The physiological effects of induced competition on short-term memory, heart rate, and electrodermal activity

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Date
2019Author
Gosal, Simandeep
Posda, Casey
Pyszka, Teagan
Silvers, Caylee
Publisher
Journal of Advanced Student Sciences (JASS)
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The presence of competition in human beings’ daily interactions is inescapable; from
landing a promotion in the workplace, to being perceived as successful in social groups, to a
seemingly friendly game of ping-pong, humans cannot avoid the inherent desire to compete and
achieve success in their endeavors. When presented with perceived competition, the body
undergoes a number of physiological changes to optimize performance. The purpose of this
study was to examine the physiological effects of competition during the completion of a shortterm memory game. Participants were randomly placed into a group and asked to complete a
memory game first alone, and then again against a competitor (Group 1) or first against a
competitor, and then alone (Group 2). Participants’ completion times under both circumstances,
as well as their heart rate and electrodermal activity (EDA), were measured in order to provide
insight into the activation of the sympathetic nervous system. We found that the completion time
of the memory game was not significantly affected by the presence of a competitor, but that both
heart rate and EDA significantly increased when faced with competition, indicating activation of
the sympathetic nervous system. These results could provide greater insight to the ways that
humans perceive and respond to competition, information that is particularly relevant in
academic and workplace settings.
Subject
competition
stress
electrodermal activity (EDA)
Sympathetic Nervous System
short-term memory
Permanent Link
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/82000Type
Article
Description
An article that appeared in JASS, issue 2019