Lecture 7: Arousal, Stress & Anxiety Flashcards
What is arousal?
A level of physiological and psychological activation
What is the arousal continuum?
Deep Sleep –>sleep–>drowsy–>relaxed–>alert–>excited–>intense excitement–>feelings of excessive discomfort/concern
What is the physiological component of arousal?
increases or decreases in the body’s level of activation (e.g., HR, breathing, muscle tension…)
What is the psychological component of arousal?
either positive feelings such as excitement/ confidence, or negative feelings such as fear/sadness or discomfort/concern
What is the relationship between arousal and anxiety?
==/==
- Similar but not the same
What is anxiety?
High arousal states that produce feelings of discomfort & concern - a perceived threat
Anxious tendencies is a tendency to…
perceive competitive situations as threatening and to respond to these situations with feelings of apprehension and tension
What is stress?
a substantial imbalance between environmental demand [physical &/or psych demands] and response capability, under conditions where failure to meet the demand has important consequences
Stress is a perceived imbalance between…
demand and capabilities
What type of anxiety does stress lead to?
“state” anxiety
What is state anxiety?
A current emotional state or mood characterised by feelings of apprehension and muscle tension and associated with negative affect [i.e., affect = emotions, feelings, moods]
What is competitive trait anxiety (CTA)?
A predisposition to perceive competitive sport as threatening and to respond to this perceived threat with varying levels of state anxiety
What is cognitive state anxiety?
Thoughts/emotions; e.g. worries
What is somatic state anxiety?
physical/physiological; e.g. arousal/activation – muscle tension, HR
What is the relationship between trait and state anxiety?
- not a direct ‘one-to-one’ relationship
- correlations are moderate (approx. r = .70)
What is the stress process?
Stage 1: Environmental Demand
Stage 2: Perception of Demands
Stage 3: Stress Response
Stage 4: Behavioural Consequences
What do we need to use the stress model to identify?
the causes/sources of stress
What do we need to use the stress model to understand?
the stress response and overall wellbeing
What are the 2 sources of stress and anxiety?
- Situational sources
- Personal sources
What are situational sources of stress?
(i) The importance placed on the outcome;…
(ii) Uncertainty about outcome, capabilities, and relationships with others: …
What are personal sources of stress?
(i) Trait Anxiety – predisposition to perceive competition and social evaluation as more or less threatening.
(ii) Self-esteem – low self-esteem leads to low self- confidence and :. higher levels of state cognitive anxiety
What are the 3 theories of arousal-performance relationship?
- Drive Theory
- Inverted-U Theory
- Catastrophe Theory
What is the drive theory?
There is a linear (straight line) relationship between performance and arousal: the more highly aroused (i.e.. ‘psyched-up’) the athlete, the better the performance. More is better!
What are predictions for drive theory?
(i) Increased arousal increases the probability of the dominant (most well-learned) response.
(ii) Performance will improve with increases in arousal if the skill is simple and/or the dominant response is the correct response.
What is the inverted-U theory?
There is an inverted-U relationship between arousal and performance; performance will increase in proportion to increases in arousal up to a certain point. Beyond this optimal level, performance will begin to decrease.
How does the inverted-U theory compare when completing complex compared to simple tasks?
Optimal arousal is higher for simple tasks, and lower for complex tasks
Best performance is the…
“flow” experience
What can under-arousal lead to?
Boredom and poor performance
What can over-arousal lead to?
“choking”
What arousal levels do tasks requiring fine motor control, involving steadiness, intense concentration & coordination (e.g., golf, archery, rifle-shooting) need?
Lower arousal levels
What arousal do tasks requiring explosive strength, endurance & speed (e.g. sprinting, cycling, skiing, weightlifting) need?
Higher levels of arousal
What is the problem concerning tasks requiring fine motor control (complex) and explosive strength (simple) having different optimal arousals (flow of arousal?
Many sports that involve speed and strength also involve focused attention and coordination…
eg., basketball, netball, soccer, hockey etc.
Is there one universal optimal level of arousal?
Each sportsperson has her or his slightly different optimal level of arousal, optimal vary across skill and across individuals.
Peak performance occurs at an….
Optimal level of arousal
What is catastrophe theory?
explains that the relationship between physiological arousal (somatic), cognitive arousal, and anxiety are multidimensional - that the ‘symmetrical’ curve of the Inverted-U is not very realistic
What does the catastrophe curve look like?
- Increase in physiological arousal leads to increased performance up to a certain optimal point.
- After this point is reached the person perceives an imbalance between demands and capabilities (i.e.. stress), which leads to cognitive anxiety and performance suddenly and dramatically drops/fails (i.e.., ‘choking’).
What are somatic effects of over arousal?
(i) Decreased coordination - tight, jerky movements
(ii) “Paralysis by Analysis” - need to relax mind and body.
What are cognitive effects of over-arousal?
(i) Negative thoughts - worry about worrying
(ii) Lose self-confidence
(iii) Attention and concentration shift - ‘tunnel vision’ - focus of attention becomes too narrow and important
information is missed.
What are 4 ways that coaches can manage optimal arousal, stress and anxiety?
- Know your players as individuals
- Reduce the importance of outcomes
- Reduce uncertainty
- Help athletes to manage arousal levels
How can a coach know their players as individuals?
(i) Recognise individual levels of optimal arousal
(ii) Individualise motivation techniques
(a) Not everyone needs an emotional pep talk.
(b) many players need to relax.
How can coaches reduce the importance of outcomes?
(i) Emphasize effort and doing ones best.
(ii) Set technique/performance goals [i.e.., ‘task Orientation’].
How can coaches reduce uncertainty?
(i) Create a supportive atmosphere
(ii) Make sure goals are clear and specific: focus on ‘task Orientation’
(iii) Give consistent coach support.
How can coaches help athletes to manage their arousal levels?
Mental Skills Training (MST)
