Freezing degrees of freedom under stress: Kinematic evidence of constrained movement strategies

The present study investigated the effect of psychological stress imposed on movement kinematics in a computer-simulated batting task involving a backward and forward swing of the forearm. The psychological stress was imposed by a mild electric stimulus following poor performance. Fourteen participants hit a moving ball with a horizontal lever and aimed at a distant target with as much accuracy as possible. The kinematic characteristics appearing under stress were delay of movement initiation, small amplitude of movement and low variability of spatial kinematic events between trials. These features were also found in previous studies in which the experimental task required high accuracy. The characteristic kinematics evident in the present study suggested that the movement strategies adopted by the stressed participants were similar to those that appear under high accuracy demand. Moreover, a correlation analysis between the onset times of kinematic events revealed that temporally consistent movements were reproduced under stress. Taken together, the present findings demonstrated that, under psychological stress, movement strategies tend to shift toward the production of more constrained trajectories, as is seen under conditions of high accuracy demand, even though the difficulty of the task itself does not change. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.