anxiety Flashcards
define anxiety
a level of nerves and irrational thinking
what are the four types of anxiety
somatic anxiety
cognitive anxiety
competitive trait anxiety
competitive state anxiety
characteristics of competitive trait anxiety
feeling nervous prior to a game/race
can be genetic/innate
displayed before all competitions, regardless of the importance
feeling nervous before every match/race (not controllable)
characteristics of competitive state anxiety
it is temporary
it is a responce to a particular moment or situation in a game
varies throughout the match/race
depends of the mood of the performer
controllable
what is the link between trait and state anxiety
an individual with high trait anxiety is more likely to experience high state anxiety when faced with a stressful situation, especially if they feel like others are watching/evaluating performance
characteristics of cognitive anxiety
it is psychological
irrational thinking
worrying
can occur before or during performance
believe they do not have the ability to complete the task
experience nervousness
loss of concentration
not being able to cope
characteristics of somatic anxiety
it is physiological
the bodies responce to an individual believing in their lack of ability leading to:
increased heart rate
sweating
muscular tension
nausea
generally worse at the start of the match and reduces as match goes on
what are the causes of anxiety
task importance
fear of injury/losing/embarrassment
percieved inaccuracy of officials decisions
being fouled
lack of self confidence
audience effects - big crowd
evaluation comprehension (scared of what people think of your performance)
what do cognitive and somatic anxiety look like on a diagram
y axis = performance quality
x axis = level of anxiety
somatic = inverted U - anxiety increases performance until a certain point
cognitive = \ - negative linear effect
how to cognitive and somatic anxiety look on a diagram
y axis = level of anxiety
x axis = time until comp
cognitive anxiety = straight line until two hours before competition, then inverted U
somatic anxiety = exact same as cognitive except underneath
what is a questionnaire (anxiety) and an example
a series of questions used to assess the levels of anxiety experienced by a performer
series of questions about their emotions in different situations
example - sport competition anxiety test (SCAT)
coaches can then evaluate which performers need help with managing anxiety
advantages of a questionnaire
quick, cheap and efficient
large numbers can be assessed
large amounts of information can be gathered in a short period of time
results can be compared easily
disadvantages of a questionnaire
participents may not understand the question being asked
they may not answer truthfully
answers may depend on the mood of participant
questions could be deemed as innapropriate so that biased results are given
responces can be influenced by the time it takes to answer all the questions - rushing
what is the SCAT (sports competition anxiety test)
consists of a series of 15 statements designed to measure how a player responds of competitive sporting situations
the test can distinguish between somatic and cognitive anxieties
should be completed an hour prior to the event to get an accurate result
measures confidence levels
the higher the score, the higher your competitive anxiety
weaknesses in dealing with stress and anxiety can be identified
what is observation
involves watching a performer during competition to assess signs of anxiety evident in their performance
can be analysed before during or after competition
advantages of observation
offers a real-life method, observing the player whilst training/competing allowing the coachto assess anxiety in the most relative environment
better validity of results - the coach knows their players and behaviours
disadvantages of observation
very subjective - observers may interpret things differently
time consuming
may need more that one observer to complete
observers will need to be aware of performers ‘normal’ anxiety levels so they can see any changes
performers can change their behaviour if they know they are being observed
performers could feel more uneasy/anxious if they know they are being observed - invalid results
what are physiological measures (anxiety measures)
monitor symptoms of somatic anxiety including increased heart rate, sweating, increased breathing rate, adrenaline secretion
advantages of monitoring physiological measures of anxiety
objective data - factual
comparisons can be easily made
immediate results
disadvantages of monitoring physiological measures of anxiety
coaches will need training on how to use equiptment properly - if not it could impact results
not all changes will be due to anxiety
cost of equiptment may stop amateur clubs from using it
some devices may restrict the performers movements
if the performer is aware that they are being measured it may cause additional anxiety causing an inaccurate reading
what is validity
describes whether the data collected actually measures what it sets out to measure
define reliability
refers to the degree to which data collection is consistant and stable over time
