This result, which originated in a 1908 study on Japanese dancing mice by its two eponymous psychologists, is often described as a “law” of human behavior, despite conflicting evidence. For 10 points each:
[10m] Name this result that states that performance increases as arousal increases, but only up to a point.
ANSWER: Yerkes–Dodson law
[10h] This psychologist’s cue utilization theory suggests that an increase in arousal narrows attention so the mind focuses only on relevant cues, but too much of an increase narrows the attention too much.
ANSWER: J. A. Easterbrook [or James A. Easterbrook]
[10e] Another theory of the relationship between performance and arousal is Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s (“MEE-hye CHICK-sent-mee-HA-yee’s”) theory of this highly focused mental state, which is colloquially known as being “in the zone.”
ANSWER: flow state
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