Behavioral control over aversive events

Does control that requires effort reduce anxiety and physiological arousal

Dados Bibliográficos

ID6198522
AutoresSheldon Solomon (0000-0002-7035-2082, University of Kansas), David S Holmes (0000-0001-9555-138X), Kevin D Mccaul
Ano1980
Volume39
Fascículo4
Páginas729-736
Data de publicação1980-01-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoJournal of Personality and Social Psychology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0022-3514 • E-ISSN: 1939-1315
EditoraAmerican Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1037//0022-3514.39.4.729
PMID7431210
OpenAlexW4230454903
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas14
Referências citadas14

Although it has been suggested that the ability to control (avoid) an aversive event will reduce arousal, it may be that the effort associated with exercising the control will offset the arousal reduction associated with avoidance. To determine whether the amount of effort required to control an aversive event influenced the amount of anxiety and physiological arousal associated with the aversive event, 89 subjects participated in a 3 (unavoidable threat, avoidable threat, no threat) X 2 (high-effort task performance, low-effort task performance) X 2 (anticipation period, performance period) factorial experiment. The results indicated that (a) the aversive event (threat of electrical shock) increased subjects' anxiety and physiological arousal; (b) exercising control was effective for decreasing subjects' anxiety to the non-threat level but only when low effort was required; (c) the prospect of control decreased subjects' physiological arousal to the no-threat level while the subjects were waiting to exercise control over the aversive event; however, (d) while actually exercising the control, subjects showed high physiological arousal like that of subjects who could not control the event. These findings impose important qualifications on the speculations concerning the influence of control

Anticipation (artificial intelligence) · Anxiety · Arousal · Aversive Stimulus · Cognitive psychology · Control (management · Developmental psychology · Distraction · Injury prevention · Perceived control · Poison control · Psychiatry · Safety behaviors · Self-control · Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes · Behavioral Health and Interventions · Medicine · Mental Health Research Topics · Psychology · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology