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Updated: Sep 8, 2026

Task Interruption and Resumption Paradigm for Testing the Activation and Pursuit of an Abstract Thinking Goal
Published on: April 18, 2017
Interaction of task difficulty, activation, and work load
Abstract:
The performance of 25 subjects in three reaction tasks of different complexity was compared at different activation levels induced by five different work loads on a bicycle ergometer. Heart rate and blood pressure were used as indexes of activation. The results were in agreement with the Yerkes-Dodson law in that the optimal physiological activation level for rapid performance varied with the degree of task difficulty, relatively lower activation being more favorable the more difficult the task.
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