The Inverted U Model is sometimes misunderstood. Which statement about it is false?

• A. It links performance to pressure.
• B. It identifies four influencers: skill level, personality, trait anxiety, and task complexity.
• C. It predicts peak performance at moderate pressure.
• D. It suggests performance improves indefinitely with more pressure.

Answer: (D)

The Inverted U Model shows that performance improves as arousal or pressure increases, but only up to a moderate level. Beyond that optimum point, further increases in pressure cause performance to drop. So it does not imply that performance keeps getting better with more pressure indefinitely. At too little arousal, performance can be subpar due to under-stimulation; at too much arousal, anxiety and distraction impair performance. The idea that peak performance occurs at moderate pressure captures the core pattern, and while factors like skill, personality, trait anxiety, and task demands can shift where that peak sits, the non-linear relationship remains the central concept.