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The Yerkes-Dodson law demonstrates an empirical relationship between arousal and performance. It dictates that performance increases with cognitive arousal, but only to a certain point: when levels of arousal become too high, performance will decrease. A corollary is that there is an optimal level of arousal for a given task.

It is a scientific principle developed by psychologists Robert M. Yerkes and J. D. Dodson in 1908 and is grounded within the discourses of biopsychology and neuroscience.

Graph of Yerkes-Dodson Law

The process is often demonstrated graphically as an inverted U-shaped curve, increasing and then decreasing with higher levels of arousal.

It has been proposed that different tasks may require different levels of arousal. For example, difficult or intellectually demanding tasks may require a lower level of arousal for optimal performance (to facilitate concentration), whereas tasks demanding stamina or persistence may be performed better with higher levels of arousal (to increase motivation).

The effect of the difficulty of tasks later on led to the hypothesis that the Yerkes-Dodson Law can be decomposed into two distinct factors. The upward part of the converted U can be thought of as the energizing effect of arousal. The downward part on the other hand is caused by negative effects of arousal (or stress) on cognitive processes, like attention ("tunnel vision"), memory, and problem-solving.

There has been research indicating that the correlation suggested by Yerkes and Dodson exists (such as that of Broadhurst, 1959; Duffy, 1962; Anderson, 1988) but a cause of the correlation has not yet successfully been established (Anderson, Revelle and Lynch, 1989).

Despite some evidence existing in contrast to it, the law is generally respected.

• Arousal
• Cognitive dissonance
• Drive Theory (Social Psychology)
• Emotion
• Emotion and memory

• Anderson, Kristen Joan, William Revelle & Mary Jean Lynch (1989) Caffeine, impulsivity, and memory scanning: A comparison of two explanations for the Yerkes-Dodson Effect. Motivation and Emotion, 13.1, 1-20
• Yerkes, R.M. & Dodson, J.D. (1908) The relation of strength of stimulus to rapidity of habit-formation. Journal of Comparative Neurology and Psychology, 18, 459-482 Full text