The Yerkes Dodson Law says that there is an optimal level of arousal needed for the highest level of performance. In practical terms this means that when an animal’s arousal levels are very low or very high their performance is poor, but performance is high when an optimal, middle ranging, level of arousal is achieved. In 1955 Donald Hebb wrote about the ‘inverted U’ relationship between arousal and performance. Because of its similarity to the inverted U relationship outlined by Yerkes and Dodson’s experiments on habituation and performance earlier in 1908, Hebb’s concept was forever referred to as an example of the Yerkes Dodson Law. The Yerkes Dodson Law says that there is an optimal level of arousal needed for the highest level of performance. In practical terms this means that when an animal’s arousal levels are very low or very high their performance is poor, but performance is high when an optimal, middle ranging, level of arousal is achieved. Performance here could mean sports performance or indeed learning and memory performance, and so this relationship has application for both training and for behaviour modification techniques that involve learning and memory. In this webinar we will examine the neurobiology of arousal and how it relates to the Yerkes Dodson Law. We will relate this to practical examples of working with animals to train skills or modify behavior, helping us to understand and prioritize an individual’s needs, and maximize performance.

Sponsor:Behavior Vets
Speaker(s):Dr. Kathy Murphy

Contact: Behavior Vets
 Email: webinars@behaviorvets.com
 Phone: 646-616-1001
 Web: https://behaviorvets.mylearnworlds.com/course/the-yerkes-dodson-law