Barbara is a professor and gives lectures to groups of students ranging from 40 to 100.She is never anxious,enjoys giving these lectures,and doesn't have many problems speaking in front of the students.However,at a conference,Barbara has been asked to speak in front of a group of approximately 1000 of her academic peers.Based on the principles in your text,Barbara is most likely to

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The principle of optimal arousal suggests that performance is best when arousal level is moderate. However, the size of the audience and the level of formality can influence arousal level. Barbara's experience with groups of 40 to 100 students may have become a well-learned behavior and thus may not lead to excessive anxiety. However, a sudden increase to a group of 1000 academic peers, who are likely to be more formal and critical, can increase arousal level and potentially lead to anxiety that interferes with her speaking abilities. Therefore, it is likely that Barbara may experience some difficulty during her speech due to anxiety.

Barbara Is a Professor and Gives Lectures to Groups of Students