the innate capability of a stimulus to induce arousal. According to British-born Canadian psychologist Daniel E. Berlyne (1924-1976), a preference for a work of art, for example, is due to the amount of general arousal it produces. This derives from its psychophysical properties (e.g., intensity), collative properties (e.g., novelty), and ecological properties (meaningfulness, or signal value) to an individual. See also isohedonic trap.
AROUSAL POTENTIAL: “The person with a high arousal potential became more aroused when witnessing a meaningful event than a person with a low arousal potential, who was witnessing the same event. “