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Information Load Stress, Risk Taking, and Physiological Responsivity in a Visual‐Motor Task 1
Author(s) -
Streufert Siegfried,
Streufert Susan C.,
Denson Ann L.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
journal of applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1559-1816
pISSN - 0021-9029
DOI - 10.1111/j.1559-1816.1983.tb02327.x
Subject(s) - arousal , psychology , cognitive load , heart rate , task (project management) , stressor , cognition , blood pressure , responsivity , audiology , cognitive psychology , developmental psychology , social psychology , clinical psychology , neuroscience , medicine , computer science , engineering , telecommunications , systems engineering , detector
The effects of four levels of information load on performance, risk taking, and physiological responsivity (blood pressure and heart rate) are investigated. Twenty‐five adults participated in a handeye coordination task, presented as a video game. Increases in load resulted in performance decrements and increased proclivity to take risks. Participation in the task increased (diastolic) arousal. Load effects on arousal were negligible. Subjects with greater diastolic blood pressure elevations engaged in more risk taking. The potential of two separate groupings of stressor effects, directly producing cognitive performance changes in one case and producing affective/arousal impacts in the other case (with potential indirect effects on cognition and performance), is considered. Suggestions for future research are made.