arousal Flashcards
arousal
- the degree of physiological and psychological readiness or activation
- it varies on a continuum from deep sleep to intense excitement
hull’s drive theory
- says an increase in arousal is proportional to an increase in the quality of performance
what does the quality of performance depend on
how well the skills have been learned
dominant response
the typical behavior that is most likely to be given by the performer
as arousal increases what happens to dominant behavior
it is more likely to be exhibited
according to hulls drive theory, how will an increase in arousal impact beginners
- performance will decrease
- as arousal increased dominant response
- in beginners this is usually incorrect
according to hulls drive theory how will arousal impact experts
- arousal increased performance
- as arousal increases dominant response
- which is likely to be correct
positives of hulls drive theory
- simple to understand
- true that if dominant response is correct performance increases
- for elite performers it is an accurate representation of what happens when arousal increases
- it’s more accurate for gross and simple skills
- helps coaches and teachers to understand effects of arousal
give an example as to when drive theory could help elite performers
- 100 m sprinter is likely to perform well and respond correctly in a 100m spring final
give examples of skills (gross and simple) where performance improves according to the drive theory when arousal increases
- swimming
- weightlifting
negatives of hulls drive theory
- quality of performance doesn’t always increase when level of arousal increases
- to simplistic a view on relationship between arousal and performance
- doesn’t explain why some skills like fine and complex are performed well with low arousal
- doesn’t explain a decline in performance at high arousal
- doesn’t explain why some elite performers perform well at low arousal
- doesn’t acknowledge drive reduction
drive theory -
give an example of when the drive theory doesn’t explain decline in performance at high arousal
a high jumper hitting the bar at a low height at the olympics
drive theory -
give an example of when some elite performers performed well at low arousal
scoring a goal when you aren’t working hard at training
drive theory -
give an example of when some skills which are fine and complex can be performed well at low arousal
darts
pool
drive reduction
the idea that performer may lose motivation when they perceive a task to be fulfilled so drive reduces
inverted U hypothesis
- as arousal increases so does performance quality
- this occurs up to an optimal or midway point
- this is usually at moderate levels of arousal for each person
- the optimal level for arousal is different for everyone
- after this point the performer becomes over aroused and performance gradually decreases
how does the type of task effect levels of arousal - inverted U theory
- gross skills need higher arousal as they use large muscle groups and have little concern for precision
- fine skills may need lower arousal levels as they use smaller muscle groups and are concerned with precision/accuracy
- simple skills can have higher levels of arousal as they have a low perceptual load
- complex skills need low levels of arousal as they have a high perceptual load
how does stages of learning affect arousal - inverted U theory - cognitive learners
- cognitive learners perform better at low levels of arousal
- as their dominant response is incorrect should arousal increase
what will a cognitive learners inverted u theory graph look like
it will shift to the left as they can’t cope with high arousal levels
how does stages of learning affect arousal - inverted U theory - autonomous learners
- perform better with higher levels of arousal
- their dominant response is likely to be correct
- they are more likely to be able to self correct as they know the correct cues
what will an autonomous learners inverted u graph look like
it will shift to the right as they can cope with higher arousal levels
introverts - inverted U theory
- likely to become over aroused as they increase the intensity of the stimuli entering their brain
- RAS is already stimulated
extroverts - inverted U theory
- less likely to become over aroused
- RAS lowers the intensity of stimuli entering the brain
- RAS lacks stimulation
positives - inverted U theory
- more realistic than drive
- above or below optimal performance quality is decreased
- most performers respond positively to arousal until midway point
- simple and easy to understand and apply
- helps teachers and coaches understand the effect of arousal on performance
- considers individual differences
how does inverted U theory consider individual differences
optimal point of arousal shifts higher or lower for different personalities, skills types or stages of learning
negatives - inverted U theory
- too simple and offers a limited view of the relationship between arousal and performance
- doesn’t consider effect of different arousal types
- the distribution is too even (relationship may not be U shaped)
- doesn’t say what happens to people who under perform when over aroused
- doesn’t say that performance can recover after over arousal has occurred so once performance starts to deteriorate it will continue to worsen
catastrophe theory
- as somatic arousal increased so does quality of performance
- optimal performance will only be achieved when cognitive arousal is kept low
- high cognitive and high somatic arousal can cause a sudden drop in performance (catastrophe)
- after a catastrophe arousal continues to increase and performance levels decline further
- performer may be able to regain their level of performance after the catastrophe
- if arousal is controlled by taking time out to manage anxiety
positives - catastrophe theory
- realistic explanation of why performers mess up badly in a big event
- shows a sudden decrease in performance which is more likely than a gradual decline
- considers relationship and effects of cognitive and somatic arousal
- shows a performer can recover by lowering arousal and that performance can be improved again
- most accepted explanation
somatic arousal
body’s response :
- hr
- adrenaline
- sweating
- respiration
cognitive arousal
mental response :
- calmness
- relaxed
- worry
- panic
