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Biology, emotion and stress
Published in Tony Cassidy, Stress, Cognition and Health, 2023
Before moving on from the biological perspective on stress, it is important to discuss another approach to the relationship between homeostasis and behaviour, which is sometimes ignored in the stress literature. That is the work on levels of physiological arousal, adaptation and behaviour. The Yerkes-Dodson Law (Yerkes & Dodson, 1908) identifies a relationship between physiological arousal and performance, which is generally accepted as the basis for a physiological explanation of anxiety. Essentially the law is based on the finding that there is an optimum level of physiological arousal in regard to performance. Levels below and above this optimum reduce performance, and the effect is described as the inverted U.
Introduction: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic
Published in Marc H. Bornstein, Psychological Insights for Understanding COVID-19 and Families, Parents, and Children, 2020
Lockdowns or quarantines at home may have salutary effects on some families, parents, and children who have not been impacted by the disease, financial distress, or other associated privations. They have provided opportunities for families to engage in activities together, with fathers and mothers at home to share cooking and meals, chores and game nights, and for parents and children to come to know one another more intimately than the centrifugal humdrum of pre-COVID normal daily routines ever allowed. Some parents and children may benefit from new realizations about each other and deeper appreciations of one another. Some extended families have “sheltered-in-place” so that grandparents, parents, and children occupy family “pods” or “bubbles” deepening intergenerational family ties. These grandparents praise the joy of constantly watching a girl or boy as they grow and change. Together, families have shared the experience of the pandemic which may be critical to negotiating it successfully (Hafstad, Haavind, & Jensen, 2012). Furthermore, the pandemic can be fearful and paralyzing, even for those not directly affected (Liu, Bao, Huang, Shi, & Lu, 2020), but as the Yerkes–Dodson law teaches anxiety and fear in small amounts can be motivating to behave sanely and appropriately. Indeed, adversity can be a springboard to the development of new strengths and skills.
Motivation
Published in Mohamed Ahmed Abd El-Hay, Understanding Psychology for Medicine and Nursing, 2019
The optimal level of arousal varies from person to person, from time to time, and from one situation to another. People who rank high on the dimension of sensation-seeking have a need for varied, complex, and unique sensory experiences (Zuckerman, 1979, 2007). People who participate in risky sports, high stakes gamblers, and criminals who perform high-risk robberies may be exhibiting a particularly high need for arousal. Research shows that moderate arousal is generally best; when arousal is very high or very low, performance tends to suffer. The optimal arousal level depends on the complexity and difficulty of the task to be performed. The Yerkes-Dodson Law states that performance on tasks is best when the arousal level is appropriate to the difficulty of the task (Yerkes & Dodson, 1908). It is generally accepted that higher arousal is needed for simple tasks, moderate arousal for tasks of moderate difficulty, and lower arousal for complex tasks. Too high or too low arousal for the task can affect performance.
Last word: a call to view temperamental traits as dual vulnerabilities and strengths in anorexia nervosa
Published in Eating Disorders, 2021
Heather Hower, Erin E. Reilly, Christina E. Wierenga, Walter H. Kaye
Area 1: Existing Data on Benefits of AN Temperamental Traits. Although no studies to date have explored temperamental traits as conferring benefits specifically within ED populations, some of the traits commonly associated with AN have been denoted as beneficial in other areas of research and in different populations. For instance, the well-known Yerkes-Dodson law suggests that moderate levels of anxiety may enhance performance and learning across certain tasks (Yerkes & Dodson, 1908). Additionally, there is a robust literature documenting that specific aspects of perfectionism are linked with achievement, subjective well-being, and meaning in life (Stoeber & Otto, 2006). Drawing from this data, it could be the case that the state- and trait-based influences that characterize the AN temperament confer benefits within the correct context, although this possibility has yet to be tested directly.
Learning Clinical Hypnosis Wide Awake: Can We Teach Hypnosis Hypnotically?
Published in American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 2018
Laurence I. Sugarman, Peter M. Schafer, David S. Alter, David B. Reid
It is noteworthy that the exercise that yielded the highest degree of engagement, struggle, and critical thinking, as suggested by the number of additional comments offered by participants, was “Basic Skills,” during which the hypnosis skill set described in Table 1 was practiced. Participants scored “Basic Skills” with a number, just above the midpoint. This is telling when considered in light of the Yerkes–Dodson law. This rule (or “law”) proposes that peak performance occurs within an environment of optimum arousal. Too much stress or distress (e.g., feeling exhausted, confused) or too little stress or eustress (e.g., lack of challenge or feeling boredom) diminishes performance. Being challenged, in a slightly positive direction (slightly more eustress than distress) elicits the greatest degree of an individual’s potential and engagement (Yerkes & Dodson, 1908). This “Goldilocks” spot of optimal learning has been furthered by Vygotsky’s (1978) theory of the zone of proximal development and Csikszentmihalyi (1997) theory of flow, both of which take into account contextual factors of safety and risk that may amplify or diminish educative environments (Roberts, 2015). It stands as an ethical imperative for educators and clinicians alike to assess and establish conditions that provoke changes in perspective, contribute to more complete understandings, and strengthen more adaptive abilities. Although further study is needed, our preliminary evidence suggests an experiential teaching of these basic hypnotic skills may indeed create an illuminative spark where the flint of challenge strikes the steel of comfort.
Use of saliva stress biomarkers to estimate novice male endoscopist’s stress during training in a high-end simulator
Published in Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology, 2021
Nikola Boyanov, Konstantinos Georgiou, Dimitrios Thanasas, Tanya Deneva, Ninos Oussi, Blagoi Marinov, Lars Enochsson
Our finding that in our setting higher levels of stress correlated with higher performance is in accordance with the Yerkes-Dodson law which states that there is an optimal level of arousal that results in optimal performance [43]. That optimal level of arousal differs from person to person, according to factors like the specific task, degree of skill, and confidence level [44].