Arousal Theory and Physiology of Emotion

Yerkes-Dodson Law

• Overview: Describes the relationship between arousal and performance.

  • Performance improves with moderate arousal but declines when arousal is too high or too low.

  • Optimal arousal depends on the complexity of the task:

    • Simple tasks: High arousal can enhance performance.

    • Complex tasks: Low to moderate arousal is better to avoid cognitive overload.

• Limitations:

  • Individual differences: Perception of stress varies; what feels manageable for one person may be overwhelming for another.

  • Cultural and situational contexts also influence stress tolerance and arousal thresholds.

Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) and Specificity of Emotion

• Experiment Details:

  • Participants were instructed to mimic facial expressions associated with specific emotions (e.g., happy, angry).

  • Later, participants were asked to recall emotional memories matching those expressions.

• Key Findings:

  • Anger: Increased heart rate and finger temperature.

  • Demonstrates that different emotions can have unique physiological markers.

• Meta-Analysis #1:

  • Even among negative emotions, physiological responses vary.

    • Example: Fear may cause a rapid heart rate but cooler extremities, while anger increases finger temperature.

• Meta-Analysis #2:

  • Found some evidence of publication bias, where studies showing emotion-specific ANS responses are more likely to be published.

  • Suggests the need for caution in interpreting findings due to potential overrepresentation of positive results.

What is Stress?

• Stress occurs when external or internal demands disrupt homeostasis (the body's balance).

• The stress response is the body’s way of adapting to threats or challenges, but chronic stress can have negative effects.

Hans Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

• Purpose: Provides a biological framework for understanding stress responses in stages.

• Stages:

  1. Alarm Stage:

     • Initial reaction to stress.

     • Fight-or-flight response activates the sympathetic nervous system.

     • Physiological changes: Increased heart rate, adrenaline release, and heightened alertness.

     • Example: Rats fleeing from Hans Selye during his experiments.

  2. Resistance Stage:

     • Prolonged, moderate arousal as the body adapts to the stressor.

     • Physiological resources (e.g., hormones like cortisol) are deployed to maintain functioning.

     • Example: Rats stop fleeing but remain on edge, adapting to Hans Selye’s presence.

  3. Exhaustion Stage:

     • If stress persists for too long, the body’s resources become depleted.

     • Vulnerability to illness and fatigue increases as the body can no longer sustain resistance.

     • Example: Chronic stress leads to burnout or physical health problems.

Takeaways:

• Stress and arousal can benefit performance but must be managed to prevent negative effects.

• Emotions have distinct physiological responses, but individual and situational differences play a role.

• Chronic stress, as explained by GAS, highlights the importance of addressing stressors before reaching the exhaustion stage.

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