Question

4. Summarize the Yerkes-Dodson Principle and explain how it relates to you and your stress levels.

Answer 1

The Yerkes - Dodson principle states that arousal and performance of an individual is related to each other. An individual can have varying rates of arousal, and that the arousal level will have an impact on their performance. When the arousal is too low, the performance of an individual will be poor or below par as the person will be less motivated and be lazy and casual. When the arousal is too high, the individual feels increased pressure and stress, and in this situation their performance will be poor. This theory states that there is an optimum level of arousal, and in this optimum level of arousal, the performance of the person is at its peak.

When i play table tennis, and opponent is weak or if am not aroused enough then i play casually and my performance is poor. Whereas, if my opponent is much better than me, than my stress level goes up and my arousal level is too high and my performance is poor. The best situation is when i am optimally motivated and aroused, and when there is a slightly challenging opponent, then my performance is the best.