Effects of Threat of Shock on Conflict Resolution and Conflict Generalization

Abstract

Ss were exposed to a three-stage experimental conflict paradigm consisting of pretraining (weak conflict), conflict training (either strong conflict, strong conflict plus threat of shock for wrong responses, weak conflict, or weak conflict plus threat of shock for wrong responses), and post-conflict performance (weak conflict). The results indicated: (1) performance in a weak conflict situation was markedly affected by previous conflict exposure, (2) threat of shock associated with weak and strong conflict situations increased indecisiveness particularly in the weak conflict condition, and (3) the threat of shock groups and the strong conflict non-threat group were significantly more indecisive during the post-conflict than the weak conflict group, but the former three groups did not differ significantly from one another. These results were discussed as being more consistent with a competing-response than a dynamogenic formulation regarding the effects on the individual of exposure to conflict.