Arousal

what is arousal?

• the intensity of our emotion, motivation and behaviour

• amount of drive to achieve

• amount of psychological readiness

when a performer experiences arousal what will the effects be?

• both psychological and physiological

• including increased heart rate and increased sensitivity to stimulation

are the effects of arousal on a performer positive or negative?

the effects can be both negative or positive

what are the 3 arousal theories?

• drive theory

• inverted U theory

• Catastrophe theory

what is Hulls drive theory of arousal another name for?

drive theory

how does drive theory describe the relationship between arousal and performance?

linear - the higher the arousal level the higher the performance level

describe what the drive theory graph looks like?

according to drive theory what happens if a well learned skill (dominant response) is performed correct?

the performance will be intensified

according to drive theory what happens if a well learned skill (dominant response) is performed incorrect?

the level of performance could decrease

when may drive reduction occur (drive theory of arousal)?

• if the individual loses motivation

• if the performer believes they are performing to the best of their abilities and therefore the performance becomes habitual and no motivation for improvement is needed

what are some strengths of drive theory?

• Simple to understand, clearly shows the relationship between arousal and performance

• It is easy to understand

• This theory is made more reliable/accurate by relating arousal to dominant response

• Helps teachers and coaches to understand the effect of arousal on performance

what are some weakness of drive theory?

• Quality of performance does not always increase as arousal does

• Doesn't consider the effect of different types of arousal on performance

• Too simplistic view of relationship between arousal and performance

• Doesn't explain why some skills (simple or gross) are performed well at low arousal

• Doesn't take into account individual differences

• Doesn't explain decline in performance at high arousal

• Too simple / limited view of relationship between arousal and performance

• Isn't applicable to novices because their dominant response is likely to be incorrect

what does the inverted U theory suggest?

• There is an optimum arousal level and if aroused more than this performance will decline and they will become anxious

• At lower levels of arousal the performer will not be physiologically or psychologically ready to perform their best

when may the optimum amount of arousal shift - the U shift (in inverted U theory)? and examples

Type of activity: gross skills (weight lifting) require high arousal, fine skills (snooker) require low arousal

Skill level of the performer: the more skilful the performer, the higher the optimum arousal could be

Personality of the performer: the more extrovert the performer, the higher the arousal likely for optimum performance

describe what the inverted U theory graph looks like

what are some strengths of the inverted U theory?

• True that most sports performers respond positively up to a mid-way point

• It is more likely to be accurate for certain types of skills (gross/simple)

• It is true there is a certain optimum point of arousal

• Recognizes optimal arousal levels can differ for different people/personalities

• The optimal point of arousal can shift higher or lower for different personalities/skill levels/types of skill

what are some weakness to inverted U theory?

• Too even a distribution or relationship may not be U shaped

• Optimum arousal may not be at mid-way point

• Doesn't explain how performance can recover after overarousal has occurred

• Doesn't acknowledge drive reduction 

what does the catastrophe theory for arousal suggest?

• performance increases while arousal increases until optimum and from there, there is a dramatic decline in performance as arousal increases

• it also suggests during the dramatic decline there is possibility to recover and lower arousal bringing it back to near the start

in the catastrophe theory of arousal what are the 2 types of arousal?

• somatic arousal

• cognitive arousal

in catastrophe theory what does somatic arousal and cognitive arousal contribute to and effect?

• Cognitive arousal is more crucial in determining the performers reaction to high levels of stress

• As somatic arousal increases so will performance quality. The optimal level of arousal can only be reached with lower levels of cognitive arousal (CA)

• If there are high levels of both cognitive and somatic arousal then performance will decline dramatically

• If after the catastrophe, CA decreases than performance can improve but not to optimum level

what are some strengths of the catastrophe theory of arousal?

• Gives a realistic explanation for why a performer 'goes to pieces' in a big event

• Shows that a performer can recover by lowering arousal resulting in performance improving again

• Shows a sudden decrease in performance which is more likely than a gradual decline

• Takes into account the relationship of both cognitive and somatic types of arousal

what are some weaknesses of catastrophe theory of arousal?

• Not all performers will have a dramatic decline in performance when over aroused

• Doesn't take into account individual differences

• Some performers cope really well with cognitive arousal by using stress management techniques

• Catastrophes could be said to only be at extremely high levels of arousal

what is an AO1, AO2 and AO3 example of a skill which may require different levels of arousal?

AO1 - gross skills may require higher levels of arousal

AO2- e.g. sprinting/shot put/ long jump

AO3 - because they involve large muscle groups/they don’t need so much small control