What law states that performance is related to arousal, with moderate arousal yielding better performance, and that the optimal level varies with task difficulty?

• A. Drive theory
• B. Incentive approaches
• C. Yerkes-Dodson law
• D. Expectancy theory

Answer: (C)

Arousal and performance interact with how hard a task is: as arousal rises, performance improves up to a point, but beyond that point higher arousal actually hurts performance. The level of arousal that is optimal isn’t fixed; it depends on how difficult the task is. For easier tasks, you can be more aroused and still perform well, while for harder tasks you need a calmer, more focused state to optimize accuracy and problem-solving.

This is the Yerkes-Dodson law. It specifically describes the inverted-U relationship between arousal and performance and notes that the peak of that curve shifts with task difficulty. For example, a simple, well-practiced task might benefit from a bit more arousal, whereas a demanding, complex task performs best at moderate arousal levels with fewer distractions.

Other theories don’t capture this nuance. Drive theory suggests performance continuously improves with arousal for all tasks, which isn’t what this law shows. Incentive approaches and expectancy theory focus on rewards, expectations, and motivation rather than how arousal levels interact with task difficulty to shape performance.