AROUSAL

Question 1

What is ‘arousal’?

Answer 1

Arousal is the intensity aspect of motivation, the readiness for action that motivates to behave in a certain way.

Question 2

What is physiological and psychological arousal?

Answer 2

Physiological arousal- arousal which is physical e.g. faster heart beat before competition.
Psychological arousal- cognitive anxiety, e.g. anxiety or worry felt before the same big event.

Question 3

What are the 3 theories of arousal?

Answer 3

1. Drive theory
2. Inverted U theory
3. Catastrophe theory.

Question 4

What is the drive theory?

Answer 4

1. Drive theory demonstrates a linear relationship between performance and arousal
2. Quality of performance depends on how well the skill has been learned
3. Motor programmes that have already been learned are said to be the dominant response
4. A dominant response or behaviour is most likely to emerge when a performer experiences increased arousal

Question 5

What is the practical application of the drive theory?

Answer 5

1. High arousal is beneficial to autonomous learners since their dominant behaviour produces a correct response
2. The opposite is true for cognitive learners
3. High arousal also helps the performance of gross and simple skills

Question 6

What is the inverted U theory?

Answer 6

1. Inverted U theory states that arousal improves performance up to an optimal point but past this, performance begins to decrease
2. It is important to consider:
   - Personality, extroverts learn best under high arousal, introverts like low arousal
   - Type of task, high arousal is good for gross skills, low arousal is good for fine skills
   - Stage of learning, high arousal is good for autonomous learners, low arousal is good for cognitive learners
   - Levels of experience, high arousal is best for expert, low arousal is best for novice.

Question 7

What are the effects of under arousal according to the inverted U theory?

Answer 7

1. Difficult to direct and focus attention and concentration on to relevant environmental cues
2. Concentration is lost because attentional field is too wide
3. Many unwanted cues in the environment, learner may be daydreaming
4. Selective attention cannot operate
5. Information overload prevents decision making

Question 8

What are the effects of optimum arousal according to the inverted U theory?

Answer 8

1. Perfect state
2. Attentional field is ideal width
3. Performer is able to learn and concentrate fully
4. Increased capacity to concentrate means the most important cues can be absorbed from the environment, accurate decision making
5. Cue utilisation theory predicts that the detection of the most important information occurs at optimum arousal

Question 9

What are the effects of over arousal according to the inverted U theory?

Answer 9

1. Causes attentional field to narrow
2. Relevant environmental cues are lost
3. Performer is often in a state of panic
4. Selective attention cannot operate
5. Concentration is seriously impeded.

Question 10

What is the catastrophe theory?

Answer 10

1. Similar to inverted U theory but a third dimension is added whereby performance will only reach maximum level if cognitive anxiety is kept low, if cognitive anxiety remains high alongside somatic anxiety, performance drops
2. This drop is not a smooth curve like in inverted U theory but plummets vertically
3. The vertical descent depicts a performance catastrophe
4. After catastrophe, performer can re-join upward curve of arousal and once again attain optimum level
5. This requires performer to reduce cognitive anxiety
6. When somatic arousal is low, skill learning and performance can be enhanced if cognitive arousal is increased.