Sitting duck or scaredy‐cat? Effects of shot execution strategy on anxiety and police officers’ shooting performance under high threat

摘要: Purpose Law enforcement may require police officers to inhibit intuitive responses high threat and thereby affect their emotional reaction operational effectiveness. Upon this premise, the current study reports two experiments which compare impact of relevant shot execution strategies on officers’ shooting performance under threat, including (1) fire at an armed assailant then step away from assailant's line (‘fire-step’) or (2) (‘step-fire’). Method In Experiment 1, 15 experienced performed both against a stationary who occasionally back with coloured soap cartridges (high threat), while we measured state anxiety, movement times accuracy. In 2, same remained fired now in random order, providing indication risk (i.e., chance get hit) associated performing either strategy. Results Experiment 1 showed that preferred using step-fire strategy resulted lower levels increased time for aiming more accurate than fire-step strategy. however, indicated also increases one's getting hit. Conclusions Findings suggest inhibition (as strategy) increase anxiety negatively officers. Future work is needed reveal underlying mechanisms explore implications practice.