Yerkes-Dodson Law
The Yerkes-Dodson law (based on Robert Yerkes and John D. Dodson , 1908) describes cognitive performance as a function of the general nervous level of excitation ( arousal ), which is also referred to as activation level: there is a reverse between physiological activation and performance U-shaped connection. It is also known as the activation model.
The performance curve is very changeable for every person. It depends on the emotional and motivational level of arousal. If the demand is too low, the optimum in performance is not achieved - there is a performance leak. The increase in the level of excitation leads to an increase in performance up to a maximum value. If the level of arousal increases beyond the required level, the performance drops again.
If the power curve is entered in a coordinate system as a function of the level of excitation, the result is an inverted U-curve. This model is based on experiments on laboratory mice. Due to numerous similar findings in different species, a legal relationship is assumed.
Individual evidence
- ^ Yerkes, RM & Dodson, JD: The relation of strength of stimulus to rapidity of habit-formation . Journal of Comparative Neurology and Psychology, 18 (1908) 459-482 full text (PDF; 1.0 MB)
- ^ Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology . Springer New York, New York, NY 2011, ISBN 978-0-387-79947-6 , doi : 10.1007 / 978-0-387-79948-3 ( springer.com [accessed August 30, 2018]).