Lecture 7: Arousal, Stress & Anxiety

Question 1

What is arousal?

Answer 1

A level of physiological and psychological activation

Question 2

What is the arousal continuum?

Answer 2

Deep Sleep –>sleep–>drowsy–>relaxed–>alert–>excited–>intense excitement–>feelings of excessive discomfort/concern

Question 3

What is the physiological component of arousal?

Answer 3

increases or decreases in the body’s level of activation (e.g., HR, breathing, muscle tension…)

Question 4

What is the psychological component of arousal?

Answer 4

either positive feelings such as excitement/ confidence, or negative feelings such as fear/sadness or discomfort/concern

Question 5

What is the relationship between arousal and anxiety?

Answer 5

==/==
- Similar but not the same

Question 6

What is anxiety?

Answer 6

High arousal states that produce feelings of discomfort & concern - a perceived threat

Question 7

Anxious tendencies is a tendency to…

Answer 7

perceive competitive situations as threatening and to respond to these situations with feelings of apprehension and tension

Question 8

What is stress?

Answer 8

a substantial imbalance between environmental demand [physical &/or psych demands] and response capability, under conditions where failure to meet the demand has important consequences

Question 9

Stress is a perceived imbalance between…

Answer 9

demand and capabilities

Question 10

What type of anxiety does stress lead to?

Answer 10

“state” anxiety

Question 11

What is state anxiety?

Answer 11

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]

Question 12

What is competitive trait anxiety (CTA)?

Answer 12

A predisposition to perceive competitive sport as threatening and to respond to this perceived threat with varying levels of state anxiety

Question 13

What is cognitive state anxiety?

Answer 13

Thoughts/emotions; e.g. worries

Question 14

What is somatic state anxiety?

Answer 14

physical/physiological; e.g. arousal/activation – muscle tension, HR

Question 15

What is the relationship between trait and state anxiety?

Answer 15

• not a direct ‘one-to-one’ relationship
• correlations are moderate (approx. r = .70)

Question 16

What is the stress process?

Answer 16

Stage 1: Environmental Demand
Stage 2: Perception of Demands
Stage 3: Stress Response
Stage 4: Behavioural Consequences

Question 17

What do we need to use the stress model to identify?

Answer 17

the causes/sources of stress

Question 18

What do we need to use the stress model to understand?

Answer 18

the stress response and overall wellbeing

Question 19

What are the 2 sources of stress and anxiety?

Answer 19

1. Situational sources
2. Personal sources

Question 20

What are situational sources of stress?

Answer 20

(i) The importance placed on the outcome;…
(ii) Uncertainty about outcome, capabilities, and relationships with others: …

Question 21

What are personal sources of stress?

Answer 21

(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

Question 22

What are the 3 theories of arousal-performance relationship?

Answer 22

1. Drive Theory
2. Inverted-U Theory
3. Catastrophe Theory

Question 23

What is the drive theory?

Answer 23

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!

Question 24

What are predictions for drive theory?

Answer 24

(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.

Question 25

What is the inverted-U theory?

Answer 25

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.

Question 26

How does the inverted-U theory compare when completing complex compared to simple tasks?

Answer 26

Optimal arousal is higher for simple tasks, and lower for complex tasks

Question 27

Best performance is the…

Answer 27

“flow” experience

Question 28

What can under-arousal lead to?

Answer 28

Boredom and poor performance

Question 29

What can over-arousal lead to?

Answer 29

“choking”

Question 30

What arousal levels do tasks requiring fine motor control, involving steadiness, intense concentration & coordination (e.g., golf, archery, rifle-shooting) need?

Answer 30

Lower arousal levels

Question 31

What arousal do tasks requiring explosive strength, endurance & speed (e.g. sprinting, cycling, skiing, weightlifting) need?

Answer 31

Higher levels of arousal

Question 32

What is the problem concerning tasks requiring fine motor control (complex) and explosive strength (simple) having different optimal arousals (flow of arousal?

Answer 32

Many sports that involve speed and strength also involve focused attention and coordination…
eg., basketball, netball, soccer, hockey etc.

Question 33

Is there one universal optimal level of arousal?

Answer 33

Each sportsperson has her or his slightly different optimal level of arousal, optimal vary across skill and across individuals.

Question 34

Peak performance occurs at an….

Answer 34

Optimal level of arousal

Question 35

What is catastrophe theory?

Answer 35

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

Question 36

What does the catastrophe curve look like?

Answer 36

• 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’).

Question 37

What are somatic effects of over arousal?

Answer 37

(i) Decreased coordination - tight, jerky movements
(ii) “Paralysis by Analysis” - need to relax mind and body.

Question 38

What are cognitive effects of over-arousal?

Answer 38

(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.

Question 39

What are 4 ways that coaches can manage optimal arousal, stress and anxiety?

Answer 39

1. Know your players as individuals
2. Reduce the importance of outcomes
3. Reduce uncertainty
4. Help athletes to manage arousal levels

Question 40

How can a coach know their players as individuals?

Answer 40

(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.

Question 41

How can coaches reduce the importance of outcomes?

Answer 41

(i) Emphasize effort and doing ones best.
(ii) Set technique/performance goals [i.e.., ‘task Orientation’].

Question 42

How can coaches reduce uncertainty?

Answer 42

(i) Create a supportive atmosphere
(ii) Make sure goals are clear and specific: focus on ‘task Orientation’
(iii) Give consistent coach support.

Question 43

How can coaches help athletes to manage their arousal levels?

Answer 43

Mental Skills Training (MST)