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Richter M, Gendolla GHE. Theories and hypotheses: The forgotten plane of the multiverse. Int J Psychophysiol 2024; 205:112438. [PMID: 39260524 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2024.112438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2024] [Revised: 08/15/2024] [Accepted: 09/07/2024] [Indexed: 09/13/2024]
Abstract
Multiverse analyses-the systematic examination of the effects of decisions that researchers can take over the course of a research project-became more common in recent psychophysiological research. However, multiverse analyses in psychophysiology almost exclusively focus on methodological and statistical decisions that can have a considerable impact on the findings. The role of the conceptual multiverse regarding theory-related research decisions is largely ignored. We argue that the choice of a theory that guides hypotheses, study design, measurement methods, and statistical analyses is the first plane of the psychophysiological multiverse. Depending on the chosen theoretical framework, researchers will choose different methods, and statistical analyses will emphasize specific aspects. We illustrate this process with a research example studying the effects of task difficulty manipulations on cardiovascular effects reflecting effort. We argue in favor of an approach that explicitly acknowledges the various theoretical accounts that can constitute the background of a study and demonstrate how a comparative analytical approach can provide a comprehensive multiverse without increasing type I error due to mere exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Richter
- Effort Lab, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Liverpool John Moores University, Byrom Street, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK; Research Centre for Brain and Behaviour, Liverpool John Moores University, Byrom Street, Liverpool, L3 3AF, UK.
| | - Guido H E Gendolla
- Geneva Motivation Lab, FPSE, Section of Psychology, University of Geneva, 40, Bd du Pont-d'Arve, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland; Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
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2
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Falk JR, Framorando D, Gollwitzer PM, Oettingen G, Gendolla GHE. Personal choice shields against affective influences on effort in a "do your best" task: Effects on cardiac response. Int J Psychophysiol 2024; 206:112457. [PMID: 39427755 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2024.112457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2024] [Revised: 10/08/2024] [Accepted: 10/15/2024] [Indexed: 10/22/2024]
Abstract
This experiment (N = 113) tested whether personal choice vs. external assignment of task characteristics moderates the effect of incidental affective stimulation on effort-related cardiovascular response in a "do your best" task context. When participants could choose themselves the color of the stimuli (i.e., a series of letters to be recalled) used in a memory task, we expected high task commitment and willingness to mobilize resources, strong action shielding, and thus low receptivity for incidental affective influences. By contrast, when the color was externally assigned, we expected low willingness to mobilize resources, weak action shielding, and thus strong affective influences on effort. As predicted, participants in the assigned color condition showed stronger cardiac pre-ejection period reactivity during task execution when exposed to sad music than when exposed to happy music. These music effects did not appear among participants who could personally choose the color. Here, effort was high independently of the happy or sad background music. The present study demonstrates the moderating effect of personal choice on resource mobilization in a task of unfixed difficulty with happy and sad background music as incidental affective influence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna R Falk
- Geneva Motivation Lab, FPSE, Section of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - David Framorando
- Geneva Motivation Lab, FPSE, Section of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Peter M Gollwitzer
- Department of Psychology, New York University, NY, New York, USA; Department of Political and Social Sciences, Zeppelin University Friedrichshafen, Friedrichshafen, Germany
| | - Gabriele Oettingen
- Department of Psychology, New York University, NY, New York, USA; Department of Political and Social Sciences, Zeppelin University Friedrichshafen, Friedrichshafen, Germany
| | - Guido H E Gendolla
- Geneva Motivation Lab, FPSE, Section of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
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3
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Dundon NM, Stuber A, Bullock T, Garcia JO, Babenko V, Rizor E, Yang D, Giesbrecht B, Grafton ST. Cardiac-Sympathetic Contractility and Neural Alpha-Band Power: Cross-Modal Collaboration during Approach-Avoidance Conflict. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e2008232024. [PMID: 39214705 PMCID: PMC11466073 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2008-23.2024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Revised: 08/09/2024] [Accepted: 08/26/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
As evidence mounts that the cardiac-sympathetic nervous system reacts to challenging cognitive settings, we ask if these responses are epiphenomenal companions or if there is evidence suggesting a more intertwined role of this system with cognitive function. Healthy male and female human participants performed an approach-avoidance paradigm, trading off monetary reward for painful electric shock, while we recorded simultaneous electroencephalographic and cardiac-sympathetic signals. Participants were reward sensitive but also experienced approach-avoidance "conflict" when the subjective appeal of the reward was near equivalent to the revulsion of the cost. Drift-diffusion model parameters suggested that participants managed conflict in part by integrating larger volumes of evidence into choices (wider decision boundaries). Late alpha-band (neural) dynamics were consistent with widening decision boundaries serving to combat reward sensitivity and spread attention more fairly to all dimensions of available information. Independently, wider boundaries were also associated with cardiac "contractility" (an index of sympathetically mediated positive inotropy). We also saw evidence of conflict-specific "collaboration" between the neural and cardiac-sympathetic signals. In states of high conflict, the alignment (i.e., product) of alpha dynamics and contractility were associated with a further widening of the boundary, independent of either signal's singular association. Cross-trial coherence analyses provided additional evidence that the autonomic systems controlling cardiac-sympathetics might influence the assessment of information streams during conflict by disrupting or overriding reward processing. We conclude that cardiac-sympathetic control might play a critical role, in collaboration with cognitive processes, during the approach-avoidance conflict in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil M Dundon
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Freiburg, Freiburg 79104, Germany
| | - Alexander Stuber
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106
- Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106
| | - Tom Bullock
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106
- Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106
| | - Javier O Garcia
- Humans in Complex Systems Division, US DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland 21005
| | - Viktoriya Babenko
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106
- Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106
- BIOPAC Systems Inc., Goleta, California 93117
| | - Elizabeth Rizor
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106
- Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106
- Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Dynamical Neuroscience, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106
| | - Dengxian Yang
- Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106
- Department of Computer Science, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106
| | - Barry Giesbrecht
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106
- Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106
- Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Dynamical Neuroscience, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106
| | - Scott T Grafton
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106
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4
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Falk JR, Gollwitzer PM, Oettingen G, Brinkmann K, Gendolla GHE. Depressive symptoms, task choice, and effort: The moderating effect of personal control on cardiac response. Psychophysiology 2024; 61:e14635. [PMID: 38924154 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2023] [Revised: 05/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Dysphoric individuals perceive mental tasks as more demanding and show increased cardiovascular responses during the performance of easy cognitive tasks. Recent research on action shielding indicates that providing individuals with personal control over their tasks can mitigate the effects of manipulated affective states on cardiovascular responses reflecting effort. We investigated whether the shielding effect of personal choice also applies to the effect of dispositional negative mood on effort. N = 125 university students with high (dysphoric) versus low (nondysphoric) depressive symptoms engaged in an easy cognitive task either by personal choice or external assignment. As expected, dysphoric individuals showed significantly stronger cardiac PEP reactivity during task performance when the task was externally assigned. Most importantly, this dysphoria effect disappeared when participants could ostensibly personally choose their task. Our findings show that the previously observed shielding effect of personal action choice against incidental affective stimulation also applies to dispositional negative affect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna R Falk
- Geneva Motivation Lab, FPSE, Section of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Peter M Gollwitzer
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Political and Social Sciences, Zeppelin University Friedrichshafen, Friedrichshafen, Germany
| | - Gabriele Oettingen
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Political and Social Sciences, Zeppelin University Friedrichshafen, Friedrichshafen, Germany
| | - Kerstin Brinkmann
- Geneva Motivation Lab, FPSE, Section of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Guido H E Gendolla
- Geneva Motivation Lab, FPSE, Section of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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5
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de Gee JW, Mridha Z, Hudson M, Shi Y, Ramsaywak H, Smith S, Karediya N, Thompson M, Jaspe K, Jiang H, Zhang W, McGinley MJ. Strategic stabilization of arousal boosts sustained attention. Curr Biol 2024; 34:4114-4128.e6. [PMID: 39151432 PMCID: PMC11447271 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.07.070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2024] [Accepted: 07/18/2024] [Indexed: 08/19/2024]
Abstract
Arousal and motivation interact to profoundly influence behavior. For example, experience tells us that we have some capacity to control our arousal when appropriately motivated, such as staying awake while driving a motor vehicle. However, little is known about how arousal and motivation jointly influence decision computations, including if and how animals, such as rodents, adapt their arousal state to their needs. Here, we developed and show results from an auditory, feature-based, sustained-attention task with intermittently shifting task utility. We use pupil size to estimate arousal across a wide range of states and apply tailored signal-detection theoretic, hazard function, and accumulation-to-bound modeling approaches in a large cohort of mice. We find that pupil-linked arousal and task utility both have major impacts on multiple aspects of task performance. Although substantial arousal fluctuations persist across utility conditions, mice partially stabilize their arousal near an intermediate and optimal level when task utility is high. Behavioral analyses show that multiple elements of behavior improve during high task utility and that arousal influences some, but not all, of them. Specifically, arousal influences the likelihood and timescale of sensory evidence accumulation but not the quantity of evidence accumulated per time step while attending. In sum, the results establish specific decision-computational signatures of arousal, motivation, and their interaction in attention. So doing, we provide an experimental and analysis framework for studying arousal self-regulation in neurotypical brains and in diseases such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Willem de Gee
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, 1250 Moursund Street, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, Amsterdam 1098 XH, the Netherlands; Research Priority Area Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, Amsterdam 1098 XH, the Netherlands.
| | - Zakir Mridha
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, 1250 Moursund Street, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Marisa Hudson
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, 1250 Moursund Street, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Yanchen Shi
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, 1250 Moursund Street, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Hannah Ramsaywak
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, 1250 Moursund Street, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Spencer Smith
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, 1250 Moursund Street, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Nishad Karediya
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, 1250 Moursund Street, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Matthew Thompson
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, 1250 Moursund Street, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Kit Jaspe
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, 1250 Moursund Street, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Hong Jiang
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, 1250 Moursund Street, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Wenhao Zhang
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, 1250 Moursund Street, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Matthew J McGinley
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, 1250 Moursund Street, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005, USA.
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6
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Zhang Y, Leng X, Shenhav A. Make or break: The influence of expected challenges and rewards on the motivation and experience associated with cognitive effort exertion. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.12.05.570154. [PMID: 38106182 PMCID: PMC10723292 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.05.570154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Challenging goals can induce harder work but also greater stress, in turn potentially undermining goal achievement. We sought to examine how mental effort and subjective experiences thereof interact as a function of challenge level and the size of the incentives at stake. Participants performed a task that rewarded individual units of effort investment (correctly performed Stroop trials) but only if they met a threshold number of correct trials within a fixed time interval (challenge level). We varied this challenge level (Study 1, N = 40), and the rewards at stake (Study 2, N = 79), and measured variability in task performance and self-reported affect across task intervals. Greater challenge and higher rewards facilitated greater effort investment but also induced greater stress, while higher rewards (and lower challenge) simultaneously induced greater positive affect. Within intervals, we observed an initial speed up then slowdown in performance, which could reflect dynamic reconfiguration of control. Collectively, these findings further our understanding of the influence of task demands and incentives on mental effort exertion and wellbeing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Zhang
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Xiamin Leng
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
| | - Amitai Shenhav
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
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7
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Joessel F, Pichon S, Bavelier D. A video-game-based method to induce states of high and low flow. Behav Res Methods 2024; 56:5128-5160. [PMID: 37864115 PMCID: PMC11289307 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-023-02251-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
Flow has been defined as a state of full immersion that may emerge when the skills of a person match the challenge of an activity. It is a special case of being on task, as during flow, keeping focused on the task feels effortless. Most experimental investigations of the neural or physiological correlates of flow contrast conditions with different levels of challenge. Yet comparing different levels of challenge that are too distant may trigger states where the participant is off task, such as boredom or frustration. Thus, it remains unclear whether previously observed differences ascribed to flow may rather reflect differences in how much participants were on task-trying their best-across the contrasted conditions. To remedy this, we introduce a method to manipulate flow by contrasting two video game play conditions at personalized levels of difficulty calibrated such that participants similarly tried their best in both conditions. Across three experiments (> 90 participants), higher flow was robustly reported in our high-flow than in our low-flow condition (mean effect size d = 1.31). Cardiac, respiratory, and skin conductance measures confirmed the known difference between a period of rest and the two on-task conditions of high and low flow, but failed to distinguish between these latter two. In light of the conflicting findings regarding the physiological correlates of flow, we discuss the importance of ensuring a low-flow baseline condition that maintains participants on task, and propose that the present method provides a methodological advance toward that goal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Freya Joessel
- Faculté de Psychologie et Sciences de L'Education, (FPSE), Université de Genève, Boulevard du Pont d'Arve, 40, 1205, Geneva, Switzerland
- Campus Biotech, Chemin des Mines, 9, 1202, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Swann Pichon
- Faculté de Psychologie et Sciences de L'Education, (FPSE), Université de Genève, Boulevard du Pont d'Arve, 40, 1205, Geneva, Switzerland
- Campus Biotech, Chemin des Mines, 9, 1202, Geneva, Switzerland
- Geneva School of Health Sciences, HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Daphne Bavelier
- Faculté de Psychologie et Sciences de L'Education, (FPSE), Université de Genève, Boulevard du Pont d'Arve, 40, 1205, Geneva, Switzerland.
- Campus Biotech, Chemin des Mines, 9, 1202, Geneva, Switzerland.
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8
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Bouzidi YS, Gendolla GHE. Cognitive conflict does not always mean high effort: Task difficulty's moderating effect on cardiac response. Psychophysiology 2024; 61:e14580. [PMID: 38615338 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 03/09/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
This article presents an experiment (N = 127 university students) testing whether the previously found impact of conflict primes on effort-related cardiac response is moderated by objective task difficulty. Recently, it has been shown that primed cognitive conflict increases cardiac pre-ejection period (PEP) reactivity-an index of effort intensity-during the performance of relatively easy tasks. This effect could be attributed to conflict-related negative affect. Consequently, as it has been shown for other types of negative affect, we expected conflict primes' effect to be task-context dependent and thus to be moderated by objective task difficulty. In a between-persons design, we manipulated conflict via embedded pictures of conflict-related vs. non-conflict-related Stroop items in a memory task. We expected primed conflict to increase effort in a relatively easy version of the task but to lead to disengagement when task difficulty was objectively high. PEP reactivity corroborated our predictions. Rather than always increasing effort, cognitive conflict's effect on resource mobilization was context-dependent and resulted in weak responses in a difficult task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yann S Bouzidi
- FPSE, Section of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Guido H E Gendolla
- FPSE, Section of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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9
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Zhozhikashvili N, Protopova M, Shkurenko T, Arsalidou M, Zakharov I, Kotchoubey B, Malykh S, Pavlov YG. Working memory processes and intrinsic motivation: An EEG study. Int J Psychophysiol 2024; 201:112355. [PMID: 38718899 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2024.112355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Revised: 04/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
Processes typically encompassed by working memory (WM) include encoding, retention, and retrieval of information. Previous research has demonstrated that motivation can influence WM performance, although the specific WM processes affected by motivation are not yet fully understood. In this study, we investigated the effects of motivation on different WM processes, examining how task difficulty modulates these effects. We hypothesized that motivation level and personality traits of the participants (N = 48, 32 females; mean age = 21) would modulate the parietal alpha and frontal theta electroencephalography (EEG) correlates of WM encoding, retention, and retrieval phases of the Sternberg task. This effect was expected to be more pronounced under conditions of very high task difficulty. We found that increasing difficulty led to reduced accuracy and increased response time, but no significant relationship was found between motivation and accuracy. However, EEG data revealed that motivation influenced WM processes, as indicated by changes in alpha and theta oscillations. Specifically, higher levels of the Resilience trait-associated with mental toughness, hardiness, self-efficacy, achievement motivation, and low anxiety-were related to increased alpha desynchronization during encoding and retrieval. Increased scores of Subjective Motivation to perform well in the task were related to enhanced frontal midline theta during retention. Additionally, these effects were significantly stronger under conditions of high difficulty. These findings provide insights into the specific WM processes that are influenced by motivation, and underscore the importance of considering both task difficulty and intrinsic motivation in WM research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Zhozhikashvili
- Faculty of Social Sciences, HSE University, Moscow, Russia; Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioural Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Maria Protopova
- Center for Language and Brain, HSE University, Moscow, Russia
| | | | | | - Ilya Zakharov
- Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin, Yekaterinburg, Russia
| | - Boris Kotchoubey
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioural Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Sergey Malykh
- Developmental Behavioral Genetics Lab, Psychological Institute of Russian Academy of Education, Moscow, Russia
| | - Yuri G Pavlov
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioural Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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10
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Herrmann B, Ryan JD. Pupil Size and Eye Movements Differently Index Effort in Both Younger and Older Adults. J Cogn Neurosci 2024; 36:1325-1340. [PMID: 38683698 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_02172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
The assessment of mental effort is increasingly relevant in neurocognitive and life span domains. Pupillometry, the measure of the pupil size, is often used to assess effort but has disadvantages. Analysis of eye movements may provide an alternative, but research has been limited to easy and difficult task demands in younger adults. An effort measure must be sensitive to the whole effort profile, including "giving up" effort investment, and capture effort in different age groups. The current study comprised three experiments in which younger (n = 66) and older (n = 44) adults listened to speech masked by background babble at different signal-to-noise ratios associated with easy, difficult, and impossible speech comprehension. We expected individuals to invest little effort for easy and impossible speech (giving up) but to exert effort for difficult speech. Indeed, pupil size was largest for difficult but lower for easy and impossible speech. In contrast, gaze dispersion decreased with increasing speech masking in both age groups. Critically, gaze dispersion during difficult speech returned to levels similar to easy speech after sentence offset, when acoustic stimulation was similar across conditions, whereas gaze dispersion during impossible speech continued to be reduced. These findings show that a reduction in eye movements is not a byproduct of acoustic factors, but instead suggest that neurocognitive processes, different from arousal-related systems regulating the pupil size, drive reduced eye movements during high task demands. The current data thus show that effort in one sensory domain (audition) differentially impacts distinct functional properties in another sensory domain (vision).
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Affiliation(s)
- Björn Herrmann
- Rotman Research Institute, North York, Ontario, Canada
- University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jennifer D Ryan
- Rotman Research Institute, North York, Ontario, Canada
- University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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11
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Falk JR, Gollwitzer PM, Oettingen G, Gendolla GHE. Noise annoys-But personal choice can attenuate noise effects on cardiac response reflecting effort. Psychophysiology 2024; 61:e14502. [PMID: 38145304 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 11/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023]
Abstract
Since personal choice fosters commitment and shields action execution against potentially conflicting influences, two laboratory experiments with university students (N = 228) tested whether engaging in action by personal choice versus external assignment of task characteristics moderates the effect of irrelevant acoustic noise on cardiovascular responses reflecting effort. Participants who could personally choose the stimulus color of moderately difficult cognitive tasks were expected to be shielded against the irrelevant noise. By contrast, when the stimulus color was externally assigned, we predicted receptivity for the irrelevant noise to be high. As expected, in both experiments, participants in the assigned color condition showed stronger cardiac pre-ejection period reactivity during task performance when exposed to noise than when working in silence. On the contrary, participants who could choose the stimulus color were shielded against the noise effect on effort. These findings conceptually replicate and extend research on the action shielding effect by personal choice and hold practical implications for occupational health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna R Falk
- Section of Psychology, FPSE, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Guido H E Gendolla
- Section of Psychology, FPSE, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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12
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Chee ZJ, Chang CYM, Cheong JY, Malek FHBA, Hussain S, de Vries M, Bellato A. The effects of music and auditory stimulation on autonomic arousal, cognition and attention: A systematic review. Int J Psychophysiol 2024; 199:112328. [PMID: 38458383 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2024.112328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024]
Abstract
According to the arousal-mood hypothesis, changes in arousal and mood when exposed to auditory stimulation underlie the detrimental effects or improvements in cognitive performance. Findings supporting or against this hypothesis are, however, often based on subjective ratings of arousal rather than autonomic/physiological indices of arousal. To assess the arousal-mood hypothesis, we carried out a systematic review of the literature on 31 studies investigating cardiac, electrodermal, and pupillometry measures when exposed to different types of auditory stimulation (music, ambient noise, white noise, and binaural beats) in relation to cognitive performance. Our review suggests that the effects of music, noise, or binaural beats on cardiac, electrodermal, and pupillometry measures in relation to cognitive performance are either mixed or insufficient to draw conclusions. Importantly, the evidence for or against the arousal-mood hypothesis is at best indirect because autonomic arousal and cognitive performance are often considered separately. Future research is needed to directly evaluate the effects of auditory stimulation on autonomic arousal and cognitive performance holistically.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhong Jian Chee
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih 43500, Malaysia; School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | - Chern Yi Marybeth Chang
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih 43500, Malaysia; Mind and Neurodevelopment (MiND) Interdisciplinary Cluster, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih 43500, Malaysia
| | - Jean Yi Cheong
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih 43500, Malaysia
| | | | - Shahad Hussain
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih 43500, Malaysia
| | - Marieke de Vries
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih 43500, Malaysia; Mind and Neurodevelopment (MiND) Interdisciplinary Cluster, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih 43500, Malaysia; Development and Education of Youth in Diverse Societies (DEEDS), Faculty of Social Sciences, Utrecht University, the Netherlands
| | - Alessio Bellato
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih 43500, Malaysia; Mind and Neurodevelopment (MiND) Interdisciplinary Cluster, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih 43500, Malaysia; School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom; Centre for Innovation in Mental Health, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom; Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, United Kingdom.
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13
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Framorando D, Falk JR, Gollwitzer PM, Oettingen G, Gendolla GHE. The power of personal control: Task choice attenuates the effect of implicit sadness on sympathetically mediated cardiac response. Psychophysiology 2024; 61:e14495. [PMID: 38071414 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Revised: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2024]
Abstract
Implicitly processed pictures of facial expressions of emotions have been found to systematically influence sympathetically mediated cardiovascular reactivity during task performance. According to the Implicit-Affect-Primes-Effort model, this happens because different affect primes activate the concepts of performance ease versus performance difficulty. Grounded in a recent action shielding model, our laboratory experiment (N = 129 university students) tested whether engaging in action by personal choice can immunize against those implicit affective influences on effort. Participants worked on an objectively difficult cognitive task, which was either externally assigned or ostensibly personally chosen. As predicted, participants in the assigned task condition showed weaker cardiac pre-ejection period reactivity during task performance, reflecting disengagement, when they were primed with sadness than when they were exposed to anger primes. Most relevant, this affect prime effect disappeared when participants could ostensibly choose their task themselves. These findings replicate previous research on implicit affect's impact on sympathetically mediated cardiac response and extend the literature on action shielding by personal choice effects to implicit affective influences on action execution.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Framorando
- Geneva Motivation Lab, FPSE, Section of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Johanna R Falk
- Geneva Motivation Lab, FPSE, Section of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Guido H E Gendolla
- Geneva Motivation Lab, FPSE, Section of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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14
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Framorando D, Falk JR, Gollwitzer PM, Oettingen G, Gendolla GHE. Personal task choice attenuates implicit happiness effects on effort: A study on cardiovascular response. Int J Psychophysiol 2024; 196:112282. [PMID: 38104773 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2023.112282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Research on the Implicit-Affect-Primes-Effort model (Gendolla, 2012) found that priming happiness or anger in challenging tasks results in stronger sympathetically mediated cardiovascular responses, reflecting effort, than priming sadness or fear. Recent studies on action shielding revealed that personal task choice can attenuate affective influences on action execution (e.g., Gendolla et al., 2021). The present experiment tested if this action shielding effect also applies to affect primes' influences on cardiovascular response. Participants (N = 136) worked on a cognitive task with integrated briefly flashed and backward masked facial expressions of sadness vs. happiness. Half of the participants could ostensibly choose whether they wanted to work on an attention or on a memory task, while the other half was assigned to one task. Our findings revealed effects on cardiac pre-ejection period (PEP), which align with the expected outcomes for a task of unfixed difficulty where participants establish their own performance standard. Most importantly, task choice shielded against the implicit affective influence on PEP that was evident when the task was externally assigned. Effects on systolic blood pressure (SBP) reactivity largely corresponded to those of PEP.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Framorando
- Geneva Motivation Lab, FPSE, Section of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Johanna R Falk
- Geneva Motivation Lab, FPSE, Section of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Guido H E Gendolla
- Geneva Motivation Lab, FPSE, Section of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
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15
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O'Malley CA, Fullerton CL, Mauger AR. Analysing experienced and inexperienced cyclists' attentional focus and self-regulatory strategies during varying intensities of fixed perceived effort cycling: A mixed method study. PSYCHOLOGY OF SPORT AND EXERCISE 2024; 70:102544. [PMID: 37844746 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2023.102544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
Using a think aloud approach during fixed perceived effort exercise is a unique method to explore the decision-making processes that guide the self-regulation of perceived effort during endurance-based activity. In a two-part study, authors investigated the attentional focus and self-regulatory strategies associated with: Part A - perceived effort corresponding to (RPEGET) and above gas exchange threshold (RPE+15%GET); Part B - between experienced and inexperienced cyclists during fixed perceived effort cycling tasks. Eighteen (15 male, 3 female) healthy, active individuals completed three visits (visit 1 - ramped incremental test and familiarisation, visit 2 and 3-30-min fixed perceived effort cycling). During which, power output, heart rate, lactate, think aloud, and perceptual markers were taken. Random-intercepts linear mixed-effects models assessed the condition, time, and condition × time interactions on all dependent variables. Power output, heart rate, lactate and instances of internal sensory monitoring (t195=2.57,p=.011,β=0.95[0.23,1.68]) and self-regulation (t195=4.14,p=.001,β=1.69[0.89,2.49]) were significantly higher in the RPE+15%GET versus RPEGET trial. No significant differences between inexperienced and experienced cyclists for internal sensory monitoring (t196=-1.78,p=.095,β=-1.73[-3.64,0.18]) or self-regulatory thoughts (t196=-0.39,p=.699,β=-1.06[-6.32,4.21]) were noted but there were significant condition × time interactions for internal monitoring (t196=2.02,p=.045,β=0.44[0.01,0.87]) and self-regulation (t196=3.45,p=.001,β=0.85[0.37,1.33]). Seemingly, experienced athletes associatively attended to internal psychophysiological state and subsequently self-regulate their psychophysiological state at earlier stages of exercise than inexperienced athletes. This is the first study to exhibit the differences in attentional focus and self-regulatory strategies that are activated based on perceived effort intensity and experience level in cyclists.
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Affiliation(s)
- C A O'Malley
- School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7PE, UK; Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX1 2LU, UK.
| | - C L Fullerton
- School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7PE, UK; Faculty of Health Sciences and Sport, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, UK
| | - A R Mauger
- School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7PE, UK
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16
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Kraus F, Obleser J, Herrmann B. Pupil Size Sensitivity to Listening Demand Depends on Motivational State. eNeuro 2023; 10:ENEURO.0288-23.2023. [PMID: 37989588 PMCID: PMC10734370 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0288-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Motivation plays a role when a listener needs to understand speech under acoustically demanding conditions. Previous work has demonstrated pupil-linked arousal being sensitive to both listening demands and motivational state during listening. It is less clear how motivational state affects the temporal evolution of the pupil size and its relation to subsequent behavior. We used an auditory gap detection task (N = 33) to study the joint impact of listening demand and motivational state on the pupil size response and examine its temporal evolution. Task difficulty and a listener's motivational state were orthogonally manipulated through changes in gap duration and monetary reward prospect. We show that participants' performance decreased with task difficulty, but that reward prospect enhanced performance under hard listening conditions. Pupil size increased with both increased task difficulty and higher reward prospect, and this reward prospect effect was largest under difficult listening conditions. Moreover, pupil size time courses differed between detected and missed gaps, suggesting that the pupil response indicates upcoming behavior. Larger pre-gap pupil size was further associated with faster response times on a trial-by-trial within-participant level. Our results reiterate the utility of pupil size as an objective and temporally sensitive measure in audiology. However, such assessments of cognitive resource recruitment need to consider the individual's motivational state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frauke Kraus
- Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, 23562 Lübeck, Germany
- Center of Brain, Behavior, and Metabolism, University of Lübeck, 23562 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Jonas Obleser
- Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, 23562 Lübeck, Germany
- Center of Brain, Behavior, and Metabolism, University of Lübeck, 23562 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Björn Herrmann
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Academy for Research and Education, Toronto M6A 2E1, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto M5S 3G3, Ontario, Canada
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17
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Bouzidi YS, Gendolla GHE. Action-orientation shields against primed cognitive conflict effects on effort-related cardiac response. Psychophysiology 2023; 60:e14407. [PMID: 37551961 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
This article presents a quasi-experiment (N = 79 university students) testing whether individual differences in action-state orientation moderate primed cognitive conflict's effects on sympathetically mediated cardiac response during task performance reflecting effort. Action control theory posits that action-oriented individuals are less receptive to distracting affective stimuli during goal pursuit than state-oriented individuals because action-orientation is related to higher volitional skills. Therefore, we expected that action-oriented individuals should be shielded against conflict primes' effect on effort-related responses in the cardiovascular system. By contrast, state-oriented individuals should be more sensitive to irrelevant negative affective stimulation and therefore mobilize higher resources under such conditions. Responses of the cardiac pre-ejection period (PEP) during a moderately difficult short-term memory task corroborated these predictions. The present findings provide the first evidence that individual differences in action-state orientation indeed moderate previously demonstrated cognitive conflict priming effects on effort-related cardiac response and extend recent findings on action shielding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yann S Bouzidi
- FPSE, Section of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Guido H E Gendolla
- FPSE, Section of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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18
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Matthews J, Pisauro MA, Jurgelis M, Müller T, Vassena E, Chong TTJ, Apps MAJ. Computational mechanisms underlying the dynamics of physical and cognitive fatigue. Cognition 2023; 240:105603. [PMID: 37647742 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
The willingness to exert effort for reward is essential but comes at the cost of fatigue. Theories suggest fatigue increases after both physical and cognitive exertion, subsequently reducing the motivation to exert effort. Yet a mechanistic understanding of how this happens on a moment-to-moment basis, and whether mechanisms are common to both mental and physical effort, is lacking. In two studies, participants reported momentary (trial-by-trial) ratings of fatigue during an effort-based decision-making task requiring either physical (grip-force) or cognitive (mental arithmetic) effort. Using a novel computational model, we show that fatigue fluctuates from trial-to-trial as a function of exerted effort and predicts subsequent choices. This mechanism was shared across the domains. Selective to the cognitive domain, committing errors also induced momentary increases in feelings of fatigue. These findings provide insight into the computations underlying the influence of effortful exertion on fatigue and motivation, in both physical and cognitive domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Matthews
- RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako-shi, Saitama 351-0106, Japan; Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - M Andrea Pisauro
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom; Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom; Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Mindaugas Jurgelis
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom; School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia; Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Tanja Müller
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom; Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics, Department of Economics, University of Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Eliana Vassena
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radbound University, Netherlands
| | - Trevor T-J Chong
- School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia; Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia.
| | - Matthew A J Apps
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom; Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom; Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom; Christ Church, University of Oxford, United Kingdom.
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19
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Ferreira MEC, Carmo EC, Frota-Júnior LS, de Sousa Fortes L. Head-to-head opponent mitigates mental fatigue effects during a 20-km time trial in well-trained cyclists. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2023; 33:1984-1997. [PMID: 37394879 DOI: 10.1111/sms.14445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
We aimed to analyze the effect of a head-to-head virtual race on 20-km time trial performance in well-trained mentally fatigued cyclists. A total of 24 male professional cyclists participated in the present study, which was conducted in a within-factors design [four experimental conditions × four times (throughout 20-km time trial cycling)]. An avatar representing the participant on the racecourse was visible during the time trials. Then, a second virtual avatar representing the opponent was projected onto the screen in the mental fatigue head-to-head and control head-to-head experimental conditions. Measurements [rating of perceived exertion, heart rate, and eye-tracking measures (i.e., pupil diameter)] were performed every 5-km throughout the 20-km time trial. As a result, impaired total time, power output, and cadence throughout the 20-km cycling time trial were found for mental fatigue compared to mental fatigue head-to-head, control head-to-head, and control conditions (p < 0.05). Also, impaired 20-km time trial performance (total time, power output, and cadence) was found for mental fatigue head-to-head compared to control head-to-head (p < 0.05). Moreover, lower RPE was found for the control and control head-to-head conditions than mental fatigue head-to-head and mental fatigue experimental conditions (p < 0.05). Higher pupil diameter was also found for mental fatigue head-to-head, control head-to-head, and control than the mental fatigue experimental condition (p < 0.05). In summary, the overall performance throughout the 20-km cycling time trial was improved by the presence of a virtual opponent for the mentally fatigued cyclists.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Luiz Solon Frota-Júnior
- Associate Graduate Program of Physical Education of the Federal University of Paraíba, Paraíba, Brazil
| | - Leonardo de Sousa Fortes
- Associate Graduate Program of Physical Education of the Federal University of Paraíba, Paraíba, Brazil
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20
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Wang Y, Pegna AJ, Framorando D. The effect of social comparison on effort: When similar and slightly better peers increase effort-related cardiovascular responses. Int J Psychophysiol 2023; 192:72-79. [PMID: 37604279 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2023.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Abstract
Social comparison theory states that comparison with others should influence an individual's behavior (Festinger, 1954; Munkes & Diehl, 2003). This is primarily due to an upward pressure: the pressure to be better than others, which according to some theories should motivate individuals to increase their level of performance (Munkes & Diehl, 2003; Rijsman, 1974). The effect of upward pressure on individual performance has been tested, but never on effort. To address this gap, we conducted a within-subject design study with N = 40 participants engaged in five-minute video games while presented with scores of a similar, slightly better, or weaker peer, with a control condition omitting the peer's score. Effort-related cardiovascular responses were recorded with initial systolic time interval (ISTI) during the game and baseline conditions. The effect of social comparison on effort was tested with a 4 (social comparison) x 5 (minutes of the tasks) repeated-measures ANOVA on ISTI reactivity. Results showed higher ISTI reactivity, interpreted as increased effort, when participants competed with similar and slightly better peers compared to a weaker peer and the control condition in the last minute of the task, confirming our expectations (Pegna et al., 2019). These results illustrate that social comparison - through its effect on upward pressure - is sufficient to elicit changes in effort-related cardiovascular response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Wang
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Australia; School of Psychology and Counselling, Queensland University of Technology, Australia
| | - Alan J Pegna
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Australia
| | - David Framorando
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Australia; School of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Switzerland.
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21
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Schüttengruber V, Freund AM. The Role of Subjective Expectations for Exhaustion and Recovery: The Sample Case of Work and Leisure. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2023; 18:1009-1027. [PMID: 36469842 PMCID: PMC10475213 DOI: 10.1177/17456916221134529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
We propose a new model of exhaustion and recovery that posits that people evaluate an activity as exhausting or recovering on the basis of the subjective expectation about how exhausting or recovering activities related to a certain life domain are. To exemplify the model, we focus as a first step on the widely shared expectations that work is exhausting and leisure is recovering. We assume that the association of an activity related to a life domain associated with exhaustion (e.g., work) leads people to monitor their experiences and selectively attend to signs of exhaustion; in contrast, while pursuing an activity related to a life domain associated with recovery (e.g., leisure), people preferentially process signs of recovery. We further posit that the preferential processing of signs of exhaustion (vs. recovery) leads to experiencing more exhaustion when pursuing activities expected to be exhausting (e.g., work activities) and more recovery when pursuing activities expected to be recovering (e.g., leisure activities). This motivational process model of exhaustion and recovery provides new testable hypotheses that differ from predictions derived from limited-resource models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Schüttengruber
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Switzerland
- Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research LIVES – Overcoming vulnerability: Life course perspectives, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Alexandra M. Freund
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Switzerland
- Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research LIVES – Overcoming vulnerability: Life course perspectives, Geneva, Switzerland
- University Research Priority Program Dynamics of Healthy Aging, University of Zurich, Switzerland
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22
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Framorando D, Falk JR, Gollwitzer PM, Oettingen G, Gendolla GHE. Can personal task choice shield against fear and anger prime effects on effort? A study on cardiac response. Biol Psychol 2023; 181:108616. [PMID: 37307893 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2023.108616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
This experiment tested whether personal task choice can shield against implicit affective influences on sympathetically mediated cardiovascular response, reflecting effort. Participants were N = 121 healthy university students who completed a moderately difficult memory task with integrated briefly flashed and masked fear vs. anger primes. Half of the participants believed they could choose between an attention and a memory task, while the other half was automatically assigned to the task. Replicating previous research, we expected an influence of the affect primes on effort when the task was externally assigned. By contrast, when participants were given a task choice, we predicted strong action shielding and thus a weak implicit affect effect on resource mobilization. As expected, participants in the assigned task condition showed stronger cardiac pre-ejection period reactivity when exposed to fear primes than when processing anger primes. Importantly, this affect prime effect disappeared when participants could ostensibly choose the task. These findings add to other recent evidence for action shielding by personal task choice and importantly extend this effect to implicit affective influences on cardiac reactivity during task performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Framorando
- Geneva Motivation Lab, FPSE, Section of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Johanna R Falk
- Geneva Motivation Lab, FPSE, Section of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Guido H E Gendolla
- Geneva Motivation Lab, FPSE, Section of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
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23
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Westbrook A, Yang X, Bylsma LM, Daches S, George CJ, Seidman AJ, Jennings JR, Kovacs M. Economic Choice and Heart Rate Fractal Scaling Indicate That Cognitive Effort Is Reduced by Depression and Boosted by Sad Mood. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2023; 8:687-694. [PMID: 35948258 PMCID: PMC10919246 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2022.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND People with depression typically exhibit diminished cognitive control. Control is subjectively costly, prompting speculation that control deficits reflect reduced cognitive effort. Evidence that people with depression exert less cognitive effort is mixed, however, and motivation may depend on state affect. METHODS We used a cognitive effort discounting task to measure propensity to expend cognitive effort and fractal structure in the temporal dynamics of interbeat intervals to assess on-task effort exertion for 49 healthy control subjects, 36 people with current depression, and 67 people with remitted depression. RESULTS People with depression discounted more steeply, indicating that they were less willing to exert cognitive effort than people with remitted depression and never-depressed control subjects. Also, steeper discounting predicted worse functioning in daily life. Surprisingly, a sad mood induction selectively boosted motivation among participants with depression, erasing differences between them and control subjects. During task performance, depressed participants with the lowest cognitive motivation showed blunted autonomic reactivity as a function of load. CONCLUSIONS Discounting patterns supported the hypothesis that people with current depression would be less willing to exert cognitive effort, and steeper discounting predicted lower global functioning in daily life. Heart rate fractal scaling proved to be a highly sensitive index of cognitive load, and data implied that people with lower motivation for cognitive effort had a diminished physiological capacity to respond to rising cognitive demands. State affect appeared to influence motivation among people with current depression given that they were more willing to exert cognitive effort following a sad mood induction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Westbrook
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic & Psychological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.
| | - Xiao Yang
- Department of Psychology, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia
| | - Lauren M Bylsma
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Shimrit Daches
- Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Charles J George
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Andrew J Seidman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - J Richard Jennings
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Maria Kovacs
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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24
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Dundon NM, Colas JT, Garrett N, Babenko V, Rizor E, Yang D, MacNamara M, Petzold L, Grafton ST. Decision heuristics in contexts integrating action selection and execution. Sci Rep 2023; 13:6486. [PMID: 37081031 PMCID: PMC10119283 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-33008-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Heuristics can inform human decision making in complex environments through a reduction of computational requirements (accuracy-resource trade-off) and a robustness to overparameterisation (less-is-more). However, tasks capturing the efficiency of heuristics typically ignore action proficiency in determining rewards. The requisite movement parameterisation in sensorimotor control questions whether heuristics preserve efficiency when actions are nontrivial. We developed a novel action selection-execution task requiring joint optimisation of action selection and spatio-temporal skillful execution. State-appropriate choices could be determined by a simple spatial heuristic, or by more complex planning. Computational models of action selection parsimoniously distinguished human participants who adopted the heuristic from those using a more complex planning strategy. Broader comparative analyses then revealed that participants using the heuristic showed combined decisional (selection) and skill (execution) advantages, consistent with a less-is-more framework. In addition, the skill advantage of the heuristic group was predominantly in the core spatial features that also shaped their decision policy, evidence that the dimensions of information guiding action selection might be yoked to salient features in skill learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil M Dundon
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA.
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Freiburg, 79104, Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Jaron T Colas
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA
| | - Neil Garrett
- School of Psychology, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Viktoriya Babenko
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA
| | - Elizabeth Rizor
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA
| | - Dengxian Yang
- Department of Computer Science, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA
| | | | - Linda Petzold
- Department of Computer Science, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA
| | - Scott T Grafton
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA
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Greve HR. Structuring the situation: Organizational goals trigger and direct decision-making. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1140408. [PMID: 37063584 PMCID: PMC10095153 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1140408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Organizational goals are assigned to individuals, and thus differ from goals that individuals voluntarily adopt. The Carnegie School has a significant research stream on how organizations are affected by goals, with a focus on how disappointing performance disrupts regular organizational behavior and triggers a search for alternative actions. We have a good understanding of the organization-level process of setting aspiration levels, triggering search for alternatives, and making decisions, but the individual-level mechanisms contributing to it are less well known. An assessment of the progress of Carnegie School research so far reveals a list of research questions that should be resolved in order to understand how individual updating of aspiration levels, triggering of search, directing of search, and decision-making help explain organizational responses to goals. The role of construal, or interpretation, in guiding these processes is a central theoretical mechanism that needs further investigation.
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Bergevin M, Steele J, Payen de la Garanderie M, Feral-Basin C, Marcora SM, Rainville P, Caron JG, Pageaux B. Pharmacological Blockade of Muscle Afferents and Perception of Effort: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis. Sports Med 2023; 53:415-435. [PMID: 36318384 DOI: 10.1007/s40279-022-01762-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The perception of effort provides information on task difficulty and influences physical exercise regulation and human behavior. This perception differs from other-exercise related perceptions such as pain. There is no consensus on the role of group III/IV muscle afferents as a signal processed by the brain to generate the perception of effort. OBJECTIVE The aim of this meta-analysis was to investigate the effect of pharmacologically blocking muscle afferents on the perception of effort. METHODS Six databases were searched to identify studies measuring the ratings of perceived effort during physical exercise, with and without pharmacological blockade of muscle afferents. Articles were coded based on the operational measurement used to distinguish studies in which perception of effort was assessed specifically (effort dissociated) or as a composite experience including other exercise-related perceptions (effort not dissociated). Articles that did not provide enough information for coding were assigned to the unclear group. RESULTS The effort dissociated group (n = 6) demonstrated a slight increase in ratings of perceived effort with reduced muscle afferent feedback (standard mean change raw, 0.39; 95% confidence interval 0.13-0.64). The group effort not dissociated (n = 2) did not reveal conclusive results (standard mean change raw, - 0.29; 95% confidence interval - 2.39 to 1.8). The group unclear (n = 8) revealed a slight ratings of perceived effort decrease with reduced muscle afferent feedback (standard mean change raw, - 0.27; 95% confidence interval - 0.50 to - 0.04). CONCLUSIONS The heterogeneity in results between groups reveals that the inclusion of perceptions other than effort in its rating influences the ratings of perceived effort reported by the participants. The absence of decreased ratings of perceived effort in the effort dissociated group suggests that muscle afferent feedback is not a sensory signal for the perception of effort.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxime Bergevin
- École de kinésiologie et des sciences de l'activite physique (EKSAP), Faculté de médecine, Université́ de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal (CRIUGM), Montreal, Canada
| | - James Steele
- School of Sport, Health and Social Sciences, Southampton, UK
| | - Marie Payen de la Garanderie
- École de kinésiologie et des sciences de l'activite physique (EKSAP), Faculté de médecine, Université́ de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal (CRIUGM), Montreal, Canada
| | - Camille Feral-Basin
- École de kinésiologie et des sciences de l'activite physique (EKSAP), Faculté de médecine, Université́ de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal (CRIUGM), Montreal, Canada
| | - Samuele M Marcora
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences (DiBiNeM), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Pierre Rainville
- Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal (CRIUGM), Montreal, Canada.,Département de stomatologie, Faculté de médecine dentaire, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Jeffrey G Caron
- École de kinésiologie et des sciences de l'activite physique (EKSAP), Faculté de médecine, Université́ de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Centre de recherche interdisciplinaire en réadaptation du Montréal métropolitain, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Benjamin Pageaux
- École de kinésiologie et des sciences de l'activite physique (EKSAP), Faculté de médecine, Université́ de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada. .,Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal (CRIUGM), Montreal, Canada. .,Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche sur le cerveau et l'apprentissage (CIRCA), Montreal, QC, Canada.
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Bouzidi YS, Gendolla GHE. Is cognitive conflict really effortful? Conflict priming and shielding effects on cardiac response. Psychophysiology 2023; 60:e14169. [PMID: 36073767 PMCID: PMC10078432 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Two experiments with N = 221 university students investigated the impact of primed cognitive conflict on effort assessed as cardiac response in tasks that were not conflict-related themselves. Manifest cognitive conflict in cognitive control tasks is confounded with objective response difficulty (e.g., in incongruent Stroop task trials). This makes conclusions about the effortfulness of cognitive conflict itself difficult. We bypassed this problem by administrating pictures of congruent versus incongruent Stroop task stimuli as conflict primes. As predicted, primed cognitive conflict increased cardiac pre-ejection period (PEP) responses in an easy attention task in Experiment 1. Accordingly, cognitive conflict itself is indeed effortful. This effect was replicated in an easy short-term memory task in Experiment 2. Moreover, as further predicted, the primed cognitive conflict effect on PEP reactivity disappeared when participants could personally choose task characteristics. This latter effect corresponds to other recent evidence showing that personal action choice shields against incidental affective influences on action execution and especially on effort-related cardiovascular response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yann S Bouzidi
- Geneva Motivation Lab, FPSE, Section of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Guido H E Gendolla
- Geneva Motivation Lab, FPSE, Section of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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de la Garanderie MP, Courtay A, Féral-Basin C, Rainville P, Gaveau J, Pageaux B. Perception of effort and the allocation of physical resources: A generalization to upper-limb motor tasks. Front Psychol 2023; 13:974172. [PMID: 36760904 PMCID: PMC9904170 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.974172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose The perception of effort (PE) is widely used to prescribe and monitor exercise during locomotor and resistance tasks. The present study examines the validity of PE to prescribe and monitor exercise during upper-limb motor tasks under various loads and speed requirements. Methods Forty participants volunteered in two experiments. In experiment 1, we used four PE intensities to prescribe exercise on a modified version of the box and block test (BBT) and a pointing task. We investigated the possibility of monitoring the exercise intensity by tracking changes in PE rating in response to three different tempos or additional weights. Experiment 2 replicated the possibility of prescribing the exercise with the PE intensity during the BBT and explored the impact of additional weights on performance and PE during the standardized version of the BBT. Muscle activation, heart rate, and respiratory frequencies were recorded. Results In experiment 1, increasing the PE intensity to prescribe exercise induced an increased performance between each intensity. Increasing task difficulty with faster movement tempo and adding weight on the forearm increased the rating of PE. Experiment 2 replicated the possibility to use PE intensity for exercise prescription during the BBT. When completing the BBT with an additional weight on the forearm, participants maintained performance at the cost of a higher PE. In both experiments, changes in PE were associated with changes in muscle activation. Conclusion Our results suggest that PE is a valid tool to prescribe and monitor exercise during upper-limb motor tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Payen de la Garanderie
- École de Kinésiologie et des Sciences de l’Activité Physique (EKSAP), Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Centre de Recherche de l’Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal (CRIUGM), Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Aymeric Courtay
- École de Kinésiologie et des Sciences de l’Activité Physique (EKSAP), Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Centre de Recherche de l’Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal (CRIUGM), Montreal, QC, Canada
- INSERM UMR1093-CAPS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, UFR des Sciences du Sport, Dijon, France
| | - Camille Féral-Basin
- École de Kinésiologie et des Sciences de l’Activité Physique (EKSAP), Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Centre de Recherche de l’Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal (CRIUGM), Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Pierre Rainville
- Centre de Recherche de l’Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal (CRIUGM), Montreal, QC, Canada
- Département de Stomatologie, Faculté de Médecine Dentaire, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Jérémie Gaveau
- INSERM UMR1093-CAPS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, UFR des Sciences du Sport, Dijon, France
- Espace d’Etude du Mouvement—Etienne Jules MAREY, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comte, UFR des Sciences du Sport, Dijon, France
| | - Benjamin Pageaux
- École de Kinésiologie et des Sciences de l’Activité Physique (EKSAP), Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Centre de Recherche de l’Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal (CRIUGM), Montreal, QC, Canada
- Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche sur le Cerveau et l’Apprentissage (CIRCA), Montreal, QC, Canada
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Strojny P, Strojny A, Rębilas K. Player involvement as a result of difficulty: An introductory study to test the suitability of the motivational intensity approach to video game research. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0282966. [PMID: 36897890 PMCID: PMC10004480 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0282966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Motivational Intensity Theory could serve as a useful framework in the process of analyzing and optimizing a user's involvement in computer games. However, it has not yet been used in this way. Its main advantage is that it makes clear predictions regarding the relations between difficulty level, motivation and commitment. The current study aimed to test whether the postulates of this theory may be useful in the process of game development. Forty-two participants took part in a fully controlled within-subjects experiment utilizing a commonly available game (Icy Tower) that has several levels of difficulty. Participants played on four increasing levels of difficulty and their task was to play as best they could, with the aim of reaching the hundredth platform. As a result, we demonstrated that involvement level increases as the difficulty level increases when a task is feasible, but it drops rapidly when a task is so difficult that it cannot be completed. This is the very first evidence that Motivational Intensity Theory may be useful in game research and design. The following study also supports concerns regarding the usefulness of self-report data in the game design process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paweł Strojny
- Faculty of Management and Social Communication Institute of Applied Psychology, Jagiellonian University in Cracow, Kraków, Poland
- * E-mail:
| | - Agnieszka Strojny
- Faculty of Management and Social Communication Institute of Applied Psychology, Jagiellonian University in Cracow, Kraków, Poland
| | - Krzysztof Rębilas
- Doctoral School in the Social Sciences, Jagiellonian University in Cracow, Kraków, Poland
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Bouzidi YS, Gendolla GHE. Individual differences in action‐state orientation moderate task difficulty effects on effort‐related cardiac response. Psychophysiology 2022; 60:e14238. [PMID: 36541123 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
A quasi experiment (N = 100 university students) tested whether individual differences in action-state orientation moderate task difficulty effects on resource mobilization assessed as cardiovascular response. According to action control theory, action-oriented individuals have higher self-regulation capacities in demanding situations than state-oriented persons. Action-orientated individuals should also self-generate positive affect in face of obstacles. Therefore, drawing on Wright's (1998) ability extension of motivational intensity theory and research on affective influences on effort-related cardiovascular response, we expected that action-orientation should lead to stronger effort-related cardiovascular responses in a difficult task, while state-orientation should do so in an easy task. Reactivity of cardiac pre-ejection period (PEP) during performance on a short-term memory task corroborated this hypothesis. The present findings provide the first evidence of a link between action-state orientation and effort-related responses in the cardiovascular system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yann S. Bouzidi
- FPSE, Section of Psychology University of Geneva Geneva Switzerland
- Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva Geneva Switzerland
| | - Guido H. E. Gendolla
- FPSE, Section of Psychology University of Geneva Geneva Switzerland
- Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva Geneva Switzerland
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31
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Snijdewint JA, Scheepers D. Group‐based flow: The influence of cardiovascular synchronization and identifiability. Psychophysiology 2022; 60:e14227. [PMID: 36458474 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2021] [Revised: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Previous work has demonstrated the role of group-based flow in group performance and experience, but the physiological correlates of these relations are largely unknown. We examined the relation between cardiovascular synchronization, self-reported flow, and performance in a three-person online gaming task. We included measures of Heart Rate (HR), Pre-Ejection Period (PEP), and Cardiac Output (CO) as indices of task engagement and challenge (vs. threat) motivation. Group members were identifiable (i.e., visible) or anonymous during the game. Results indicated that PEP (as a marker of task engagement) and within-group synchronization in PEP, predicted flow, and that synchronization in PEP mediated the relation between group performance and experienced flow. The anonymity vs. identifiability of group members did not play a role in these effects. Results are discussed in terms of implications for flow theory, group dynamics, and physiological synchrony.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joyce A. Snijdewint
- Social, Economic, and Organizational Psychology Leiden University Leiden the Netherlands
| | - Daan Scheepers
- Social, Economic, and Organizational Psychology Leiden University Leiden the Netherlands
- Organizational Behavior Group Utrecht University Utrecht the Netherlands
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32
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Scheepers D, Keller J. On the physiology of flow: Bridging flow theory with the biopsychosocial model of challenge and threat. Int J Psychophysiol 2022; 182:119-128. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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33
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Kellermann B, MacPherson A, Collins D, Bertollo M. Reading the MAP: A Pracademic Perspective on the Current State of Play of the Multi-Action Plan Model with Regard to Transitions between Mental States. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:15520. [PMID: 36497593 PMCID: PMC9738600 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192315520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The Multi-Action Plan (MAP) presents as an action-focused, sport-specific, mixed methods intervention model. MAP research characterized four Performance Types (PTs). Each PT operates on an affective, cognitive, behavioral, and psychophysiological level-across performance contexts. In this narrative review, we present a synthesis of our current understanding of MAP research, coupled with offering applied implications and directions for future research. We make the case for investigating the timing of transitions between PTs as our primary area of interest in expanding the MAP framework on a conceptual and applied level. Regarding pre-transition cues, we offer ideas on examining socio-environmental precursors to performance, with the aim of expanding MAP from a psycho-bio (affective, cognitive, behavioral, and psychophysiological dimensions) to a biopsychosocial concept (affective, cognitive, behavioral, psychophysiological, and socio-environmental dimensions). Regarding post-transition, we propose that investigating short- and long-term effort and reward perception will yield valuable insights into athletes' rationales behind the selection, operationalization, and experience of specific PTs. Finally, and from a pracademic perspective, we reflect critically on the achievements of MAP research thus far and provide specific directions for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernadette Kellermann
- Institute for Sport, Physical Education and Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh, St. Leonard’s Land, Holyrood Road, Edinburgh EH8 8AQ, UK
| | - Alan MacPherson
- Institute for Sport, Physical Education and Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh, St. Leonard’s Land, Holyrood Road, Edinburgh EH8 8AQ, UK
| | - Dave Collins
- Institute for Sport, Physical Education and Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh, St. Leonard’s Land, Holyrood Road, Edinburgh EH8 8AQ, UK
- Grey Matters Performance Ltd., Stratford upon Avon CV37 9TQ, UK
| | - Maurizio Bertollo
- Department of Medicine and Aging Sciences, University “G. d’Annunzio” of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
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Kappes C, Schattke K. You have to let go sometimes: advances in understanding goal disengagement. MOTIVATION AND EMOTION 2022; 46:735-751. [PMID: 36405764 PMCID: PMC9643924 DOI: 10.1007/s11031-022-09980-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
While research on tenacious goal pursuit and persistence has evoked a myriad of research efforts, research on goal disengagement has rather been neglected and has been focusing mainly on positive consequences of individual differences in goal disengagement capacities. In recent years, however, research on goal disengagement has seen an upsurge in studies, specifically addressing the conceptualization of goal disengagement, the processes involved, and factors facilitating or undermining it. However, many questions remain unanswered or only partly answered providing numerous opportunities for further investigation. With this special issue of Motivation and Emotion, we aim to stimulate such progress in research on goal disengagement. To this end, this special issue includes empirical studies with cross-sectional, prospective, longitudinal, and experimental designs with a wide range of personal and experimentally induced goals as well as invited commentaries from scholars across different psychological sub disciplines. In this introductory essay, we provide a brief review of the current state of goal disengagement research. We also provide an overview about the contributions to this special issue with reflections related to the current state of research and areas where further advancement in conceptualization and empirical studies is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cathleen Kappes
- Department of Psychology, University of Hildesheim, Universitätsplatz 1, 31141 Hildesheim, Germany
| | - Kaspar Schattke
- Département de psychologie, Université du Québec à Montréal, C.P. 8888 succursale Centre-ville, H3C 3P8 Montréal, Québec Canada
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Oettingen G, Gollwitzer PM. Commentary: processes of disengagement – letting go from the wanted future, the missed-out past, and coping with inevitable endings. MOTIVATION AND EMOTION 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11031-022-09986-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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36
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Thomson KS, Oppenheimer DM. The "Effort Elephant" in the Room: What Is Effort, Anyway? PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2022; 17:1633-1652. [PMID: 35767344 DOI: 10.1177/17456916211064896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Despite decades of research in the fields of judgment and decision-making, social psychology, cognitive psychology, human-machine interaction, behavioral economics, and neuroscience, we still do not know what "cognitive effort" is. The definitions in use are often imprecise and sometimes diametrically opposed. Researchers with different assumptions talk past each other, and many aspects of effort conservation remain untested and difficult to measure. In this article, we explain why effort is so difficult to pin down and why it is important that researchers develop consensus on precise definitions. Next, we describe major "hidden" sources of miscommunication: areas in which researchers disagree in their underlying assumptions about the nature of effort without realizing it. We briefly review a number of methods used to both measure and manipulate the effortfulness of thinking and highlight why they often produce contradictory findings. We conclude by reviewing existing perspectives on cognitive effort and integrating them to suggest a common framework for communicating about effort as a limited cognitive resource.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keela S Thomson
- Department of Social and Decision Science and Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University
| | - Daniel M Oppenheimer
- Department of Social and Decision Science and Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University
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Gendolla GHE. Commentary: Engage or disengage? Interpretations from a resource conservation perspective. MOTIVATION AND EMOTION 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11031-022-09987-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
AbstractIn this commentary, I discuss the eight empirical contributions to the Motivation and Emotion special issue on goal disengagement from a resource conservation perspective. This process was not in the focus of the reported studies, but is central for understanding both engaging and disengaging. I will outline that many of the new findings on disengagement reported in this special issue are highly compatible with the predictions of and research on motivational intensity theory. Examples are the roles of commitment, subjective goal value, affective experiences, autonomy, self-awareness, and action planning. These variables have been found to be central for both engagement and disengagement and their consideration in a resource mobilization perspective should contribute to a more complete understanding of “letting go”.
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Mangin T, Audiffren M, Lorcery A, Mirabelli F, Benraiss A, André N. A plausible link between the time-on-task effect and the sequential task effect. Front Psychol 2022; 13:998393. [PMID: 36389536 PMCID: PMC9643466 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.998393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Mental fatigue can be studied by using either the time-on-task protocol or the sequential task protocol. In the time-on-task protocol, participants perform a long and effortful task and a decrease in performance in this task is generally observed over time. In the sequential task protocol, a first effortful or control task is followed by a second effortful task. The performance in the second task is generally worse after the effortful task than after the control task. The principal aim of the present experiment is to examine the relationship between these two decrements in performance while concomitantly using a sequential task protocol and assessing the performance of the first effortful task as a function of time-on-task. We expect a positive correlation between these two decrements in performance. A total of 83 participants performed a 30-min fatiguing mental task (i.e., a modified Stroop task) or a control task followed by a time-to-exhaustion handgrip task. As expected, this protocol combining the time-on-task and sequential task protocols allowed us to observe (1) a decrease in performance over time during the Stroop task, (2) a worst performance in the handgrip task after the Stroop task by comparison to the control task, (3) a positive correlation between these two effects. The decrease in performance during the Stroop task also correlated with the subjective measures of boredom and fatigue, whereas the detrimental effect observed in the handgrip task did not. Our findings suggest that the two fatigue-related phenomena share a common mechanism but are not completely equivalent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Mangin
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition et l’Apprentissage (CeRCA), UMR CNRS 7295, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France
- Faculté de Médecine, École de Kinésiologie et des Sciences de l’Activité Physique (EKSAP), Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Centre de Recherche de l’Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal (CRIUGM), Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Michel Audiffren
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition et l’Apprentissage (CeRCA), UMR CNRS 7295, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France
| | - Alison Lorcery
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition et l’Apprentissage (CeRCA), UMR CNRS 7295, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France
| | - Francesco Mirabelli
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition et l’Apprentissage (CeRCA), UMR CNRS 7295, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France
| | - Abdelrhani Benraiss
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition et l’Apprentissage (CeRCA), UMR CNRS 7295, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France
| | - Nathalie André
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition et l’Apprentissage (CeRCA), UMR CNRS 7295, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France
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Distraction from pain depends on task demands and motivation. Pain Rep 2022; 7:e1041. [PMCID: PMC9612955 DOI: 10.1097/pr9.0000000000001041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text. Distraction is effective at reducing pain when the task is both cognitively demanding and there is sufficient motivation to invest effort into the task. Introduction: Objectives: Methods: Results: Conclusions:
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Dreijerink L, Handgraaf M, Antonides G. The impact of personal motivation on perceived effort and performance of pro-environmental behaviors. Front Psychol 2022; 13:977471. [PMID: 36304880 PMCID: PMC9595114 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.977471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In order to minimize climate change it is important that people take up a sustainable lifestyle. Sustainable lifestyles call for pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) in several domains, such as in-home energy use, mobility, and consumption of food and goods. However, studies show that people often do not consistently behave pro-environmentally in all domains. In this study we investigated how a combination of personal motivation, and the difficulty and the perceived effort of a PEB, predicts the performance of PEBs in various domains, using a survey (n = 1,536). By means of Rasch analysis we identified the difficulty of 17 PEBs and estimated respondents’ pro-environmental motivations. In addition, we investigated if performance of certain PEBs increased the probability of performing other PEBs. This way we could identify for each level of motivation which behaviors respondents were (probably) performing and which behaviors they did not yet perform, but would be least effortful new behaviors. Furthermore, using a non-recursive structural equation model we investigated the relations between perceived effort, PEB performance, motivation, underlying traits, and demographics. Results showed a feedback loop between motivation and perceived effort: when respondents were motivated they perceived behaviors as less effortful and also lower perception of effort was related to higher motivation. Our results imply that people mainly perform PEBs that fit their level of pro-environmental motivation and that they are inclined to do the things of which they can justify the effort they need to invest. This amount of effort seems quite similar for people: no one wants to invest too much effort, but people highly differ in how effortful they assess different behaviors. Our study thus indicates that rationalizations play a key role. Encouraging people to embrace more sustainable lifestyles may involve step-by-step increases in PEB performance. We propose that people should be encouraged to perform behaviors that are closest to their current motivation level in order for them to progress from performing easy to more difficult PEBs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lieke Dreijerink
- Energy Transition Studies, TNO, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Urban Economics Chairgroup, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
- *Correspondence: Lieke Dreijerink,
| | - Michel Handgraaf
- Urban Economics Chairgroup, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Gerrit Antonides
- Urban Economics Chairgroup, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
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41
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Depow GJ, Lin H, Inzlicht M. Cognitive effort for self, strangers, and charities. Sci Rep 2022; 12:15009. [PMID: 36056071 PMCID: PMC9440104 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-19163-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Effort is aversive and often avoided, even when earning benefits for oneself. Yet, people sometimes work hard for others. How do people decide who is worth their effort? Prior work shows people avoid physical effort for strangers relative to themselves, but invest more physical effort for charity. Here, we find that people avoid cognitive effort for others relative to themselves, even when the cause is a personally meaningful charity. In two studies, participants repeatedly decided whether to invest cognitive effort to gain financial rewards for themselves and others. In Study 1, participants (N = 51; 150 choices) were less willing to invest cognitive effort for a charity than themselves. In Study 2, participants (N = 47; 225 choices) were more willing to work cognitively for a charity than an intragroup stranger, but again preferred cognitive exertion that benefited themselves. Computational modeling suggests that, unlike prior physical effort findings, cognitive effort discounted the subjective value of rewards linearly. Exploratory machine learning analyses suggest that people who represented others more similarly to themselves were more willing to invest effort on their behalf, opening up new avenues for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory J Depow
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, 1265 Military Trail, Scarborough, ON, M1C 1A4, Canada.
| | - Hause Lin
- Hill/Levene Schools of Business, University of Regina, Regina, Canada
- Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA
| | - Michael Inzlicht
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, 1265 Military Trail, Scarborough, ON, M1C 1A4, Canada
- Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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42
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Francis AL. Adding noise is a confounded nuisance. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 152:1375. [PMID: 36182286 DOI: 10.1121/10.0013874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
A wide variety of research and clinical assessments involve presenting speech stimuli in the presence of some kind of noise. Here, I selectively review two theoretical perspectives and discuss ways in which these perspectives may help researchers understand the consequences for listeners of adding noise to a speech signal. I argue that adding noise changes more about the listening task than merely making the signal more difficult to perceive. To fully understand the effects of an added noise on speech perception, we must consider not just how much the noise affects task difficulty, but also how it affects all of the systems involved in understanding speech: increasing message uncertainty, modifying attentional demand, altering affective response, and changing motivation to perform the task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander L Francis
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Purdue University, 715 Clinic Drive, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA
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43
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Parietal Alpha Oscillations: Cognitive Load and Mental Toughness. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12091135. [PMID: 36138871 PMCID: PMC9496702 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12091135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 08/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive effort is intrinsically linked to task difficulty, intelligence, and mental toughness. Intelligence reflects an individual’s cognitive aptitude, whereas mental toughness (MT) reflects an individual’s resilience in pursuing success. Research shows that parietal alpha oscillations are associated with changes in task difficulty. Critically, it remains unclear whether parietal alpha oscillations are modulated by intelligence and MT as a personality trait. We examined event-related (de)synchronization (ERD/ERS) of alpha oscillations associated with encoding, retention, and recognition in the Sternberg task in relation to intelligence and mental toughness. Eighty participants completed the Sternberg task with 3, 4, 5 and 6 digits, Raven Standard Progressive Matrices test and an MT questionnaire. A positive dependence on difficulty was observed for all studied oscillatory effects (t = −8.497, p < 0.001; t = 2.806, p < 0.005; t = −2.103, p < 0.05). The influence of Raven intelligence was observed for encoding-related alpha ERD (t = −2.02, p = 0.049). The influence of MT was observed only for difficult conditions in recognition-related alpha ERD (t = −3.282, p < 0.005). Findings indicate that the modulation of alpha rhythm related to encoding, retention and recognition may be interpreted as correlates of cognitive effort modulation. Specifically, results suggest that effort related to encoding depends on intelligence, whereas recognition-related effort level depends on mental toughness.
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44
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Sevincer AT, Plakides A, Oettingen G. Mental contrasting and energization transfer to low-expectancy tasks. MOTIVATION AND EMOTION 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11031-022-09963-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
AbstractMentally contrasting future with reality is a self-regulation strategy that triggers expectancy-dependent energization for tasks instrumental to attaining the desired future. Energization by mental contrasting even transfers to tasks unrelated to the desired future at hand. Would such energization transfer by mental contrasting even energize people to perform unrelated tasks for which they have low success expectations? In Laboratory Experiment 1, mentally contrasting (vs. indulging) about performing well in a creativity task triggered physiological energization and better performance in an unrelated low-expectancy cognitive task that participants received in place of the creativity task. In Field Experiment 2, mentally contrasting an interpersonal wish helped schoolchildren invest more effort and perform better in a low-expectancy academic task—finding typos. Online Experiment 3 replicated Experiment 2 with adults. Mental contrasting participants’ effort and performance in the low-expectancy academic task did not differ from their effort and performance in a high-expectancy task. We discuss implications for designing interventions to foster energization for low-expectancy tasks.
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45
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Silvestrini N, Corradi-Dell’Acqua C. The Impact of Pain on Subsequent Effort and Cognitive Performance. J PSYCHOPHYSIOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1027/0269-8803/a000308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Abstract. Theoretical accounts of pain and empirical evidence indicate that pain and cognitive control share common neurocognitive processes. Numerous studies have examined the interactions between pain and cognitive performance when they occur simultaneously, typically showing analgesic effects on task performance and impaired performance due to pain. However, the sequential impact of pain on cognitive control and effort remains less clear. This study investigated the influence of a first task, including painful vs. non-painful thermal stimuli, on effort-related cardiac response and performance in a subsequent moderately difficult cognitive task. Drawing on the hypothesis that experiencing pain should recruit cognitive resources (such as attention and working memory) and reduce perceived ability, we predicted lower task performance and/or stronger compensatory effort in the subsequent cognitive task after the painful than after the non-painful first task. Results support our predictions regarding the effect of pain on subsequent cognitive performance, which was moderately lower after the painful task. However, such a decrease in task proficiency was not associated with a comparable decrease in perceived capacity or increase in effort-related cardiac reactivity. Nevertheless, further correlational analyses indicated that effort and perceived capacity were significantly related to pain ratings. Moderate pain was associated with stronger effort during the cognitive task, whereas high pain led to disengagement, that is, a low effort. Moreover, in line with our predictions, higher pain ratings were associated with a lower self-reported capacity to perform the cognitive task. We discuss these findings regarding the relationship between effort and performance, the impact of fatigue on motivation, and interindividual variability in these after-effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Silvestrini
- Geneva Motivation Lab, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences (FPSE), Department of Psychology, University of Geneva, Switzerland
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Longo L, Wickens CD, Hancock PA, Hancock GM. Human Mental Workload: A Survey and a Novel Inclusive Definition. Front Psychol 2022; 13:883321. [PMID: 35719509 PMCID: PMC9201728 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.883321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Human mental workload is arguably the most invoked multidimensional construct in Human Factors and Ergonomics, getting momentum also in Neuroscience and Neuroergonomics. Uncertainties exist in its characterization, motivating the design and development of computational models, thus recently and actively receiving support from the discipline of Computer Science. However, its role in human performance prediction is assured. This work is aimed at providing a synthesis of the current state of the art in human mental workload assessment through considerations, definitions, measurement techniques as well as applications, Findings suggest that, despite an increasing number of associated research works, a single, reliable and generally applicable framework for mental workload research does not yet appear fully established. One reason for this gap is the existence of a wide swath of operational definitions, built upon different theoretical assumptions which are rarely examined collectively. A second reason is that the three main classes of measures, which are self-report, task performance, and physiological indices, have been used in isolation or in pairs, but more rarely in conjunction all together. Multiple definitions complement each another and we propose a novel inclusive definition of mental workload to support the next generation of empirical-based research. Similarly, by comprehensively employing physiological, task-performance, and self-report measures, more robust assessments of mental workload can be achieved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Longo
- Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Load Lab, The Applied Intelligence Research Centre, School of Computer Science, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Christoper D Wickens
- Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Peter A Hancock
- Department of Psychology, Institute for Simulation and Training, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, United States
| | - Gabriela M Hancock
- Department of Psychology, California State University, Long Beach, CA, United States
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Moxie: individual variability in motivation intensity. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-03304-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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48
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Décombe A, Brinkmann K, Merenciano M, Capdevielle D, Gendolla GHE, Raffard S. Cognitive effort in Schizophrenia: Dissimilar effects on cardiovascular activity and subjective effort. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-03145-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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49
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Incidental affective influences on effort-related cardiac response: The critical role of choosing task characteristics. Int J Psychophysiol 2022; 177:76-82. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Revised: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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50
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Becker L, Kaltenegger HC, Nowak D, Rohleder N, Weigl M. Differences in stress system (re-)activity between single and dual- or multitasking in healthy adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Health Psychol Rev 2022; 17:78-103. [PMID: 35477383 DOI: 10.1080/17437199.2022.2071323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
AbstractIn the age of digitization, multitasking requirements are ubiquitous, especially in the workplace. Multitasking (MT) describes the activity of performing multiple (at least two) tasks at the same time. Dual tasking (DT) refers to the sequential switching between two tasks. The aim of our systematic review and meta-analysis was first to investigate whether physiological stress systems become activated in response to or during MT/DT and, secondly, whether this (re-)activity is higher compared to single tasking. We focused on the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS), the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS), the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis, and the immune system. The systematic review has been pre-registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020181415). A total of twenty-five articles were identified as eligible, in which n = 26 studies were reported, with N = 1,142 participants. Our main findings are that SNS activity is significantly higher and PNS activity is significantly lower during MT/DT than during single tasking. Only two studies were found, in which HPA axis (re-)activity was surveyed. No eligible study was identified in which immune system (re-)activity was investigated. This is the first systematic synthesis of the literature base showing that stress system activity is increased during MT/DT in comparison to single-tasking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda Becker
- Department of Psychology, Chair of Health Psychology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Helena C Kaltenegger
- Institute and Clinic for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, LMU University Hospital Munich, Germany
| | - Dennis Nowak
- Institute and Clinic for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, LMU University Hospital Munich, Germany
| | - Nicolas Rohleder
- Department of Psychology, Chair of Health Psychology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Matthias Weigl
- Institute and Clinic for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, LMU University Hospital Munich, Germany.,Institute for Patient Safety, University Hospital, Bonn, Germany
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