Which factor has been shown to adversely affect performance?

Which factor has been shown to adversely affect performance?

• A. An upcoming deadline
• B. An increase in compensation
• C. An increase in workload
• D. a and b

Answer: (D)

Being under time pressure from an upcoming deadline can impair performance because it increases stress and shortens the time available for careful planning, error checking, and deeper analysis. When you rush, you’re more likely to overlook details, make mistakes, and default to simpler strategies rather than thorough, accurate work. An increase in compensation can also negatively affect performance in some contexts. External rewards can undermine intrinsic motivation, especially for tasks that people find interesting or require sustained, creative effort. The reward can create added pressure to meet high expectations, narrowing focus to the payoff and possibly reducing flexibility and persistence, which can hurt performance on complex tasks. When both factors are present, the combination can amplify these effects: time pressure pushes you to hurry, while the incentive structure adds stress or alters motivation in ways that can further degrade performance. That combination helps explain why both a looming deadline and an increase in compensation are seen as adverse to performance in certain settings.

Being under time pressure from an upcoming deadline can impair performance because it increases stress and shortens the time available for careful planning, error checking, and deeper analysis. When you rush, you’re more likely to overlook details, make mistakes, and default to simpler strategies rather than thorough, accurate work.

An increase in compensation can also negatively affect performance in some contexts. External rewards can undermine intrinsic motivation, especially for tasks that people find interesting or require sustained, creative effort. The reward can create added pressure to meet high expectations, narrowing focus to the payoff and possibly reducing flexibility and persistence, which can hurt performance on complex tasks.

When both factors are present, the combination can amplify these effects: time pressure pushes you to hurry, while the incentive structure adds stress or alters motivation in ways that can further degrade performance. That combination helps explain why both a looming deadline and an increase in compensation are seen as adverse to performance in certain settings.