Demonstrate how test anxiety or competition arousal affects peak performance in an employee work situation.

Create a PowerPoint presentation on the topic of 1) peak performance and test anxiety or 2) peak performance and competition arousal.

Test anxiety and competition arousal are two forms of evaluation arousal. Analyzing performance issues and making recommendations for improving productivity are real-world consultation requests.

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

Competency 2: Apply knowledge of theory and research in the study of human motivation and performance to inform personal behavior, professional goals, and values, and understand social policy.
Demonstrate how test anxiety or competition arousal affects peak performance in an employee work situation.
Recommend research-supported motivation techniques for managing test anxiety or competition arousal and for improving task performance in an employee work situation.
Competency 3: Communicate effectively in a variety of formats.
Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for members of professional communities.
Apply proper APA formatting and style.
Competency 4: Use research strategies to identify information in the domain of human motivation and performance.
Identify professionally reputable resources an organization could use to understand the connection between stress, health, motivation, and performance.
Competency 5: Explain the important theories, paradigms, research findings and conclusions in human motivation and performance.
Describe the biological, learned, and cognitive components of evaluation arousal in an employee work situation.

What is stress, and how does it produce its effects on our physical and psychological well-being? Evidence suggests that whether individuals experience positive feelings (eustress) or negative feelings (distress) as they interact with the environment can largely depend upon their cognitive appraisal of the environment and their reaction to it (Franken, 2007).

One of the major goals in the study of motivation is the elucidation of the factors that influence task performance. The best, or peak, task performance is thought to result from the ability to fully focus one’s attention on the task while performing at maximum capacity. Although people may intend to perform at their best, they often fall short of this goal due to the inability to fully focus their attention. By examining the relationship between arousal, attention, and peak performance, we can gain insights into the complex nature of the problem of gaining voluntary control over our attention mechanisms in order to achieve peak performance.

Reference
Franken, R. E. (2007). Human motivation (6th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.

Questions to Consider
As you prepare to complete this assessment, you may want to think about other related issues to deepen your understanding or broaden your viewpoint. You are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of your professional community. Note that these questions are for your own development and exploration and do not need to be completed or submitted as part of your assessment.

How does praise affect motivation and performance in children? Does it affect adults differently?
What are the three things that prevent us from achieving peak performance?