Anxiety

Question 1

Definition of arousal

Answer 1

1. A general physiological and psychological activation of the person that varies on a continuum from deep sleep to intense excitement
2. Arousal is your level of excitement and readiness to perform
3. The state of general preparedness of the body for action involving both physiological and psychological factors

Question 2

Definition of anxiety

Answer 2

• a negative aspect of stress

Question 3

What are the two types of anxiety?

Answer 3

1. State
2. Trait

Question 4

Definition of state anxiety

Answer 4

• situational specific anxiety

Question 5

Example of state anxiety

Answer 5

• a dancer rehearsing in a closed studio will experience lower levels of anxiety compared to performing to a large audience

Question 6

Definition of trait anxiety

Answer 6

• personality related anxiety

Question 7

Example of trait anxiety

Answer 7

• some people have a higher level of anxiety as part of their personality

Question 8

For cognitive performers/learners what does an increase in arousal and anxiety leads to?

Answer 8

• inconsistent performance/ reduced performance with errors

Question 9

For autonomous performers/learners what does an increase in arousal and anxiety leads to?

Answer 9

• dominant successful performance

Question 10

What are the 3 dimensions of anxiety?

Answer 10

1. Cognitive
2. Somatic
3. Behavioural

Question 11

Cognitive anxiety

Answer 11

• mental impairment of performance

Question 12

Symptoms of cognitive anxiety

Answer 12

• worry, apprehension, doubt, incorrect decision-making, confusion, feelings of unable to perform

Question 13

Somatic anxiety

Answer 13

• physiological effects

Question 14

Symptoms of somatic anxiety

Answer 14

• poor muscle control, sweating, high HR, shaking, nausea

Question 15

Behavioural anxiety

Answer 15

• involves the actions and behaviours a performer exhibits because of anxiety

Question 16

Symptoms of behavioural anxiety

Answer 16

• fidgeting, pacing, biting nails

Question 17

What theories are used to explain the impact of anxiety and arousal on performance?

Answer 17

1. Drive theory
2. Inverted U theory
3. Catastrophe theory

Question 18

Drive theory

Answer 18

A01
- the first theory
- it is a linear relationship between performance and arousal
- as arousal increases so does performance
- increase in arousal causes the dominant habit to occur more
- the dominant response is more likely as arousal increase
- the skill level of performance depends on how well the skills have been learned
Drive theory can be summarised as:
Performance= arousal (habit) x skill level (habit strength)
A02
According to drive theory,
- autonomous stage of learning/ well learnt dominant response perform better as arousal levels increase/ at high arousal
- cognitive stage of learning/ unskillful dominant response performs worse with high levels of arousal/ better with low levels of arousal
Practical examples: if the drive theory has some truth then:
The ‘autonomous’ footballers should have won the challenge and made very few mistakes because the dominant response is to be able to shoot a ball correctly and confidently
Practical exam answer responses:
E.g. a novice rounders player who is trying to impress his friends missed the ball
E.g. an expert dancer scores performs the best they ever have in their A-LEVEL PE assessment
A03
Pros
- simple to understand. Clearly shows the relationship between arousal and performance
- this theory is made more reliable/ accurate by relating arousal to dominant response
- for some performers/ autonomous stage of learning/ experts it is an accurate representation of what happens when arousal increases
- it is more likely to be accurate for certain types of skills e.g. gross skills such as rugby tackles etc
- it helps teachers/ coaches to understand effect of arousal on performance

Cons
- quality of performance does not always increase as levels of arousal increase
- too simplistic a view of the relationship between arousal and performance
- doesn’t consider individual differences/ level of performer/ type of skill.
Does not explain the reasons why skilled performers in the autonomous phase of learning often fail to complete skills in situations of high arousal
- doesn’t explain decline in performance at high arousal: for example, consider how often a professional player appears to make an easy mistake, such as missing a penalty or dropping a catch
- doesn’t explain why some people/ experts/ personalities/ extroverts perform well at low arousal e.g. scoring a goal when you aren’t trying hard in training
- doesn’t acknowledge drive reduction/ idea that performer may lose motivation/ perceive task to be fulfilled so drive reduced
Application: effective for well-learned or simple tasks where the dominant response is correct. However, for complex or new tasks, increased arousal may lead to incorrect responses

Question 19

Inverted U theory

Answer 19

• second theory
• this theory states that as the athletes arousal levels increases so will their performance; this rise will continue to an ‘optimum point’ where performance will be at a very high level
• However, if arousal continues to rise beyond this ‘optimum point’ performance will deteriorate
• Small amount of anxiety suggests that the performer is causal or inattentive, therefore unlikely to perform at his or her best (i.e. produce a low performance)
• high anxiety or arousal can cause over-excitement or disruption of concentration or attention or control
• the inverted U theory explains the difference depend on the type of activity, personality, and stages of learning

Question 20

Inverted u theory: type of activity

Answer 20

• gross skills require high optimum levels of arousal. Sports examples is a clean and jerk
• fine skills require a lower optimum level of arousal. Sports example is a snooker shot
• too much or too little arousal interferes with coordination, decision making and/ or performance

Question 21

Inverted U theory: personality

Answer 21

• extroverts perform better when under situations of high levels of arousal (they have lower base line arousal levels)
• introverts perform better under situations of low levels of arousal (they have higher baseline arousal levels)

Question 22

Inverted U theory: stages of learning

Answer 22

• cognitive stage: requires low levels of arousal because of the inability to attend to many cues, so they are unable to chunk information, the increased arousal causes a narrow attention band which means they will miss vital cues
• high arousal in beginners (cognitive) will impair performance. The dominant response is incorrect therefore performance
• autonomous stage: requires high levels of arousal because they can chunk information together and run whole motor programmes as one piece of information. This frees attention channels, so the attention band needs high arousal to narrow and block out irrelevant cues
• elite (autonomous) performer with a well-learned task, dominant response will be correct so high arousal will not impair performance it will help improve performance

Question 23

Inverted U theory evaluation (A03)

Answer 23

Pros
- it is seen to be more realistic than drive theory
- it is true that there is a certain optimal point of arousal/ that above or below optimal arousal performance quality is lower
- it is simple and easy to understand and to apply
- it helps teachers/ coaches to understand the effect of arousal on performance
- the optimal point of arousal can shift higher or lower for different personalities/ skill level/ types of skill
Cons
- it is still too simple/ limited view of the relationship between arousal ad performance
- it could be said to be too even a distribution. Performance can drastically drop if aroused
- the two models do not distinguish between the effects of somatic and cognitive anxiety. Catastrophe theory suggests that an athlete is affected differently by each type of anxiety and that performance does not simply drop off. Sometimes the performance can dramatically decline.

Question 24

Catastrophe theory (linked to graph in book)

Answer 24

Point a- cognitive anxiety is high. Somatic anxiety is low. Performance is enhanced
Point b- cognitive anxiety is high. Somatic anxiety is high. Performance can deteriorate.
Point d- performance does not return to original level immediately even though performer is trying to decrease arousal
Point c- performance still deteriorating

Question 25

Catastrophe theory

Answer 25

- a theory that predicts a rapid decline in performance resulting from the combination of high cognitive anxiety and increasing somatic anxiety - devised by Hardy and Frazier (1987) - It is a development of the inverted U theory but involves a faster and more dramatic reduction in performance - it is more a model than theory because it tries to predict human behaviour rather than explain it

Question 26

What do the previous anxiety models not distinguish between?

Answer 26

The effects of somatic and cognitive anxiety. They focus on arousal

Question 27

What does catastrophe theory suggest?

Answer 27

- it suggests that an athlete is affected differently by each type of anxiety and that performance does not simply drop off - sometimes the performance can dramatically decline - catastrophe theory proposes that when an athlete is under conditions of low cognitive anxiety the relationship between performance and somatic anxiety would follow the inverted U theory - so, if an athlete is experiencing raised heart rate and butterflies in their stomach but not worried about how they are playing, they would experience a rise in performance to an optimal point followed by a gradual drop off - under conditions of high cognitive anxiety the relationship between somatic anxiety and performance would rise to the optimal level but any increase in somatic anxiety would result in a catastrophic decrease in performance. Once this has occurred it is difficult to return to the original levels of optimal performance

Question 28

What happens to cognitive anxiety before and during performance?

Answer 28

- it tends to peak prior to performance and then drops off significantly during performance

Question 29

What happens do somatic anxiety before and during performance?

Answer 29

- somatic anxiety tends to remain high throughout

Question 30

Describe the main effects of increasing anxiety on sports performance? (2 marks)

Answer 30

- negative thoughts - loss of concentration - not feeling in control - muscle tension

Question 31

Effects of anxiety on performance

Answer 31

- over-arousal: excessive arousal can impair performance, especially in tasks requiring fine motor skills or complex decision making - choking: a significant decline in performance under pressure, often due to heightened anxiety disrupting focus and execution

Question 32

Relationship between arousal and anxiety

Answer 32

Anxiety and arousal are interrelated; increased anxiety can elevate arousal levels. The impact on performance depends on the individuals perception and management of these states

Question 33

Stress and stressors leading to anxiety

Answer 33

- physiological: fatigue, injury, or illness - psychological: fear of failure, loss of confidence, or negative self-talk - behavioural: poor preparation, lack of routine, or negative habits

Question 34

Strategies to manage anxiety

Answer 34

(A01) 1. Pre-game routines: establishing consistent routines to create a sense of control and readiness. - helps athletes prepare mentally and physically - aim to optimise performance, enhance focus, reduce anxiety and prevent injury (A02) Include: - physical warm up: light exercise, stretching to increase blood flow and activate muscles - mental prep visualisation techniques: breathing exercises, meditation to stay focused, calmness and build confidence - nutrition and hydration: eating a balanced meal or snack to fuel body and drinking enough water to stay hydrated - tactical review: going over strategies, plays or key object with teammates (A03) Positives - improved focus and mental clarity - enhanced performance - consistency and confidence - injury prevention Negatives - time constraints - superstition/ mental block - lack of adaptability - over load and fatigue (A01) 2. Mental rehearsal: visualising successful performance to build confidence and reduce anxiety - helps organise the steps in a task - individuals can refine their technique before physically executing them which can enhance their actual performance and reduce the risk of injury - can help to reinforce positive outcomes and success which increases motivation and helps to create a sense of accomplishment before physically performing the task (A02) - Golfer Jack Nicklaus - Before hitting a putt he would often use mental rehearsal as part of his preparation - before stepping up to the ball he would close his eyes and imagine the entire putt including the slope of the green, direction of the grain, and the exact path the ball would take - he then would picture the ball rolling smoothly and breaking in the right direction (A03) Positives - enhances focus and concentration - improves skill execution - boosts confidence - enhances motivation Negatives - time consuming - over reliance on visualisation - under realistic expectations - distraction from present moment - difficult for beginners (A01) 3. Centring: focusing on breathing and bodily sensations to ground oneself in the present moment (A02) - one example of a sports performer using centring, is Ronaldo before a penalty kick. He uses centring by performing a couple of deep breaths to relax his chest and shoulder muscles. This allows him to fully focus on the movement he must do. (A03) Positives - relaxes heart rate - enables focus on task Negatives - only helps somatic strategy - a lack of time to do the correct centring technique - sportspeople often use the incorrect technique of centring making it ineffective 4. Self talk: using positive affirmations to counter negative thoughts 5. Thought stopping: interrupting negative thought patterns to maintain focus 6. Progressive muscle relation (PMR): systematically tensing and relaxing muscle groups to reduce physical tension 7. Breathing control: practicing deep, rhythmic breathing to calm the nervous system 8. Biofeedback: using monitoring devices to gain awareness and control over physiological functions