Uncertainty of Outcomes as a Component of Active Coping

Abstract

Abstract Control or control-belief is often viewed as being directly instrumental in facilitating active coping in aversive situations, and yet the empirical evidence for the effects of control is inconclusive. In this study we investigated the role of feedback and predictability in determining the effects of control-belief during an aversive reaction time task. Ninety-six subjects were allocated to one of eight conditions in a 2 × 2 × 2 control-belief by feedback by predictability factorial design. All subjects were matched in terms of the nature of the task and in the number and time of receipt of both the warning signal and noise. Heart rate reactivity and task performance (reaction time) were measured. Subjects who received feedback displayed greater phasic heart rate responses following the noise stimulus and smaller decreases in heart rate during the postimpact period than those without feedback, particularly in predictable conditions. Control-belief had no effect on heart rate responses. None of the factors led to better task performance. These findings are discussed in relation to processes of active coping and attentional processes of stimulus input, and the need for further studies examining the relative contributions of control-belief, feedback, and predictability in determining cardiovascular function is highlighted.