Abstract
This paper develops a critique of the unitary behavioral arousal theory of stress and human performance. The empirical, methodological, and theoretical shortcomings of this position are elaborated. The contemporary alternatives that have been generated to fill this theoretic vacuun are identified. Our limited understanding of the action of stress is taken as one example of why important energetic aspects of performance have yet to be incorporated into hunan-machine systems design and operation. Seme steps directed toward such integration are developed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Arees, E. A. (1963). The effect of environmental temperature and alerting stimuli on prolonged search. Unpublished Dissertation, University of Massachusetts.
Berlyne, D.E. (1960). Cpnfllct, quriositv, and arousal, New York: McGraw-Hill.
Bernard, C. (1865). The cahier rouge. In: F. Grande and M.B. Visscher. (Eds.) Claude Bernard and experimental medicine, Schenkmen, Cambridge, MA.
Broadbent, D.E. (1963). Difference and interactions betwen stresses. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 15, 205–211.
Broadbent, D. E. (1965). A re-formation of the Yerkes-Dodson Law. British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology, 18, 145–157.
Broadhurst, P. L. (1957). Emotionality and the Yerkes-Dodson Law. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 54 345–352.
Broadhurst, P.L. (1959). The interaction of task difficulty and motivation: The Yerkes-Dodson Law revived. Acta Psychologica 16 321–338.
Brcwn, W. P. I. (1965). The Yerkes-Dodson Law repealed. Psychological Reports r 17, 663–666.
Cannon, W.B. (1915). Bodily changes in pain, hunger fear and rage. New York: Appleton.
Cannon, W.B. (1932). The wisdpm of the body, W.W. Norton: New York.
Cohen, S., Evans, G.W., Stokols, D., & Krantz, D.S. (1986). Behayior, health, and environmental stress. New York: Plenum Press.
Corcoran, D. W. J. (1965). Personality and the iriverted-U relation. British Journal of Psychology, 56, 267–273.
Easterbrook, J.A. (1959). The effect of emotion on the utilization and the organization of behavior. Psychological Review, 66 183–201.
Eysenck, H.J. (1955). A dynamic theory of anxiety and hysteria. Journal of Mental Science f 101, 28–51.
Eysenck, M.W. (1982). Attention and arousal. Springer-Verlag, New York.
Gopher, D., & Donchin, E. (1986). Workload: An examination of the concept. In: K. Boff and L. Kaufman (Eds.). Handbook of perception and human performance, New York: Wiley.
Hancock, P.A. (1986). The role of temporal factors in workload prediction. In: Proceedings of the IEEE Conference on Systems, Man and Cybernetics, Atlanta, Georgia (a).
Hancock, P.A (1986). Sustained attention under thermal stress. Psychological Bulletin, 99, 263–281 (b).
Hancock, P.A. (1986). Stress and adaptability. In: G.R.J. Hockey, A.W.K. Gaillard and M.G.H. Coles (Eds.). Energetic aspects of human information processing, Nijhoff: The Netherlands (c).
Hancock, P.A., & Carson, D.M. (1987) The time trap: Temporal incongruences under stressful conditions. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, in press.
Hancock, P.A., & Chignell, M.H. (1985). The principle of maximal adaptability in setting stress tolerance standards. In: R. Eberts and C. Eberts (Eds.). Trends in Ergonomics/Human Factors II, North-Holland: Amsterdam.
Hancock, P.A., & Chignell, M.H. (1986). Input information requirements for an adaptive hunan-machine system, in: Proceedings of the Annual Department. of Defense Conference on Psychology, 10, 493–498 (a).
Hancock, P.A., & Chignell, M.H. (1986). Toward a theory of mental workload: Stress and adaptability in hunan-machine systems. In: Conference Proceedings of the IEEE Meeting on Systems, Man,. and Cybernetics, Atlanta, Georgia (b).
Hancock, P.A., & Rosenberg, S.R. (1986) A model for evaluating stress effects of work with display units. In: B. Knave and P.G. Wide back (Eds.). Seleted papers on work with display units. Elsevier: Amsterdam.
Hebb, D.O. (1955). Drives and the C.N.S. (Conceptual Nervous System). Psychological Review, 62, 243–254.
Hockey, G.R.J., & Hamilton, P. (1983) The oognitive patterning of stress states. In: G.R.J. Hockey (Ed.). Stress and fatigue in human performance. New York: Wiley.
Hockey, G.R.J., Gaillard, A.W.K., & Coles, M.G.H. (Eds.). (1986). Energetic aspects of human information processing, Nijhoff: The Netherlands.
Karasek, R.A., Russell, R.S., & Theorell, T. (1982). Physiology of stress and regeneration in job related cardiovascular illness. Journal of Human Stress, 8, 29–42.
Lazarus, R.S. (1966). Psychological stress and the coping process. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Lindsley, D.B. (1951). Etaotion. In: S.S. Stevens (Ed.). Handbook of experimental psychology. New York: Wiley.
Malmo, R.B. (1959). Activation: A neuro-psychological dimension. Psychological Review, 66, 367–386.
Morruzzi, G., & Magoun, H.H. (1949). Brain stem reticular formation and activation of the EED. Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, 1, 455–473.
Näätänen, R. (1973). The inverted-U relationship between activation and performance: A critical review. In: S. Kornblim (Ed.). Attention and Performance TY. New York: Academic Press.
Parasuraman, R. (1983). Vigilance, arousal and the brain. In: A. Gale and J. Edwards (Eds.). Physiological correlates of human behavior. London: Acadaemic Press.
Pribram, K.H., & McGuiness, D. (1975). Arousal, activation and effort in the control of attention. Psychological Review 82 22, 116–149.
Sanders, A.F. (1983). Toward a model of stress and human performance. Acts Psvchp logicas, 53 61–97.
Selye, H. (1956). The stress of life. New-York: McGraw-Hill.
Simon, H.A. (1967). Motivational and emotional controls of cognition. Psychological Review, 74, 29–39.
Weiner, E.L., Curry, R.E., & Faustina, M.L. (1984) Vigilance and task load: In search of the inverted-U. Human Factors, 26 215–222.
Wickens, C.D. (1980). Ihe structure of attentional resources. In: R. Nickerson and R. Pew (Eds.). Attention and Performance XIII. Eribaum: N.J.
Wickens, C.D. (1986). Gain and energetics in information processing. In: G.R.J. Hockey, A.W.K. Gaillard and M.G.H. Coles (Eds.). Energetics aspects of human information processing. Nijhoff: The Netherlands.
Yerkes, R.M., & Dodson, J.D. (1908). Ihe relation of strength of stimulus to rapidity of habit formation. Journal of Comparative and Neurological Psychology, 18, 459–482
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1987 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Hancock, P.A. (1987). Arousal Theory, Stress And Performance: Problems Of Incorporating Energetic Aspects Of Behavior Into Human-Machine Systems Function. In: Mark, L.S., Warm, J.S., Huston, R.L. (eds) Ergonomics and Human Factors. Recent Research in Psychology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-4756-2_17
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-4756-2_17
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-0-387-96511-6
Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-4756-2
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive