Anxiety (SP) Flashcards
Define anxiety
negative aspect of stress characterised by irrational thinking, loss of concentration and fear of failure
What are the the characteristics of competitive trait?
- a disposition to suffer nerves in most sporting situations
- consistent
- stable
- a player worrying before all games
- anxious behaviour all the time
What are the the characteristics of competitive state?
- anxiety experienced at a specific time during a competitive situation
- situation dependent
- temporary rush of anxiety
- caused by threatening circumstances (e.g. taking a penalty)
- may be cognitive and / or somatic
What occurs when an individual is going through somatic anxiety?
- psychological responses
- muscular tension
- shaking
- pacing
- poor coordination
- increased heart rate
What occurs when an individual is going through cognitive anxiety?
- psychological responses
- irrational thinking (nerves)
- worrying
- confusion
- loss of concentration
How long before a competition do we usually start to get nervous?
1 hour 30 mins before
What worries performers that can cause anxiety?
- being watched
- running out of time when losing
- injury
- increased competition
- playing badly
- letting the team down
What are the ways we can measure can we measure anxiety?
- questionnaire
- observation
- physiological measures
What are the advantages of questionnaires?
- quick, efficient and cheap
- deals with lots of info
- allows easy comparison
- lots of people can answer at the same time
What are the disadvantages of questionnaires?
- biased answers
- questions can be misunderstood
- subjective
- depends on mood of the person
- low response rate
What are the advantages of observations?
- true to life
- during a real game
What are the disadvantages of observations?
- behaviour change when watched
- subjective
- may need 1 or more observers
- know the performer
What are the advantages of physiological measures?
- objective
- factual
- specific
- measured in real situations
What are the disadvantages of physiological measure?
- may cause stress when measured
- may need training to use equipment
- device may resist performance
What is a SCAT test?
Sports Competition Anxiety Test
- a questionnaire used by psychologists to measure anxiety
- For each statement, three responses are possible:
- Hardly ever, sometimes, often
