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