Which of the following is a reason why stress and burnout can have a negative impact on performance with respect to the effect of heavy workload on performance?

• A. It can lead to frustration and negative attitudes towards one job.
• B. Nurses will often fail to administer the appropriate medication dosages
• C. It depletes one's attentional resources and leaves an employee with insufficient time to perform tasks safely.
• D. It reduces physical and cognitive resources to perform adequately.

Answer: (D)

When workload is heavy, stress and burnout drain both physical energy and mental processing ability. That means fewer cognitive resources (like attention, memory, and decision-making speed) and fewer physical reserves (energy and motor efficiency) are available to complete tasks accurately and safely. This direct reduction in resources makes it harder to perform complex or time-sensitive duties, so performance declines and the likelihood of errors increases.

The best answer highlights this broad mechanism—the overall loss of physical and cognitive resources that underlies impaired performance. Other options point to specific consequences (frustration, a particular type of error, or a narrower focus on attention and time) but don’t capture the fundamental way that resource depletion compromises performance across tasks and situations.