Arousal Flashcards
Arousal
An energised state, a readiness to perform
Drive theory
Initial motivation causes increased drive, more effort, more success and a repetition of the same response
The dominant response
At high arousal we pick up less information (attentional narrowing) and focus on the
dominant response
The inverted U theory
Increased arousal improves performance but only to a moderate level, after which more arousal causes performance to suffer.
The Zone of optimal functioning
Where you are at the best level of arousal for your performance
How does Personality affect arousal
Over or under arousal can affect personality
Experience
Over or under arousal can affect experience
Nature of the task
Over or under arousal determines the technical skill of the task
Catastrophe theory
Theory suggesting that increased arousal improves performance to an optimal point but there is a dramatic reduction in performance when arousal increases beyond the optimal
Attentional wastage
Performers concentration is misdirected to irrelevant cues. Can damage performance especially in novices
Attentional narrowing
Occurs when a performer is aroused so they focus on certain cues and ignore others. Linked to Dominant response
Social loafing
Individual loss of motivation in a team player due to a lack of performance identification when efforts aren’t recognised
Ringelman effect
When a teams performance decreases with group size
Peak flow performance
The ultimate intrinsic experience felt by athletes from a positive mental attitude, with supreme confidence, focus and efficiency
