Anxiety, Arousal and Stress Flashcards
Define Arousal
A blend of physiological and psychological activation
Define Anxiety
The negative emotional state associated with feelings of worry or nervousness and apprehension
Give the 4 sub-headings of anxiety
Cognitive
Somatic
State
Trait
Define Cognitive anxiety
Thought component of anxiety associated with worry and concern about capability to achieve a task
Define somatic anxiety
Physiological component of anxiety associated with performers increase in HR and BP
Define state anxiety
Moment to moment changes in feelings of nervousness or worry to a situation deemed as threatening
Define trait anxiety
Acquired predisposition to perceive situations as threatening, responding to these with disproportionate state anxiety levels.
Give 3 physiological symptoms indicating anxiety/arousal
o Heart rate o Blood Pressure o Respiration o Skin conductance o Biochemistry
What can the global and multi-dimensional self-report scales be used to indicate
Levels of anxiety/arousal
Give one problem associated with the competitive state anxiety inventory
Subject to bias
Subjective
Give one benefit associated with the competitive state anxiety inventory
Sport specific, so reliable for athletes
Define stress
A state of psychological tension produced by certain perceived physiological and/or psychological pressures facing the performer. It is the perceived imbalance between the demands of the situation and the capability of the performer to meet them.
Give the order of the stress response
Environmental demand
Individual’s perception of the ED
Stress response
Behavioural outcome
Give examples of the stress response
- Arousal
- State anxiety
- Muscle tension
- Attention changes
Describe drive theory
This states that as arousal/state anxiety increases so does performance.
Describe the inverted-u hypothesis
As physiological arousal increases, so does performance, but only up to an optimal point. If arousal is too high, performance will decrease.
Describe the IZOF
Each individual has a preferred level of state anxiety that results in the best performance. Rather than an optimal point, there is a bandwidth and performance with levels of anxiety within the band will result in optimal functioning.
Describe the catastrophe model
Performance will increase with arousal up to an optimum point, but, if after that point cognitive arousal remains high then rather than being a gradual drop in performance there is a catastrophic drop.
If the performer can regain composure, performance will improve again.
What happens to performance if anxiety is viewed as facilitative
Performance improves
What happens if performance is viewed as debilitative
Performance decreases
Describe Jones’ control model of competitive anxiety
A stressor is introduced, and the performers individual differences affect whether they feel in control or not. If they do feel in control, symptoms are interpreted as facilitative and vice versa
Describe how arousal can influence performance (bullet points)
- Increased muscle tension
- Increased coordination difficulties
- Attentional narrowing
- Focusing on incorrect cues
- Performance worries and situation irrelevant thoughts
What is the experience of complete failure in performance called (caused by arousal)
Choking
How might an athlete view anxiety differently to a non-athlete?
They may see it as more facilitative
What are the three headings of anxiety reduction techniques called
- Somatic
- Cognitive
- Multimodal
Describe biofeedback
Being attached to a machine which measures HR, Breathing rate, blood pressure etc. Through practice, the performer can learn to control these responses and transfer these techniques to the game situation
Give a disadvantage of biofeedback
Time consuming to learn
Requires sophisticated machinery
Describe progressive muscular relaxation
Performers’ learn to tense and then relax specific muscle groups to develop awareness of what tension feels like to relax in a game
Describe breathing (ART)
Controlling breathing rate to reduce muscular tension and focus the mind
Describe imagery
- External imagery- performer pictures themselves performing task successfully as others would see them
- Internal imagery- performer pictures themselves performing task successfully as they would see the situation themselves
Describe positive self-talk
Maintaining a positive focus by talking to themselves e.g. I can do it
Describe autogenic training
Series of exercises designed to produce the sensations of warmth and heaviness to produce a relaxed state
Describe stress inoculation training
An individual is exposed to stress in increasing amounts, thereby enhancing their immunity to stress
Give 3 ways to increase arousal
- Increase breathing rates
- Act energised
- Use mood words and positive statements
- Listen to music
- Use energising imagery
- Complete a pre-comp workout
Give 3 sources of stress (personal)
- Trait anxiety
- Self esteem
- Social physique evaluation anxiety
Describe Reversal Theory
The effect of arousal on performance depends on an individual’s interpretation of their arousal level. Best performance is when they view arousal as pleasant excitement
Describe the Multidimensional Anxiety Theory
States increases in cognitive anxiety decreases performance. At the same time, somatic anxiety is related to performance in an inverted U
How can increased arousal affect attention
By changing the attentional style- so the peak flow cannot occur (if negatively changed)
How can a coach use knowledge of arousal to benefit performance
- Identify optimal arousal levels
- Recognise how situational factors will affect this level
- Recognise signs of arousal increasing
- Tailor coaching and instructional practices to individuals
- Develop self-confidence
