Personality, psychological states and heart rate in novice and expert parachutists

Heart rates and psychological states were measured in 14 novice and 21 expert parachute jumpers while making a static line jump from an airplane. The measures were compared with data from a jump made from a model on the ground and with baseline data collected weeks later at a different location. Personality traits were measured at baseline day by Eysenckʹs Personality Questionnaire, Zuckermanʹs Sensation Seeking Scale V and Spielbergerʹs STAI trait. Several tests of psychological state were given. Expert parachutists scored significantly higher than novices on Psychoticism and Experience seeking. Thrill and Adventure seeking correlated negatively and Trait anxiety positively with several measures of state anxiety. The only trait variable that correlated with heart rate was Psychoticism which had a negative correlation with two measures of increase in heart rate before making the jump. Number of jumps was the only good predictor of heart rate in expert jumpers at exit from the plane. Eysenckʹs arousal theory was not corroborated. Extraversion was unrelated to psychological state and heart rate. An exception was that among expert jumpers heart rate at exit from plane correlated negatively with extraversion.