Trait-anxiety dependence of movement time performance in a bimodal choice task in subjects exposed to moderate anxiogenic conditions

Jean-Philippe Hainaut (1) , Vincent Monfort (1) , Benoit Bolmont (1)

1 LIMBP - Laboratoire d'Ingéniérie Moléculaire et Biochimie Pharmacologique

Recent studies have provided insight into the interdependence between state-anxiety, trait-anxiety and motor performances. In the present study, we investigated in very low trait-anxiety (VLTA) and normal trait-anxiety (NTA) subjects, the effects of moderate state-anxiety induced by the video-recorded Stroop color word interference test, on reaction time and movement time in bimodal choice response time task providing either visual or auditory modality. We found that in anxiogenic condition, movement time performances were improved in visual modality in NTA subjects, and in auditory modality in VLTA subjects. Our results show that depending on their trait-anxiety level, individuals exposed to anxiogenic condition would allocate attentional resources towards a specific relevant modality. Such attentional resources would influence movement time, but not reaction time.

Mots clés: Trait-anxiety; State-anxiety; Reaction time; Movement time; Response time; Crossmodal t

Domaines: Neurosciences; Psychologie; Psychologie; Psychologie et comportements; Sciences cognitives

Jean-Philippe Hainaut, Vincent Monfort, Benoit Bolmont. Trait-anxiety dependence of movement time performance in a bimodal choice task in subjects exposed to moderate anxiogenic conditions. Neuroscience Letters, 2006, 409 (3), pp.196-199. ⟨10.1016/j.neulet.2006.09.035⟩. ⟨hal-02309984⟩