Overview

Create an 8-slide 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. Drawer

Context

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).

Drawer

Resources

Suggested Resources

The following optional resources are provided to support you in completing the assessment or to provide a helpful context. For additional resources, refer to the Research Resources and Supplemental Resources in the left navigation menu of your courseroom.

Library Resources

The following e-books or articles from the University Library are linked directly in this course:

• Whiteley, P. (2002). Motivation. Oxford, UK: Capstone Publishing.

• Murray, G., Nicholas, C. L., Kleiman, J., Dwyer, R., Carrington, M. J., Allen, N. B., &Trinder, J. (2009).Nature's clocks and human mood: The circadian system modulates reward motivation. Emotion, 9(5), 705-716.

• Oyserman, D., Fryberg, S. A., & Yoder, N. (2007). Identity-based motivation and health. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 93(6), 1011-1027.

Course Library Guide

Bookstore Resources

The resources listed below are relevant to the topics and assessments in this course and are not required.

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

• Assessment Instructions

Test anxiety and competition arousal are two forms of evaluation arousal. Create a PowerPoint presentation in which you analyze issues associated with peak performance in the workplace and recommend techniques for improving employee work performance.

Preparation

For this assessment, assume that your work organization has asked for your help in improving employee work performance. Surveys have determined that some employees struggle with test anxiety while others struggle with competition arousal, both of which prevent peak performance. Conduct research to identify:

• Biological, learned, and cognitive factors that might be affecting the employees' reactions to stress in the environment.

• Motivation techniques, such as rewards or praise, that can be used to manage the stress and improve peak performance.

Instructions

Create a PowerPoint presentation on the topic of 1) peak performance and test anxiety or 2) peak performance and competition arousal. Include a script in the notes section of each slide detailing what you would say to an audience about that slide. In the presentation, complete the following:

• Describe the topic you are addressing and its impact on employee performance. That is, demonstrate how test anxiety or competition arousal affects peak performance in the employee work situation.

• Describe the biological, learned, and cognitive components of evaluation arousal in the employee work situation.

• Recommend motivation techniques-supported by the literature-for managing test anxiety or competition arousal to improve peak performance.

• In the final slide or slides, compile and present a list of five resources that would help the organization understand the connection between stress, health, motivation, and performance. These resources must be scholarly resources from the library or from reputable professional organizations (for example, American Psychological Association, American Medical Association) found on the Internet.

Additional Requirements

Your presentation should meet the following requirements:

• Written communication: Written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.

• APA formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to APA sixth edition style and formatting.

• Number of resources: At least 3 scholarly academic resources supporting the presentation content, and five scholarly or professionally reputable resources listed as potential resources for the organization to use, are included in the presentation.

• Number of presentation slides: The presentation includes a minimum of 8 slides, excluding the title slide and bibliography slide(s) of references.

• Presentation notes: Each slide includes the presenter's script (what you would say during the presentation) in the notes section of the slide.