Yerkes-Dodson Law
the principle that performance increases with arousal only up to a point, beyond which performance decreases,
The Yerkes-Dodson law is a principle in psychology that outlines the relationship between arousal levels and performance. The law was suggested by psychologists Robert Yerkes and John Dodson in 1908.
The basic idea behind the Yerkes-Dodson law is that increased levels of arousal can improve performance up to a certain point. However, once the arousal level surpasses this optimal point, performance begins to decline. This means that the relationship between arousal and performance is curvilinear, meaning that it follows an inverted U-shape.
The optimal level of arousal for performance varies depending on the task at hand, with simple tasks such as memorization benefiting from lower levels of arousal, and more complex tasks such as decision making benefitting from higher levels of arousal.
There are several factors that can influence the optimal level of arousal for an individual person, including the person’s personality, motivation, skill level, and experience. Additionally, it is important to note that the Yerkes-Dodson law is simply a guideline, and that there can be individual differences and exceptions within any given task or situation.
Overall, the Yerkes-Dodson law serves as a useful framework for understanding the complex interplay between arousal and performance in various contexts, and has practical applications in areas such as sports performance, education, and industrial psychology.
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