Anxiety Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Anxiety, including details on anxiety disorder, panic attacks, medication, counselling, therapy.

Microanalysis of the relationship between goal self-efficacy and cardiovascular reactivity. A test for the moderating role of incentive value and the mediating role of anxiety.

Sanz A, Villamarín F, Alvarez M, Limonero JT

Research Group on Stress and Health, Faculty of Psychology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain. antonio.sanz@uab.es

Eighty-three subjects were asked to solve a series of 15 mathematical problems after having been randomly assigned to an easy (5 problems) or to a difficult (9 problems) performance challenge. In addition to this, in order to create a sense of threat, subjects were told that a loud noise would be contingent upon failing to attain the performance challenge. Goal self-efficacy was computed from calculating the difference between self-efficacy level and the performance challenge. Intrinsic incentive value was derived from a six-item scale measuring the intensity of negative affects expected by the subject to be contingent upon a hypothetical failure to attain the goal. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate were collected during both the task performance and a prior rest phase. Anxiety-state was measured during the task performance as well. Statistical analyses revealed that interaction of goal self-efficacy and intrinsic incentive value partially predicted systolic blood pressure and heart rate reactivity. A main effect of self-efficacy was found on diastolic blood pressure. Overall, data best fitted to non-linear, quadratic functions in which either very low or very high self-efficacy, jointly with high incentive value, led to an enhanced cardiovascular reactivity. These findings are partially consistent with those previously obtained, and point to a complex model in which self-efficacy exerts specific effects on each cardiovascular parameter, usually in a non-monotonical way. Again, incentive value appeared as a moderator, but anxiety-state did not appear as a mediator of the relationship between goal self-efficacy and cardiovascular reactivity.

Published 5 September 2006 in Int J Psychophysiol, 62(1): 66-76.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Anxiety Research Today. All Rights Reserved.