YERKS-DODSON Law (eng. Yerkes-Dodson law)- empirical generalization, originally established by Amer. psychologists Yerkes and Dodson (1908) in experiments on animals (rats), regarding the influence of the strength of motivation (level of arousal) on the effectiveness of activity with different difficulty of the task being performed (for example, distinguishing brightness). In a generalized form, the law can be formulated in the form of 2 provisions:
- the dependence of performance on the level of motivation is characterized by a curvilinear function (in the form of an inverted U-shaped curve); in other words, there is a certain optimum motivation for performing k.-l. activities;
- the level of optimal motivation is inversely related to the level of task difficulty, i.e. the more difficult the task for the subject, the lower the level of optimal motivation. (B. M.)
Psychological dictionary. A.V. Petrovsky M.G. Yaroshevsky
Yerkes-Dodson law- shows the dependence of the quality (productivity) of the performed activity on the intensity (level) of motivation.
- The first Yerkes-Dodson Law states that as the intensity of motivation increases, the quality of activity changes along a bell-shaped curve: first it increases, then, after passing through the point of the highest performance indicators, it gradually decreases. The level of motivation, at which the activity is performed as successfully as possible, is called the optimum motivation.
- According to the second Yerkes-Dodson Law, the more difficult the activity is for the subject, the lower the level of motivation is optimal for it.
Laws were discovered by American psychologists R.M. Yerkes and J.D. Dodson in 1908. when studying the dependence of learning on the strength of reinforcement (electrical shock) in mice. Subsequently, the laws were confirmed on the material of other types of activity and motivation, both in animals and in humans.
Dictionary of psychiatric terms. V.M. Bleikher, I.V. Crook
Neurology. Complete explanatory dictionary. Nikiforov A.S.
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Oxford Dictionary of Psychology
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We talk a lot about, and performance, and are used to believing that the best result is achieved with the highest level of motivation, but is this true? How motivated should a person be to achieve maximum success? The Yerkes-Dodson law provides answers to these questions.
What is the essence of the law?
The Yerkes-Dodson Law states that the best results are achieved with an average level of motivation. That is, there is a limit (the optimum of motivation), up to which motivation grows and after which it begins to decline. Visually, this can be represented as a parabola:
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In fact, the Yerkes-Dodson law includes two laws. The first of them is described above, and the second says that the higher the complexity of the task being performed, the lower the optimal level of motivation, and vice versa: the lower the complexity, the stronger the optimal motivation. Why this is so, you will understand by reading about the reasons for the maximum effectiveness of the average motivation.
Why the Yerkes-Dodson Law Works
As early as 1908, Yerkes and Dodson, during experiments, found out that when teaching animals to go through a maze, the most effective is the average degree of motivation (motivation was set by the intensity of electric shocks). Why is this happening?
Until the optimum point is reached, motivation grows according to the laws known to all: the stronger the need to complete the task, the better we cope with it.
But after reaching the optimum point, we begin to experience emotional stress: we worry, we strain, we experience. And, of course, due to these circumstances, our productivity drops. Therefore, the higher the motivation after the optimum point, the worse we cope with the task.
Practical application of the Yerkes-Dodson law
We have already talked about the experiment with animals, but the research was not only with them. Of course, people were not taught to pass the maze and were not shocked, but in relation to the person, the pattern that Yerkes and Dodson talk about was also revealed.
People were asked to complete the task for a certain material reward. As the amount increased, the interest of the participants also increased, they coped better with the task. But until a certain point.
When the amount of remuneration became large enough, people began to get nervous and worried, which prevented them from coping with this task. This experiment confirmed the validity of the Yerkes-Dodson law.
It was experimentally determined that for simple tasks, the optimal motivation is 7-8 points on a ten-point scale, for tasks of medium complexity - about five points, for difficult tasks - 2-3 points.
In view of the above, pay attention to what level of motivation you need to achieve.
For example, if you are the boss and entrust some difficult task to your subordinate, then “motivating” him by firing him or depriving him of his bonus in case of failure will not be the best solution. Such motivation will only get in the way of completing a difficult task.
And don't forget to watch how you motivate yourself. Perhaps somewhere you lack motivation, or perhaps somewhere you have too much of it. Strive to reach the optimum in order to achieve the best results!
Response Plan
The structure of activity and motivation.
Optimum motivation.
Motivation for success and failure.
Influence of motivation on productivity.
Yerkes-Dodson law.
Achievement motivation.
Answer:
Influence of motivation on productivity.
The structure of activity and motivation.
An analysis of the structure of both material and spiritual activity reveals the following main elements that make up its approximate content: motives that prompt the subject to activity; goals - the results to which the activity is aimed: the means by which the activity is carried out. In accordance with this, in the very process of the interaction of the subject with reality, a certain way motivated activity as a whole, the purposeful actions included in it, and, finally, the automated components of these actions are distinguished - operations that ensure the use of available funds, and conditions for achieving the desired result. The productivity of activity will be the highest with the best ratio of motives, goals and means.
Motivation is a set of reasons that determine, support, set behavior. The success of the activity is influenced by the strength and structure of motivation. The higher the strength of motivation, the higher the result of activity. The motive can be characterized qualitatively. There are external and internal motives. If for a person the activity is important in itself (knowledge is the goal) - internal motivation, if other needs are significant - external motivation. What kind of motives dominate depends on various reasons: the nature, individual characteristics of the personality, and the nature of the activity itself also affects the type of motive.
Optimum motivation.
It is known that in order to carry out activities, sufficient motivation is necessary. However, if the motivation is too strong, the level of activity and tension increases, as a result of which certain disorders occur in activity (and behavior), i.e., work efficiency worsens. In this case, a high level of motivation causes undesirable emotional reactions (tension, excitement, stress, etc.), which leads to a deterioration in performance.
It has been experimentally established that there is a certain optimum(optimal level) of motivation at which the activity is performed best (for a given person, in a particular situation). For example, the level of motivation, which can be conditionally estimated at seven points, will be the most favorable. The subsequent increase in motivation (up to 10 or more) will lead not to an improvement, but to a deterioration in performance. Thus, a very high level of motivation is not always the best. There is a certain limit beyond which a further increase in motivation leads to worse results. This nature of the interaction between the productivity of activity and motivation is described by the laws of scientists R.M. Yerkes and J.D. Dodson.
Last updated: 07/12/2015
According to the arousal theory, people are motivated to perform certain activities by the need to maintain an optimal level of physiological arousal.
According to experts, when the level of arousal falls below the optimum, a person begins to look for incentives that could restore him.
For example, a meeting with friends, a fun party, etc. If this level rises too high, we prefer quieter and more relaxing activities, such as walking.
It depends on the characteristics of a person what this level should be.
For one, a relatively low one is enough, for another, a high one is not enough. For a person with a low optimal arousal level, simple activities are enough to feel comfortable (embroidery or watching a movie). While a person whose optimal level of arousal should be high sometimes even requires risk to maintain it - such people choose motorcycles, skydiving, etc.
This theory is somewhat similar to the drive reduction theory, but instead of focusing on stress reduction, it focuses on maintaining it.
Arousal and activity
According to arousal theory, the level of arousal has a huge impact on our performance.
This phenomenon is also called the Yerkes-Dodson law. This law says that increasing the level of arousal has a positive effect on our performance, but only as long as it does not reach the optimal level. Starting from this point, with a further increase in the level of arousal, our performance again begins to "limp" more and more.
Most students experience this effect for themselves during a session.
An increased level leads to positive results, as it allows a person to remain attentive and concentrated. Excessive excitement makes us nervous and tired, so we are not able to get the most out of ourselves.
A bit of history
This phenomenon was first described in 1908 by psychologists Robert Yerkes and John Dillingham Dodson. They found that the electric current spurred the rats running through the maze, but with a significant increase in the discharge, the rats began to rush around the maze in various directions, trying to get rid of the painful sensations. The scientists came to the conclusion that this experiment suggests that increased levels of stress and arousal can have a positive effect on motivation and attention, but only up to a certain point.
Nervousness before an exam is just an example of the Yerkes-Dodson law at work. A light experience maintains an optimal level of arousal and helps us focus on tasks, as well as retrieve the necessary information from memory. Strong nervousness impairs concentration and complicates the extraction of information from memory.
The same phenomenon can be found in sports: slight excitement helps an athlete to make a well-aimed shot, an accurate blow, and the right movement. Rarely, when the hero of the match becomes a man who at the most crucial moment suddenly begins to beat a nervous tremor.
Hello,
Dear readers and guests of my blog!
It turns out that there is a psychological law that can explain our failures in business and failures in projects we start!
This is the Yerkes-Dodson law. And he is an article.
Very often, people striving to achieve something significant in life and aimed at success ask questions:
how to manage motivation?How does a low level of motivation affect ? and how to reduce this negative impact?
At the same time, the majority believes that the basis of any failure, any failure to achieve the goal and failure to fulfill the tasks (or their poor performance) there is little motivation.
But few people know that the cause of failures abandoned halfway through and unachieved goals can be an extremely strong motivation, an excessive level of perseverance and diligence.
Everyone knows the phenomenon when an excellent student who knows everything fails the exam, and a three-year student who misses classes, who took up the textbook only last night, successfully passes it.
Or another common example.
Many people who want to lose extra pounds, charged with perseverance and unbending will, spend huge efforts, time and money, but never achieve their cherished goal.
And if something works out for them, then it is not possible to stay at the treasured point of the weight minimum for a long time.
Or one more example.
A teenager, once watching a performance by a famous athlete, decided.
He began to train intensively, disappear for days in the gym, participate in competitions, and even win them.
But after several months of extremely hard training, he quits sports and never remembers them again.
Many employers are faced with the so-called paradoxical behavior of employees, when, with an increase in material remuneration for work, the efficiency of employees drops significantly, as their motivation decreases.
At the same time, they cause stress and emotional tension between management and employees, which further worsens the situation.
In addition, most leaders do not know how.
Similar examples of decreased motivation, not achieving the goal, throwing in the middle of things, projects that were previously started with great enthusiasm, you can bring a great many.
As a rule, such failures are explained by a weak will and a low level of motivation.
Of course, in some cases it is. But in others, everything is exactly the opposite, - It's all because of too much motivation.
Yerkes-Dodson law
(The essence and history of discovery)
In 1908, scientists John Dodson and Robert Yerkes trained rats to navigate a maze.
They found that with increased motivation, the accuracy and speed of performing an action increases, but this cannot last indefinitely.
When motivation reaches a certain level and becomes too high, the quality and speed of the actions performed begin to deteriorate.
When they conducted an experiment on humans, the same pattern emerged. A group of subjects were offered to solve puzzle problems, they were paid money for the correct solution, it was.
The amount grew from task to task. It is clear that the motivation of the subjects also increased. They worked reluctantly, sluggishly and waddle for small amounts, but as the amounts became more attractive, the motivation and desire to solve problems as quickly and as much as possible grew.
And so, when the amount of the monetary incentive became excessive, which was expressed in excessive tension, excitement, fear that “such a big jackpot could slip away from me,” the speed of solving problems and the quality of the solutions themselves began to decline sharply.
Too strong motivation causes in people, which negatively affects the level of motivation.
What conclusion can be drawn from this?
Correctly! Weak motivation is not enough to effectively perform actions and achieve goals.
But excessive, too strong motivation interferes with this. Hence, to achieve success, you need an optimal level of motivation.
In other words, as a rule, where we want something too much, extremely want to achieve something, we will fail.
What is the optimum or optimal level of motivation?
This is the level of motivation that most contributes to effective performance and promotes success.
Let's consider this using the example of an athlete who wants to win the title of master of sports and a woman who wants to reduce her weight from 80 to 65 kilograms.
Suppose they set these goals for themselves, developed action programs and began to implement them.
By the beginning of the implementation, their motivation was at an optimal level. Here are his signs.
Signs of reaching the optimum
motivation
- interest in the activities performed and in the goal set is maintained and even increased;
- stable ;
- the desire to finish the work qualitatively and achieve the goal dominates;
- performance of actions, the activity proceeds evenly and in an organized manner, without forcing events;
- adequate (objective, conscious and rational) reactions to the behavior of competitors (in the case of an athlete, these are his rivals, in the case of a woman, for example, her friend);
- , creative determination and drive to action.
But at some point, their motives, i.e. the desire to improve their social status and the desire to become attractive become excessive and begin to put a lot of pressure on the heroes of our story.
This is facilitated by external pressure, for example, from girlfriends and a coach, and internal coercion - extraordinary efforts of will.
All this leads to a violation of the optimum motivation. Here are the signs of this:
Signs of loss of optimal
level motivation and
- excessive tension builds up when instead of enthusiasm and determination appears;
- there is a desire to finish the job faster at the expense of quality
- subjective and emotionally conditioned haste, the desire to force events, or even to quit everything;
- for failure to complete the task and not achieving the goal (an obsessive thought may appear: “What if something happens and I don’t succeed”);
- errors appear when performing actions;
- the first signs of aggression appear in relation to others and in relation to oneself, ;
- the goal and activities to achieve it begin to cause hostility;
- the role of volitional qualities increases, instead of enthusiasm, it becomes necessary to force oneself to strive for the goal by force;
It is not difficult to imagine what will happen next.
The level of motivation of our fictional characters will begin to plummet, and their progress towards the goal will be greatly slowed down, or they will completely abandon these goals.
Knowing the Yerkes-Dodson law, what would we advise our characters to optimize their motivation management?
Ways to maintain optimal motivation
- Review your priorities. Is it so vitally important to achieve the intended goal and get what you want? What is behind such a strong desire? Doesn't it reduce? Does it impoverish your life? If you do not learn, perhaps this is not your goal and none of your business?
- Use less negative motivational stimuli, such as, for example, punishment, psychological pressure and threats, deprivation of any benefits. Do not force yourself, it is of little use, it is better to look for new, more effective ways of motivation.
- Use more positive stimuli, such as praise, care, recognition of merit, moral ways of motivation, etc. Treat yourself to a day of rest, a trip to the cinema, or something pleasant.
- Reduce the number and level of negative reactions to failure. Other owls, if something has not been learned, treat yourself condescendingly, with care. “Yes, it’s bad, I’ll try again!”.
- Learn to switch. Have a couple more interesting activities in reserve, which can temporarily replace the main activity.
- Learn to relax properly, switch more actively from work to rest. Rest is the most important component of life, without it you will not be able to be effective at work.
- Remember that not only the goal in itself should bring pleasure, but also the path to it, the activity aimed at achieving it.
- Allow yourself to make mistakes, after all, you can learn from mistakes.
Thus, if you know what the Yerkes-Dodson law is, you can properly organize the management of motivations, both your own and the motivation of other people.
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