Arousal Flashcards
Physical and technical performance depends on?
Arousal
What does arousal reflect on?
General physical and psychological activity. For example, coma is a pathologically low state of arousal whereas agitation is an extremely high arousal. Usually, people are somewhere in between those two extremes
What is the purpose of arousal?
To prepare the body for action
What is arousal
Arousal is a function of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and is a response that was built into our central nervous system as we have evolved
Is Arousal good or bad?
Arousal can be beneficial to some athletes in some events, whereas too much or too little can affect the outcome
Name three theories of arousnal
Hull’s Drive Theory 1951
Inverted U theory 1908 (Yerkes & Dodson)
The Catastrophe Theory 1988 (Fazey & Hardy)
What is Hull Drive Theory 1951
Earliest theory
To explain the relationship between arousal and perfroamcne
It suggests that arousal increases so does performance
This theory suggests that people who are lowly aroused will therefore have a weaker performance
What is the inverted U theory
As arousal increases, so too does performance, up to an optimal point
Further increases in arousal cause performance to decline
The more skilful the performer the higher the optimum arousal could be
What is the catastrophe theory?
Performance does not always decline as arousal increases.
Higher anxiety the more decline in performance
The performer must relax when catastrophe appears
What are the two levels of arousal?
Low and High
What is the aggression cue theory
1969
He argued that frustration increases arousal, which the individual feels as anger or psychological pain
What are the two components of arousal?
Physiological and Psychological
What is physiological arousal
the physical readiness for action: Heart and breathing rate, sweating and reaction times. Warm-up activities
What is the psychological arousal
the emotional and motivational state which ranges from indifference to boredom through to high excitement or tension
what is the Sympathetic Branch?
Part of ANS that activates the body for emergency action (Fighting, fleeing)
