Arousal Flashcards
Arousal
An energised sate, a readiness to perform
Drive theory
-Initial motivation increases drive, more effort, more success and a repetition of the same response
-increases in a linear fashion
-explained by the formula: P= f (d x h)
F= function d=drive h= habit
Dominant response
At high arousal, we pick up less information (attentional narrowing) and focus on the dominant response
- If the task is simple or the performer is an expert (expert has habitual response), then this response will be correct.
- If the task is complex or the performer is a novice, then performance may be impaired
The inverted U theory
Increased arousal improves performance but only to a moderate level, after which more arousal causes performance to suffer.
- Under- and over-arousal can be equally bad for performance.
- The optimal level of arousal can vary within this as skill level, personality of the performer and task undertaken have an affect
Zone of optimal functioning
-Optimal levels of arousal vary for individual players
-can be found at high levels of arousal for some and low levels of arousal for others
-Zone can be achieved through mental practice
Things Athletes experience when in the zone:
Actions flow effortlessly
performer reaches state of supreme confidence and keeps calm under pressure
Athlete is in total control of their actions
Personality
Low arousal- introverts perform best, high adrenaline levels. High arousal- extroverts can tolerate extra adrenaline
Experience
Low arousal- novice performs best. High arousal- experts used to pressure and can operate under limited info. Dominant response is mainly correct
Nature of the task
Low arousal- fine and complex. High arousal- gross and simple
Catastrophe Theory
Increased arousal improves performance to an optimal point but there is a dramatic reduction in performance when arousal increases beyond the optimal
- intense combination of somatic (muscular tension, Increased HR) and cognitive (loss of concentration, fear about performance)anxieties causes a dramatic deterioration in performance.
- player may not recover
- The player can only recover if initial anxiety is low and there is time available
Attentional wastage
Performers concentration is misdirected to irrelevant cues
Attentional narrowing
Occurs when a performer is aroused so they focus on certain cues and ignore others
Social loading
Individual loss of motivation in a team player due to a lack of performance identification when efforts aren’t recognised
Ringleman 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
Problems with inverted U theory
- critics question if optimal arousal always occurs at the mid-point of the curve
- one curve does not explain the different optimal levels of arousal needed for simple and complex tasks
