arousal

Question 1

define: arousal

Answer 1

how physiologically and psychologically ready a person is to perform

Question 2

what are the three theories of arousal?

Answer 2

• the drive theory
• the inverted U theory
• the catastrophe theory

Question 3

describe the graph in the drive theory of arousal

Answer 3

• as arousal increases the performance of the dominant response increases
• experts will perform better at high arousal, e.g. an expert dancer performs the best they ever have in their assessment
• beginners will perform worse at high levels of arousal and better at low levels of arousal, e.g. a novice rounders player who is trying to impress his friends missed the ball

Question 4

advantages and disadvantages of the drive theory of arousal

Answer 4

+ it is simple to understand
+it helps coaches to understand the effects of arousal on performance
+for some performers it is an accurate representation for what happens when arousal increases

• quality of performance does not always increase as levels of arousal increases
• doesn’t take into account personality
• doesn’t explain why some skills are performed well at low arousal

Question 5

describe the graph in the inverted U theory of arousal

Answer 5

• as arousal increases so does the quality of performance
• the best performance occurs when arousal is at its optimum point
• after this point the performer become over aroused and the performance declines

Question 6

advantages and disadvantages of the drive theory of arousal

Answer 6

+easy to understand
+ helps coaches understand the effect of arousal on performance
+ it is true that there is an optimum point over arousal

• it is too simple
• doesnt consider the effects of different types of arousal on performance
• performance doesnt gradually drop when overaroused

Question 7

for the interved U theory, what factors affect the optimum point of arousal for each individual?

Answer 7

task type

personality

skill level

(complex or fine skills, introverts and cognitive stage of learners have lower optimum levels)

(simple or gross skills, extroverts and autonomous performers have higher optimum levels)

Question 8

describe the graph in the catastrophe theory of arousal

Answer 8

• as arousal increases, quality of performance increases up to the optimal point but only if arousal is kept low
• if the performers levels of arousal go too high then there is a sharp decline in quality of performance
• if arousal is controlled, performance can improve

Question 9

advantages and disadvantages of the catastrophe theory

Answer 9

+ shows a sudden decrease in performance which is more likely than a gradual decrease
+ shows that a performer can recover by lowering arousal

• not all performers will have a sudden decline in performance when over aroused
• optimum arousal may not be at mid way point
• doesnt take into account skill level