The impact of stress on performance is well known in many fields, such as sports, but it is also important to industry in emergency response management where the consequences of poor decision-making may result in unnecessary loss of life, financial cost, or environmental impact. This paper presents a cognitive framework, derived from current understanding of cognition and educational research into stress training, and suggests 7 ways to reduce the effect of stress on decision-making in emergency response management. These pedagogical suggestions are illustrated with examples taken from 3 simulation-learning environments for emergency response training in the chemical, nuclear power and transport industries. This framework is intended to improve the understanding and professional practice of designers of simulation learning environments, and to make the findings of cognitive psychology and educational research more accessible.