Target size, self-efficacy, and stress as determinants of precision in a marksmanship task
Publication date
2026-01-06
Document type
Forschungsartikel
Author
Organisational unit
Publisher
Frontiers Research Foundation
Series or journal
Frontiers in Psychology
ISSN
Periodical volume
16
Article ID
1710147
Peer-reviewed
✅
Part of the university bibliography
✅
Funding(s)
Language
English
Keyword
Heart rate variability
Marksmanship
Military performance
Self-efficacy
Shooting
Stress
Target size
Abstract
Marksmanship is a critical skill for law enforcement and military personnel, serving as a last resort in life-threatening situations to protect civilians, teammates, and oneself. While many studies have examined factors influencing shooting precision, the role of target size as a peripheral feature remains underexplored. This study investigated the effects of target size, shooting self-efficacy, subjective stress, shooting experience, physiological stress, and stress state variability on precision. A total of n = 140 student officers (74% male; M = 23.5 years) completed two live-fire tasks in a shooting simulator, firing ten rounds each at a small (12 cm) and a large (30 × 25 cm) target area with an identical aim point. Measures included emotional stress reactions, self-efficacy, shooting experience, and heart rate variability (RMSSD). Precision was indexed via mean distance to center and shot group radius. Smaller targets significantly enhanced precision (d = 0.36) independent of subjective stress. Self-efficacy predicted performance (r = 0.39) and was negatively associated with subjective stress (r = −0.30) and stress variability (r = −0.18). Mediation analysis showed that subjective stress partially explained the link between self-efficacy and precision (17.7%). RMSSD was unrelated to precision, whereas stress variability correlated positively with performance instability (r = 0.21). These findings suggest that smaller target areas act as peripheral cues that support perceptual-motor alignment during the limb–target control phase. Moreover, psychological attributes such as shooting self-efficacy contribute to performance both directly and via stress reduction. The results identify modifiable factors in shooting precision that can be systematically addressed in marksmanship training.
Description
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY): http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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Published version
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