arousal Flashcards
what’s arousal?
the intensity of behaviour or the readiness for action
what are the three theories of arousal?
drive theory, inverted U theory, catastrophe theory
what’s the drive theory?
Hull invented it
suggests that as arousal increases, performance increases
what’s the drive theory dependant on?
IZOF
personality
type of skill (gross or fine)
stages of learning
types of practice
what’s dominant response?
the response under high levels of arousal, not correct for beginners
what’s drive reduction and why does it occur?
drive may be reduced if a learner loses motivation.
can also happen if the performer believes they’re not performing to their best- becomes habitual and no motivation for improvement is needed
advantages of the drive theory of arousal
-simple to understand
-helps teachers/ coaches when instructing novices
-explains high levels of performance by experts
-explains high performance of explosive/ ballistic skills
-explains low performance with low arousal
-for simple and gross skills, its likely to be accurate
- it is true that If the dominant response is correct then the performance improves
disadvantages of the drive theory of arousal
-too simplistic
-dominant response is incorrect for novices
-the linear relationship between arousal and performance rarely occurs
-doesn’t take into account the nature of the task or personality of the individual
-Doesn’t explain decline in performance at high arousal e.g. a high jumper hitting the bar at a low height in the Olympic Games
-Doesn’t explain why some skills/simple/gross skills are performed well at low arousal
-Doesn’t acknowledge drive reduction/ idea that performer may lose motivation / perceive task to
be fulfilled so drive reduced.
what’s the inverted U theory?
as arousal increases so does performance up to an optimal point (a persons IZOF), if arousal continues to increase, performance will decrease
if someone has a low IZOF whats their optimal arousal?
also low
advantages of the inverted U theory
-simple to understand
-more realistic then the drive theory
-it’s true there is an optimum arousal level
-takes into account that performance can decline at high levels of arousal
links to cue utilisation
-recognises that optimum level of arousal is not the same for all activities
-takes into account different variables
disadvantages of the inverted U theory
-only considers somatic arousal
-increase or decrease in performance is rarely gradual or steady
-doesn’t explain a sudden drop in performance
-It is still too simple / limited view of the relationship between arousal and performance
-it doesn’t say that performance can recover after overarousal has occurred or once performance starts to deteriorate it doesn’t always carry on getting worse
what’s the catastrophe theory?
as arousal increases, performance increases to optimum arousal
past optimal arousal (especially cognitive arousal) there’s an catastrophic decline in performance
a performer can recover their performance snd rejoin the curve if cognitive arousal is reduced
advantages of the catastrophe theory of arousal
-takes into account different types of arousal
-explains how some performers can recover
-explains why performance suddenly declines
-most widely excepted explanation
realistic explanation of arousal
-Gives a realistic explanation for why a performer ‘goes to pieces’ in a big event.
disadvantages of the catastrophe theory of arousal
-some performers do not experience a sudden decline in performance
-optimum arousal may not be at midway point
-doesn’t take into account personality or type of task
what are the two types of arousal?
cognitive and somatic
what’s cognitive arousal?
thoughts/ feelings/ emotions
changing psychological state of the body
eg. increased aggression, anxiety
being worried/ nervous
what’s somatic arousal?
physical responses / changing physiological state of the body
eg. increased HR, adrenaline, sweating, breathing rate
headaches, shaking, dizziness, BP changes
why is arousal being too low bad?
difficult to direct and focus attention and concentrate on relevant environmental cues
selective attention cannot operate
concentration is lost because attentional field is too wide
information overload prevents decision making
not aggressive/ assertive enough
performer is unlikely to feel ‘up to it’
why is arousal being too high bad?
attentional field narrows (too focused on one thing)
relevant environmental cues are lost
performer is often in a panic state (hypervigilance)
selective attention cannot operate
concentration impeded
overly agressive
performer may feel stressed/ overwhelmed and have physical symptoms of this such as sweating and increase HR.
discuss how different types of skills may require different levels of arousal for optimum performance
- Gross skills may require higher levels of arousal (AO1) e.g. sprinting
Because they involve large muscle groups (AO3) - Fine skills may require lower levels of arousal (AO1) e.g. snooker shot (AO2)
They involve small muscle movements /more precise control (AO3) - Simple skills may require higher levels of arousal (AO1) e.g. 100m sprint (AO2) There are less decisions required (AO3)
- Complex skills may require a lower level of arousal (AO1) e.g. a conversion kick in rugby (AO2) There are many decisions to make (AO3)
- Hard to simplify what type of skill will be performed best at different levels of arousal as it is a combination of factors that will determine quality of performance (AO3) Personality/ extrovert or introvert will also have a significant impact. (AO3) Skill level / beginner or expert will also have an impact (AO3)
Their optimum level of arousal / IZOF may also vary and impact quality of performance. (AO3)
Outline how the drive theory of arousal would explain the performance of an expert in sport.
-As arousal increases, performance increases/ improves
-Experts dominant response is skilful / correct
-As arousal increases, emission of dominant response increases
