Understanding Arousal and Its Impact on Performance

Arousal

Activation of energy for behavior preparation.

Physiological Arousal

Bodily changes indicating readiness for action.

Psychological Arousal

Subjective feelings of being aroused.

Sympathetic Nervous System

Prepares body for action during stress.

Parasympathetic Nervous System

Conserves energy and calms the body.

Autonomic Nervous System

Regulates involuntary bodily functions automatically.

Energetic Arousal

Positively felt arousal from sleepiness to alertness.

Tense Arousal

Negatively felt arousal from calm to anxious.

State Anxiety

Apprehension from immediate threatening situations.

Trait Anxiety

Tendency to perceive environments as threatening.

Collative Variables

Factors influencing arousal levels in stimuli.

Novelty

Unfamiliarity that increases arousal levels.

Complexity

More complex stimuli raise arousal compared to simple.

Congruity

Inconsistency with expectations increases arousal.

Inverted-U Arousal-Performance Relationship

Optimal performance occurs at moderate arousal levels.

Yerkes-Dodson Law

Optimal performance requires specific arousal levels.

Zone of Optimal Functioning Hypothesis

Individual inverted-U curves for each athlete's performance.

Hull-Spence Drive Theory

Performance influenced by arousal and motivation levels.

Cusp Catastrophe Model

Performance drops sharply after a certain arousal point.

Arousal-Biased Competition Theory

Arousal affects attention and processing efficiency.

Processing Efficiency Theory

Arousal impacts cognitive resources and task performance.

Attentional Control Theory

Anxiety inhibits attention control, affecting focus.

Hull-Spence Drive Theory

Drive creates arousal, intensifying dominant responses.

Drive

Physiological need producing psychological arousal.

Dominant Response

Most likely response in a given situation.

Tonic Immobility

Behavioral paralysis due to extreme stress.

Processing Efficiency Theory

Anxiety consumes working memory, hindering cognitive tasks.

Arousal-Biased Competition Theory

Arousal prioritizes attention to high-threat stimuli.

Cool Memory System

Hippocampus memory system, best at intermediate arousal.

Hot Memory System

Amygdala memory system, efficient at high arousal.

Inverted-U Hypothesis

Performance improves with arousal until a peak.

Cognitive Anxiety

Mental distress impacting performance and focus.

Behavioral Paralysis

Inability to act due to overwhelming stress.

Memory Recall

Retrieving information from memory under various arousal.

Affective Valence

Emotional value of arousal, positive or negative.

Intermediate Arousal

Optimal level for performance in many tasks.

Worry

Anxiety that occupies working memory space.

Flashbulb Memories

Vivid memories formed during high arousal events.

High Arousal in Easy Tasks

Facilitates correct dominant responses and performance.

High Arousal in Difficult Tasks

Increases likelihood of incorrect dominant responses.

Behavioral Defense Mechanism

Tonic immobility serves as a survival strategy.

Optimal Level of Stimulation (OLS)

Individual's ideal arousal level, varies over time.

Benign Masochism

Enjoying initially negative experiences perceived as threatening.

Stimulus Complexity

Influences pleasure; liking changes with complexity.

Habituation

Decreased response to stimuli after repeated exposure.

Incongruity

Unexpectedness that enhances enjoyment in humor.

Schemas

Mental representations of environmental regularities.

Discrepancy Hypothesis

Pleasure increases with moderate deviations from expectations.

Stress

Life demands exceed coping abilities, causing distress.

Coping

Behavior to adjust and manage external demands.

Stressors

Life events requiring coping; can be challenging.

Eustress

Positive stress from beneficial events, moderate arousal.

Distress

Negative stress from harmful events, extreme arousal.

Same Domain Effect

Negative events cause distress; positive events cause eustress.

Arousal and Affect

Positive affect peaks at moderate arousal levels.

Moderate Arousal

Optimal for pleasure; too much or little decreases enjoyment.

Stress Variability

Stressors differ in controllability, duration, and predictability.

Psychological Harm

Potential negative impact of stressors on mental health.

Chronic Stressors

Long-lasting stressors impacting health over time.

Racial Discrimination

Withholding opportunities based on a person's race.

Race-related Vigilance

Anticipation and preparation for potential discrimination.

Psychophysiological Disorders

Illnesses worsened by stress, like asthma or hypertension.

Psychoneuroimmunology

Study of stress effects on immune system functioning.

Cytokines

Cells communicating pathogen presence to the brain.

Planning Phase

Assessing demands and devising coping strategies.

Execution Phase

Implementing the chosen coping strategies.

Feedback Phase

Evaluating effectiveness of coping strategies used.

Primary Appraisal

Determining if an event is stressful or benign.

Secondary Appraisal

Evaluating coping resources and strategies available.

Problem-focused Coping

Identifying and solving the source of stress.

Emotion-focused Coping

Managing emotional responses to stressors.

Emotional Regulation

Controlling emotions' type and intensity experienced.

Reappraisal

Redefining an event to alter emotional response.

Controllable Stressors

Stressors that can be managed or changed.

Uncontrollable Stressors

Stressors beyond an individual's control.

Coping Strategy Effectiveness

Problem-focused better for controllable, emotion-focused for uncontrollable.

Feedback Loop

Reassessing coping strategies based on outcomes.