Arousal, stress and anxiety (chapter 4)

Question 1

Define arousal

Answer 1

Arousal is a blend of physiological and psychological activation, varying in intensity along a continuum.

Question 2

Define anxiety

Answer 2

Anxiety is a negative emotional state with feelings of worry, nervousness and apprehension associated with activation or arousal of the body.

Question 3

What does state anxiety mean?

Answer 3

State anxiety refers to ‘right now’ feelings that change from moment to moment.

Question 4

What does trait anxiety mean?

Answer 4

Trait anxiety is a personality disposition that is stable over time.

Question 5

Who usually have more state anxiety in highly evaluative situations?

Answer 5

High trait anxious people.

Question 6

What is stress?

Answer 6

A substantial imbalance between physical and psychological demands placed on an individual and his or her response capability under conditions in which failure to meet demands has important consequences.
-difference between demands/load and perceived/actual ability to cope.

Question 7

Name the theories that explain how arousal and anxiety effect performance.

Answer 7

Drive theory and inverted-U hypothesis

• Individualized zones of optimal functioning
• Catastrophe theory
• Anxiety direction and intensity

Question 8

Is arousal and state anxiety always bad for performance? Explain your answer.

Answer 8

No, they can be facilitative or debilitative depending on the interpretation.

Question 9

What skills are critical for perceiving anxiety as facilitative?

Answer 9

Self-confidence and enhanced perceptions of control.

Question 10

What are the implications anxiety, stress and arousal have for practice?

Answer 10

Identify optimal combinations of arousal-related emotions needed for the best performance.
-Recognize how personal and situational factors interact to influence arousal, anxiety and performance.

Question 11

What happens to attention when highly and under aroused?

Answer 11

Highly- very narrow

Under- very broad

Question 12

Describe the stress model by McGrath

Answer 12

Environmental demand
Perception of demand
Stress response
Behavioral consequences

Question 13

In the stress model by McGrath what does ‘Environmental demand’ mean?

Answer 13

Physical (execute a new technique) or psychological (pressure from parents) demand.

Question 14

In the stress model by McGrath what does ‘Perception of demand’ mean?

Answer 14

The individuals perception of the physical or psychological demand.
-Since highly-trait anxious view more situations as threatening. Someone’s trait anxiety is an important influence in stage 2 of the stress response.

Question 15

n the stress model by McGrath what does ‘Stress response’ mean?

Answer 15

This is the persons individual physical and psychological response to a perception of the situation.

• Arousal levels
• State anxiety
• Muscle tension
• Attention change

Question 16

n the stress model by McGrath what does ‘Behavioral consequences’ mean?

Answer 16

The actual behavior of the individual under stress.

The final stage feeds back into the first, if you perform poorly there will be additional demand in stage 1.

Question 17

What does the drive theory suggest?

Answer 17

As an individual’s arousal or state anxiety increases, so too does performance.

Question 18

How do we measure arousal and anxiety?

Answer 18

• Physiological signs (heart rate, respiration, skin conductance, biochemistry).
• Global and multidimensional self-report scales
• CSAI- Competitive State Anxiety Inventory

Question 19

Why does arousal influence performance?

Answer 19

Increased muscle tension and coordination difficulties.
-Attention and concentration changes: narrowing of attention, attending to inappropriate cues, performance worries and situation irrelevant thoughts.

Question 20

What does the inverted U hypothesis suggest?

Answer 20

At low levels of arousal performance will be below par.
As arousal increases, so too does performance-up to an optimal point.
Further increase in arousal will cause performance to decline.

Question 21

What does the individualized zone of optimal functioning suggest?

Answer 21

A person’s optimal functioning may be at the lower, middle or upper end of the state anxiety continuum.

Question 22

How does the individualized zone of optimal functioning theory differ from the inverted U hypothesis?

Answer 22

• Optimal state doesn’t always occur at the mid point but varies from person to person.
• The optimum level of state anxiety is not a single point but a bandwidth.

Question 23

Describe the multidimensional anxiety theory

Answer 23

Predicts that cognitive state anxiety (worry) is negatively related to performance- increase in cognitive state anxiety leads to a decrease in performance.

Question 24

Describe the catastrophe phenomenon

Answer 24

Physiological arousal is related to performance in an inverted U fashion, but only when an athlete has low cognitive state anxiety.
If cognitive anxiety is high, performance will reach a threshold (as physiological arousal levels increase), just past the optimum level, and afterward a rapid decline in performance- catastrophe.

Question 25

What must an athlete do after a catastrophe?

Answer 25

• Completely relax physically
• Cognitively restructure by controlling or eliminating worries and regaining confidence and control.
• Reactivate or rouse himself in a controlled manner to again reach the optimum level of functioning.

Question 26

What is cognitive state anxiety?

Answer 26

Moment-to-moment changes in worries and negative thoughts.

Question 27

What is somatic state anxiety?

Answer 27

Moment-to-moment changes in perceived physiological arousal.

Question 28

What is perceived control state anxiety?

Answer 28

The degree to which one has the resources and ability to meet challenges.

Question 29

What is the reversal theory?

Answer 29

Contends that the way in which arousal effects performance depends basically on an individual’s interpretation of his arousal levels.

Question 30

What does the reversal theory predict?

Answer 30

That for best performance athletes must interpret their arousal as pleasant excitement rather than unpleasant anxiety.

Question 31

What is cognitive anxiety?

Answer 31

The thought component regarding anxiety.

Question 32

What is somatic anxiety?

Answer 32

The degree of physical activation perceived.

Question 33

What is social physique anxiety?

Answer 33

Is personality disposition defined as ‘the degree to which people become anxious when other observe their physiques’

Question 34

When will facilitative anxiety occur?

Answer 34

If the athlete feels in control the anxiety will become facilitative (positive expectancies of: ability to cope and achieving their goals)

Question 35

When will debilitative anxiety occur?

Answer 35

If the athlete doesn’t believe that they can complete the task and they can’t cope with the pressure, debilitative anxiety will occur. (negative expectancies of: ability to cope and achieving their goals)

Question 36

Why is an athlete’s perception of control relative to coping and goal attainment important?

Answer 36

It determines whether state anxiety will be viewed as facilitative or debilitative.