The Effects of Induced Arousal on Learning and Performance of a Pursuit Motor Skill

Abstract

To examine the effects of induced-arousal on learning and performance of a motor skill, 42 subjects were administered practice on a pursuit rotor task over 2 days. Fifteen trials were given on Day 1 and 10 trials were administered 24 hr. later. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: related arousal, unrelated arousal, or control. Arousal was enhanced by administering electric shock during trials 6-15 on Day 1. Subjects in the related arousal group received shock if their performance did not reach an established criterion, whereas subjects in the unrelated arousal group received shock on a random schedule regardless of their performance. The control group received no shock. To determine if the induced-arousal was anxiety evoking, the A-State form of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory was administered. Analysis of the results indicated that electric shock administration significantly enhanced arousal of the related arousal group over the control group but not the unrelated arousal group. Performance was not affected by either arousal condition. Learning rate was significantly enhanced in the related arousal group over the control group but not in the unrelated arousal group. Implications of these findings are discussed.