The Effect of Induced Stress on Fine Motor Accuracy

Abstract

The stress response is a cascade of physiological changes resulting from activation of the sympathetic nervous system that occurs when one is subjected to a threatening situation. The physiological changes brought about by the stress response are well documented and understood, but it is unclear whether the stress response has any adverse effects on fine motor accuracy. This experiment explores the relationship between induced stress response and motor accuracy by inducing a stress response in subjects and analyzing their performance on a tracing task before and after the stressor. We analyzed the effectiveness of the stressor by measuring heart rate and electrodermal activity, using T-tests to confirm a statistically significant increase in each after exposure to the stressor. Tracing allowed us to measure the area spent outside of the line as a determinant of fine motor accuracy. Our results did not show significant evidence that an increase in heart rate or EDA (implying an increased stress response) were linked to a decrease in fine motor accuracy.