Individual Differences in Stress Reaction

Abstract

Research in individual differences in performance has a long history, dating to the emergence of psychology and psychometrics itself (e.g., Cattell, Galton; see Boring, 1950). However, there has been a disconnect between this tradition and that of experimental psychology (Cronbach, 1957). As the origins of human factors and human performance research were in applications of experimental psychology, the disconnect manifested in relatively limited scope of individual differences research in human factors and ergonomics. At the same time, modern emphasis on human-centered design raises questions regarding how the characteristics of the human interact with those of the interface/task to influence system performance and operator well-being. In this chapter I hope to demonstrate that a synthesis of Cronbach’s two disciplines (a rapprochement?) is possible and of great importance for understanding performance under stress, and that an integrated framework, based on cognitive science approaches, already exists and can be applied to human factors research and design. I also discuss the implications of an individual differences approach for theories of stress and performance and summarize empirical studies applying this perspective to the evaluation of factors that influence performance, workload, and stress response in cognitive and perceptual tasks. Finally, future directions for application of an individual differences perspective to human factors research on performance under stress are discussed.