Effect of Emotional Response on the Performance of a Simulated Laparoscopic Task

Abstract

Introduction: An emotional state impacts task performance and cognition. However, evidence of the effect of an induced emotional state on laparoscopic performance has not yet been documented. We investigated whether surgical residents in whom a positive emotion had been induced would produce a better laparoscopic task performance than residents in whom a negative emotional state had been induced. Methods: This controlled laboratory study recruited a total of 53 junior surgical residents who were divided into 3 groups. Each group was required to watch 1 of 3 ten-minute videos designed to evoke a positive, neutral, or negative emotion before performing a laparoscopic cholecystectomy on a virtual simulation model. Task performances, as evaluated by a global assessment form and psychomotor metrics that included task time, errors, and path lengths, were compared between the 3 groups. Results: Video watching induced different emotions, as measured by a Visual Analog Scale on feelings. The task time was significantly shorter in the positive (13.7 ± 2.5 minutes) than in the neutrally (17.7 ± 3.9 minutes) and the negatively (18.5 ± 3.8 minutes) induced-emotion groups (P < 0.001). Participants in the positive emotion group completed a laparoscopic cholecystectomy with a significantly lower error rate (2 vs. 4 vs. 7, P = 0.036) and shorter right-handed path length (1089.6 ± 250.6 cm vs. 1287.2 ± 355.5 cm vs. 1410.3 ± 304.1 cm, P = 0.010) than the participants in the neutral and negative emotion groups. Conclusions: A positive emotion can enhance a simulated laparoscopic task performance as assessed by task time and path length. The results indicate that we might improve surgical task performance by adjusting the surgeon's emotional state. We plan a future study that will continue to investigate whether positive emotions can facilitate skill learning.

Impact of background music on the performance of laparoscopy teams

“…The study sample size (number of teams) was determined according to a similar investigation. In 2020, Yang et al reported the effect of different emotions on laparoscopic performance [ 16 ]. They asked surgeons-in-training to perform simulated surgical tasks on the Lap Mentor (Simbionix, Tel Aviv, Israel) immediately after watching three movies that evoked different emotions.…”

“…Surgical dexterity deteriorated in a noisy environment [ 14 , 15 ]. Negative emotions triggered by a noisy environment has led to a deterioration in the cognitive ability of surgeons due to deteriorated working memory and to interference in the decision-making process [ 16 , 17 ]. People in noisy environments reported difficulty in maintaining focus, thus showing reduced ability in assessing a situation and a tendency for selecting high-risk strategies for resolving a problem without being fully aware of the consequences [ 8 , 18 , 19 ].…”

“…In team settings, the positive impact of music may be canceled out by personal choices on their preferred music [ 23 ]. On the other hand, negative emotions triggered by unpleasant music can be ‘contagious’ and affect many team members, often resulting in a negative performance by the entire team [ 16 , 24 ].…”