Effects of Arousal

Research indicates that extremely low and extremely high levels of arousal result in poor learning gain. Extremely low arousal results in errors of omission – being forgetful and unable to focus and concentrate on important things. Over-aroused individuals tend to lose proper restraint and act impulsively (Howard, 2006). Instruction should be engineered to generate the optimal level of arousal (Green & Bavelier, 2008). Apparently, the optimal level of arousal is task dependent. A high level of arousal works best for simple tasks, while a low level of arousal is more appropriate when performing complex tasks (Howard, 2006).