Master of Education in Applied Human Development Graduate Projects

Abstract

The relationship between anxiety and sport performance has been investigated since the early 1900s when Yerkes & Dodson coined Yerkes-Dodson Law, which stated that there was an inverted “U” shape between arousal and performance (Gill et al., 2025, p. 158). Although this research was originally conducted using an animal model, it was eventually applied to human contexts, including athletic performance. According to this law, athletes must have a moderate level of arousal in order to perform at their best, while having too little or too much arousal will negatively influence athletic performance. Because anxiety often includes physiological (i.e., somatic) and psychological (i.e., cognitive) arousal, the relationship between arousal and performance has been extended to include anxiety (Gill et al., 2025, p. 157). While this theoretical framework is considered outdated, it indicates that the link between arousal / anxiety and performance has been examined for over a century. More current models of anxiety and performance, such as Hanin’s Individualized Zone of Optimal Functioning (IZOF) model, posit a more nuanced approach to this relationship, and the IZOF model will be discussed later in this paper.

Advisor

Dr. Ray Schneider

Second Reader

Dr. Todd Keylock

Semester

Spring

Year

2026

Degree

M.Ed.

Program

Kinesiology

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