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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/173568
Jump and free fall! Memory, attention, and decision-making processes in an extreme sport
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In the present study, we explored the effects of high arousal on cognitive performance when facing a situation of risk. We also investigated how these effects are moderated by either positive or negative emotional states (valence). An ecological methodology was employed, and a field study was carried out in a real-life situation with 39 volunteer participants performing a bungee jumping activity and a control group of 39 participants. Arousal and valence were assessed with the Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM). Working memory capacity (reverse digit span), selective attention (Go/No-Go task) and decision-making (Iowa Gambling Task) were assessed at 3 time points: 30 min before the jump, immediately after the jump, and approximately 8 min after the onset of the previous phase. The results indicate that high arousal accompanied by high positive valence scores after jumping either improved performance or led to a lack of impairment in certain cognitive tasks. The Processing-Efficiency and the Broaden-and-Build theories are put forward to explain emotional moderation of cognitive performance in potentially life-threatening situations.
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CASTELLÀ, Judit, et al. Jump and free fall! Memory, attention, and decision-making processes in an extreme sport. Cognition & Emotion. 2019. Vol. 34, num. 2, pags. 262-272. ISSN 0269-9931. [consulted: 16 of August of 2026]. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/173568