arousal

what are the two elements of motivation?

• intensity of behaviour (arousal)

• direction of behaviour (the response we make because of the level of arousal)

define arousal?

the level of excitement that a person feels, or the physiological and psychological readiness a person feels.

what is physiological readiness?

somatic arousal, which is physical e.g. faster heart beat before a competition

what is psychological readiness?

cognitive anxiety e.g. anxiety or worry felt before the same big event.

who created the drive theory?

Hull (1943)

describe the drive theory graph

• their is a linear relationship between arousal and the performance of the dominant response (learned behaviour that is most likely to occur when arousal increases)

what does the drive theory suggest about cognitive learners?

• beginners are affected negatively and perform badly when arousal is high as their dominant response is likely to be incorrect 

• low levels of arousal suit learners at the cognitive and associative stages of learning 

• high arousal inhibits the performance of perceptual and fine motor skills e.g. spin bowling in cricket

what does the drive theory suggest about autonomous learners?

• experts are affected positively and perform well when their arousal is high because their dominant response is likely to be correct 

• high arousal will benefit expert performers who like to be challenged 

• high arousal helps the performance of dynamic skills e.g. shot putt 

what is a limitation of drive theory?

it only considers the effect of somatic arousal on performance - not the influence of cognitive anxiety