Art has just been on a long run at the beach with his dog. When he arrives home he is still breathing hard and his heart is still racing; he is physiologically highly aroused. When a neighbor bumps into him in the hallway, Art completely freaks out and verbally attacks the neighbor. He demands: "Did you just push me? Do you have a problem, man?" It looks like Art may have misattributed his arousal (from his run to his neighbor). That is, Art's behavior illustrates ____.
A) the Yerkes-Dodson law
B) sham
C) catharsis
D) excitation transfer

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Art's behavior illustrates excitation transfer, which occurs when physiological arousal from one situation carries over to influence emotions and behavior in a subsequent situation. In this case, Art's arousal from his run at the beach may have caused him to overreact and misattribute his arousal to his encounter with the neighbor. This is an example of how emotions and behavior can be influenced by factors other than the immediate situation. Choices A, B, and C are not applicable to this scenario.

Art Has Just Been on a Long Run at the Beach