theories of arousal Flashcards
define arousal
how psychologically alert an athlete is
describe Hull’s drive theory of arousal
- as motivation inscreases so does arousal
- as arousal increases, performance increases
- linear relationship between performance and arousal
- performance = habit strength x drive
explain Hull’s Drive Theory of arousal
- increase in arousal causes the dominant repsonse to occur
- experienced athletes are more likely to give the correct dominant response so performs better with high levels of arousal e.g. expert dancer scores their best score in their dance exam
- congitive learners/ begginners are more likely to give the incorrect dominant response so need low levels of arousal as they need time tomake the decisions. e.g. a novice rounders player tries to impress friend but misses the ball
describe the Inverted U Theory of arousal
- initially as aorusal increases so does performance but only to a certain level
- optimum performance occurs at moderate levels of arousal - if maintained then peak flow experience occurs
- over-arousal causes a decrease in performance e.g. a footballer misses the target when take a penalty in an important shoot out as they are trying too hard
- peak flow - focused on task, skill is effortless, without thought, automatic, goal-directed in the zone
explain the Inverted U Theory of arousal
optimum performance can depend on 3 key factors:
1. the nature of the task: fine & complex skills need low levels of arousal whereas gross & simple skills need high levels of arousal
2. skill level of the performer: elite need high levels of arousal whereas a novice needs low level of arousal
3. personality of the performer: intorvert needs low levels of arousal whereas an extrovert needs high levels of arousal
describe the Catastrophe Theory of arousal
- initially as arousal increases so does performance
- over-arousal can cause catastrophe & performance decreases
explain the Catastrophe Theory of arousal
- a somatic arousal increases the quality of performance increases
- optimal performance will only be achieved if cognitive arousal is kept low
- high cognitive arousal and high somatic arousal causes sudden dramatic drop in performance (catastrophe) * e.g. a footballer putting in a dangerous tackkle in the first 5 minutes of an important cup game *
- if arousal continues to rise performance drops more or if cognitive arousal can be lowered the performance can start to recover
describe peak flow experience
- a phrase used to describe those achieving optimum performance levels and associte with a particular response.
decsribe the strengths of Hull’s Drive Theory of arousal
- simple to understand
- made more reliable by relating arousal to dominant response
- for some performers this is an accurate representation of what happens when arousal increases
- it helps teachers/ coaches to understand effect of arousal on performance
describe the problems with Hull’s Drive Theory of arousal
- quality of performance does not always increase as levels of arousal increase
- too simplistic view of the relationship between arousal and performance
- doesn’t take into account individual differences/ level of performer/ personality/ type of skill
- doesnt explain the decline in peformance at high arousal
- doesn’t explain why some people/ experts/ extroverts perform well at low arousal
describe the strengths of the Inverted U Theory of arousal
- seen to be more relaistic than Hull’s drive theory - it is true that there is a certain optimum point of arousal
- simple/ easy to understand
- helps coaches to understand effect of arousal on performance
- the optimal point of arousal can shift higher or lower for different personalities/ skill types
describe the problems with the inverted U theory of arousal
- still too simple a view of the relationship between arousal and performance
- doesn’t consider the effect if different types of arousal on performance
- it could be said to be too even a distribution/ relationship may not be U shaped
- it doesnt say what happens after peoplen under perform when over aroused
describe the strengths of the catastrophe theory of arousal
- shows a sudden decrease in performance, which is more likely then a gradual decline
- takes into account the relationship of both cognitive & somatic types of arousal
- shows that a performer can recover by lowering arousal resulting in performance improving again
- currently the more accepted explanation
describe the problem with the catastrophe theory of arousal
- not all performers will have sudden decline in performance when over aroused
- optimum arousal may not be at a mid-way point
- doesn’t take into account personality/ level of performer/ type of skill
