The Domain Specificity of Cardiovascular Ability (Efficacy) Effects

Abstract

Participants first performed a reaction-time task and received feedback that they had high or low ability with respect to it. They then performed a second task that was either similar or dissimilar in character to the first, with the chance to earn a prize if they attained a moderate performance standard. Blood pressure responses assessed during the second task period were or tended to be greater for those who received negative ability feedback than for those who received positive ability feedback if the second task was similar to the first, but did not differ as a function of ability feedback if the second task was dissimilar to the first. Findings add to the body of evidence supporting a recent integrative analysis of effort, ability, and cardiovascular (CV) response and confirm the assumption that CV ability effects are performance-domain specific. Findings also call further into question the common supposition that CV responsivity is proportional to perceived ability in an appetitive context, and they provide empirical grounds for analyzing CV response instability effects in perceived-ability terms.