Concentration, Stress and Performance

Working in demanding or threatening situations taxes our cognitive capacity. Measures, support, and training aimed at improving this capacity, mainly focus on the cognitive capabilities, such as information processing, memory, knowledge, skills, etc. However, the magnitude of our cognitive power and its efficient use is also determined by other factors, such as emotion, motivation, and effort. These factors may be as important to augment cognitive capacity, in particular in situations involving disturbing factors, such as time pressure, conflicts, fatigue, and threat.