The effects of challenge and threat states on performance outcomes: An updated review and meta-analysis of recent findings
The biopsychosocial model (BPSM) of challenge and threat provides a framework for understanding stress responses in motivated performance situations, including how stress relates to performance. In this model, experiences of challenge—characterized by evaluations of personal coping resources matchi...
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| Format: | Article |
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IfADo - Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund
2025-01-01
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| Series: | EXCLI Journal : Experimental and Clinical Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.excli.de/excli/article/view/7995 |
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| author | Adrian Hase Maximilian Nietschke Maciej Kłoskowski Kacper Szymański Lee Moore Jeremy P. Jamieson Maciej Behnke |
| author_facet | Adrian Hase Maximilian Nietschke Maciej Kłoskowski Kacper Szymański Lee Moore Jeremy P. Jamieson Maciej Behnke |
| author_sort | Adrian Hase |
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The biopsychosocial model (BPSM) of challenge and threat provides a framework for understanding stress responses in motivated performance situations, including how stress relates to performance. In this model, experiences of challenge—characterized by evaluations of personal coping resources matching or exceeding situational demands—elicit approach-oriented patterns of physiological responding and tend to facilitate performance, whereas threat—characterized by demands exceeding resources—elicit avoidance-oriented patterns of physiological responding and tend to impair performance. Extant systematic reviews and meta-analyses support the idea that challenge facilitates performance relative to threat (Behnke & Kaczmarek, 2018; Hase et al., 2019). The present systematic review and meta-analysis builds on this evidence base by examining whether conclusions replicate in recent research (post-2017), which is important given seismic cultural shifts tied to a worldwide pandemic, civil unrest, and skyrocketing mental health problems tied to stress. The analysis included 62 studies published between 2017 and 2024 (total N = 7,418 participants). The meta-analytic findings indicate that individuals in a challenge state achieve better performance outcomes than those in a threat state across multiple domains (e.g., education, sport). While effect sizes were small, the risk of bias was generally low. These results reaffirm the utility of the BPSM and emphasize the importance of stress responses in influencing performance outcomes. These data also have the potential to inform future research on this topic by shedding light on expectable effect sizes and highlighting potential influences of publication bias and replicability issues.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-42a631601c0442e2a9de99a9fb4951dc |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1611-2156 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IfADo - Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund |
| record_format | Article |
| series | EXCLI Journal : Experimental and Clinical Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-42a631601c0442e2a9de99a9fb4951dc2025-08-20T14:56:57ZengIfADo - Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, DortmundEXCLI Journal : Experimental and Clinical Sciences1611-21562025-01-012410.17179/excli2024-7995The effects of challenge and threat states on performance outcomes: An updated review and meta-analysis of recent findingsAdrian Hase0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3072-706XMaximilian Nietschke1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9380-2747Maciej Kłoskowski2https://orcid.org/0009-0007-6559-3010Kacper Szymański3https://orcid.org/0009-0006-9734-3553Lee Moore4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7394-7762Jeremy P. Jamieson5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3790-8747Maciej Behnke6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2455-4556University of Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 8, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland. E-mail: adrian.hase@unifr.chInstitute of Philosophy, University of Bern, Bern, SwitzerlandAdam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, PolandAdam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, PolandUniversity of Bath, Bath, United KingdomUniversity of Rochester, Rochester, USAAdam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland The biopsychosocial model (BPSM) of challenge and threat provides a framework for understanding stress responses in motivated performance situations, including how stress relates to performance. In this model, experiences of challenge—characterized by evaluations of personal coping resources matching or exceeding situational demands—elicit approach-oriented patterns of physiological responding and tend to facilitate performance, whereas threat—characterized by demands exceeding resources—elicit avoidance-oriented patterns of physiological responding and tend to impair performance. Extant systematic reviews and meta-analyses support the idea that challenge facilitates performance relative to threat (Behnke & Kaczmarek, 2018; Hase et al., 2019). The present systematic review and meta-analysis builds on this evidence base by examining whether conclusions replicate in recent research (post-2017), which is important given seismic cultural shifts tied to a worldwide pandemic, civil unrest, and skyrocketing mental health problems tied to stress. The analysis included 62 studies published between 2017 and 2024 (total N = 7,418 participants). The meta-analytic findings indicate that individuals in a challenge state achieve better performance outcomes than those in a threat state across multiple domains (e.g., education, sport). While effect sizes were small, the risk of bias was generally low. These results reaffirm the utility of the BPSM and emphasize the importance of stress responses in influencing performance outcomes. These data also have the potential to inform future research on this topic by shedding light on expectable effect sizes and highlighting potential influences of publication bias and replicability issues. https://www.excli.de/excli/article/view/7995challenge-threat indexdemand resource evaluationsmotivated performancebiopsychosocialcognitive appraisalpsychophysiology |
| spellingShingle | Adrian Hase Maximilian Nietschke Maciej Kłoskowski Kacper Szymański Lee Moore Jeremy P. Jamieson Maciej Behnke The effects of challenge and threat states on performance outcomes: An updated review and meta-analysis of recent findings EXCLI Journal : Experimental and Clinical Sciences challenge-threat index demand resource evaluations motivated performance biopsychosocial cognitive appraisal psychophysiology |
| title | The effects of challenge and threat states on performance outcomes: An updated review and meta-analysis of recent findings |
| title_full | The effects of challenge and threat states on performance outcomes: An updated review and meta-analysis of recent findings |
| title_fullStr | The effects of challenge and threat states on performance outcomes: An updated review and meta-analysis of recent findings |
| title_full_unstemmed | The effects of challenge and threat states on performance outcomes: An updated review and meta-analysis of recent findings |
| title_short | The effects of challenge and threat states on performance outcomes: An updated review and meta-analysis of recent findings |
| title_sort | effects of challenge and threat states on performance outcomes an updated review and meta analysis of recent findings |
| topic | challenge-threat index demand resource evaluations motivated performance biopsychosocial cognitive appraisal psychophysiology |
| url | https://www.excli.de/excli/article/view/7995 |
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