, and 6 were among the Ss ( N =8) who failed the performance test (χ 2 =15.14, phi =0.67, p <0.001). In the diver study ( N =45), performance was impaired by the nitrogen narcosis produced by the high partial pressure of nitrogen. Memory was significant reduced both when recall and learning were done under narcosis ( t (44)=4.08, p <0.01, and t (44)=4.90, p <0.01). The reduction on reasoning capacity proved insignificant, but using the median reduction as cut score, the Reaction Formation variable correlated significantly with the reduction (χ 2 =6.51, phi =0.39, p <0.02). Memory and learning effect/reasoning tests did not correlate to any of the DMT variables using the median as a cut score. Using the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Test (TMAS) as a moderator variable, a significant correlation between reduction on the reasoning test and the combined score high anxiety/high defense was obtained (χ 2 =15.23, phi = 0.83, p <0.001).