arousal and anxiety

Question 1

what is arousal?

Answer 1

• state of activation that varies on a continuum from deep sleep to intense excitement

Question 2

what is anxiety?

Answer 2

• negative emotional state with feelings of nervousness and worry associated with activation or arousal of the body

Question 3

what is anxiety in sport?

Answer 3

• unpleasant psychological state in reaction to perceived stress concerning performance of a task under pressure

Question 4

what is trait anxiety?

Answer 4

• general feeling of anxiety across situations
• ‘A- trait’ = personality characteristic
• stable as doesn’t change much over time

Question 5

what is trait anxiety an acquirement of?

Answer 5

• acquired behavioural tendency that influences behaviour

Question 6

what is state anxiety ?

Answer 6

• situational feelings of apprehension or tension
• ’ A-state’ is temporary and situation specific

Question 7

what is high trait anxiety associated with?

Answer 7

• high state anxiety

Question 8

is the relationship of state and trait anxiety perfect?

Answer 8

• no as highly trait anxious athlete may have a lot of experience in a particular situation so not perceived as threat
• some highly trait- anxious people learn coping skills to reduce state anxiety

Question 9

what is perceived control?

Answer 9

• degree to which one believes one has the resources and abilities to meet challenges

Question 10

what are the components of anxiety?

Answer 10

• cognitive=mind
• somatic = body

Question 11

what can happen to increase trait anxiety?

Answer 11

• repeated exposure to a high anxious state

Question 12

what is anxiety known as?

Answer 12

• multidimensional

Question 13

what is cognitive anxiety?

Answer 13

• mental component of anxiety
• worry, negative thought, feelings of nervousness/ apprehension

Question 14

what is somatic anxiety?

Answer 14

• perception of physical state
• increased respiration, sweat, heart rate and physical nervousness
  e.g. shaking, tense muscles

Question 15

is somatic anxiety accompanied by actual psychological changes ?

Answer 15

• not always accompanied
• changes as intense as perceived
• can be reduced by interventions

Question 16

how does anxiety vary?

Answer 16

• between people and over time
  e.g., cognitive maybe more prevalent ahead of time vs somatic on the day

Question 17

can anxiety be positive?

Answer 17

• can help some individuals as can be used as a positive manner to fuel sport
• perform better under pressure

Question 18

what is intensity?

Answer 18

• how much anxiety one feels

Question 19

what is direction?

Answer 19

• one’s interpretation of anxiety as being facilitative or debilitative to performance

Question 20

is direction or intensity more important? what does this depend on?

Answer 20

• type of anxiety
• personal and situational factors

Question 21

what are the two ways of measuring arousal and anxiety?

Answer 21

• direct measures and self- reported measures

Question 22

what are direct measures?

Answer 22

• physiological signs like heart rate, respiration, skin conductance and biochemistry assesses changes in substances like catecholamines, cortisol

Question 23

what are the strengths of direct measures?

Answer 23

+ direct comparison
+ quantifiable values

Question 24

what are the limitations of direct measures?

Answer 24

• expensive
• requires training
• may not reflect anxiety

Question 25

what are self reported measures?

Answer 25

• look at how people numerically rate their arousal using statements
• two categories; cognitive and somatic
  e.g., competitive state anxiety inventory-2

Question 26

what are the advantages of self reported measures

Answer 26

+ cheap
+ no training
+ easy

Question 27

what are the limitations of self reported measures?

Answer 27

• response bias/ socially desirable responding
• difficult to compare to other scores
• not always able to explain how we feel
• response scale can be limited