Watching for gains and losses: The effects of motivational challenge and threat on attention allocation during a visual search task

Frings, Daniel; Rycroft, Nicky; Allen, Mark S.; Fenn, Richard K.

doi:10.1007/s11031-014-9399-0

Cited by 15 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Recent research has begun investigating these propositions (Sassenberg et al, 2015). For example, Frings et al (2014) asked participants to complete a visual search task that involved locating a target appearing in one of two search arrays: one associated with gaining points and another associated with avoiding the loss of points. The results suggested that participants who were manipulated into a challenge evaluation (via mid-task performance feedback), spent more time searching the gain array and made fewer fixations toward the loss array.…”

Section: Attentional Controlmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An Integrative Framework of Stress, Attention, and Visuomotor Performance

2016

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The aim of this article is to present an integrative conceptual framework that depicts the effect of acute stress on the performance of visually guided motor skills. We draw upon seminal theories highlighting the importance of subjective interpretations of stress on subsequent performance and outline how models of disrupted attentional control might explain this effect through impairments in visuomotor control. We first synthesize and critically discuss empirical support for theories examining these relationships in isolation. We then outline our integrative framework that seeks to provide a more complete picture of the interacting influences of stress responses (challenge and threat) and attention in explaining how elevated stress may lead to different visuomotor performance outcomes. We propose a number of mechanisms that explain why evaluations of stress are related to attentional control, and highlight the emotion of anxiety as the most likely candidate to explain why negative reactions to stress lead to disrupted attention and poor visuomotor skill performance. Finally, we propose a number of feedback loops that explain why stress responses are often self-perpetuating, as well as a number of proposed interventions that are designed to help improve or maintain performance in real world performance environments (e.g., sport, surgery, military, and aviation).

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Section: Attentional Controlmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These results suggest that a threat evaluation may be associated with greater detection of negative (or threatening) stimuli. An effect that is likely to maintain or exacerbate a threat evaluation in the future (Frings et al, 2014). …”

Section: Attentional Controlmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Integrative Framework of Stress, Attention, and Visuomotor Performance

2016

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“…States of challenge and threat have been linked to a variety of cognitive and behavioural outcomes. For instance, challenged individuals focus their attention more on areas of the visual field associated with gains (Frings, Rycroft, Allen, & Fenn, 2014), have short and long term improvements in sports performance (e.g. Blascovich, Seery, Mugridge, Norris, & Weisbuch, 2004;Moore, Wilson, Vine, Coussens, & Freeman, 2013), score higher on word games (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Levels of craving influence psychological challenge and physiological reactivity

et al. 2015

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“…If resources outweigh demands, a state of challenge is experienced. Evidence strongly suggests that challenge leads to a focus on gains, better task performance and is linked to positive affect [28,[30][31][32][33].…”

Section: Craving Desire Thinking Motivation States and Neuroendocrimentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of food craving and desire thinking on states of motivational challenge and threat and their physiological indices

et al. 2018

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Purpose Food craving has been shown to induce states of psychological challenge, indexed by increases in adrenaline but not cortisol production. The study aimed to test the relationship between challenge and (1) desire thinking (the active processing of the pleasant consequences of achieving a desired target and planning how to do so) and (2) craving. Methods Participants (N = 61) self-reported their levels of craving and desire thinking. They were then presented with situations in which their craving would be fulfilled or not via a false feedback practice task (a wordsearch task). During this period psycho-physiological measures of challenge and threat were taken. Results Higher levels of craving were linked to challenge only when the craved object was likely to be obtained. Whilst anticipating reward fulfillment, higher levels of craving were linked to higher levels of desire thinking. In turn, higher levels of desire thinking were related to lower levels of challenge. In contrast, during the processes of reward fulfillment, desire thinking was linked to increased challenge (i.e., a positive indirect effect). Conclusions Craving is linked to increased levels of psychological challenge when the object of the craving can be obtained, but it is unrelated to craving when it is not. The research also highlights the importance of desire thinking as an important, but complex, mediator in the relationship between craving and motivational states: desire thinking inhibited challenge when anticipating craving fulfillment, but encouraging it during the process of fulfillment itself. Level of evidence I: Evidence obtained from at least one properly designed randomized controlled trial.

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Watching for gains and losses: The effects of motivational challenge and threat on attention allocation during a visual search task

Cited by 15 publications

References 32 publications

An Integrative Framework of Stress, Attention, and Visuomotor Performance

An Integrative Framework of Stress, Attention, and Visuomotor Performance

Levels of craving influence psychological challenge and physiological reactivity

The effects of food craving and desire thinking on states of motivational challenge and threat and their physiological indices

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