Yerkes-Dodson law

proper noun

A law of psychology stating that performance increases with physiological or mental arousal, but only up to a point, beyond which it decreases.

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Meanings

proper nounthe Yerkes-Dodson law
  1. A law of psychology stating that performance increases with physiological or mental arousal, but only up to a point, beyond which it decreases.

Origin

Developed in 1908 by psychologists Robert M. Yerkes and John Dillingham Dodson.

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Cite this entry
APA

Yerkes-Dodson law. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Yerkes-Dodson%20law

MLA

“Yerkes-Dodson law.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Yerkes-Dodson%20law. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Yerkes-Dodson law,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Yerkes-Dodson%20law.

Source: Yerkes-Dodson law on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.