Practice question · True or false
The optimal level of arousal is the same whatever the task, which is what makes the Yerkes-Dodson curve a single inverted U.
Hints
- What does arousal do to attention?
- Narrowing helps a simple task and hurts a complex one.
Show the answer
False
Why
False. The optimum shifts left as difficulty rises: arousal narrows attention, which suits a simple task needing one cue and harms a complex one needing several held together. That second half of Yerkes-Dodson is the part usually forgotten when the curve is drawn.
Practise Human Needs and Arousal Theories
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More questions on Human Needs and Arousal Theories
- Sort each task by whether it performs best at higher or lower arousal.
- Select every statement that is TRUE about arousal and performance.
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