Sport Psychology - Anxiety Flashcards
What is anxiety?
The negative aspect of experiencing stress it can be caused by worry or apprehension.
How do individual differences affect anxiety?
In the way that people interact with the situation.
What are the different types of anxiety?
Trait and state anxiety.
High anxiety = more likely to experience high state anxiety in stressful situations but other situational factors can cause high state anxiety.
What is the effect of general anxiety?
High trait anxiety performance are likely to be anxious in highly stressful situations. Some performers may be very anxious in training but in a match with a large crowd they are not as anxious this is competitive trait anxiety.
How can the competition process affect anxiety?
The interaction between personality factors, competitive trait, anxiety, and the situation.
– This interaction will affect behaviour and may cause state anxiety.
What is competitive trait anxiety?
A tendency to perceive competitive situations as threatening & to respond to these situations with feelings of apprehension.
What is the SCAT?
Involves giving competitors a self report questionnaire to assess the anxiety they felt during competition, it measures competitive trait anxiety.
What is the relationship between somatic and cognitive anxiety with sport?
– When levels are high then performance can be negatively affected.
– Both types are inextricably linked so one can often lead to another.
– The control of both types is very important to ensure optimal performance .
What is the zone of optimal functioning?
An emotional response that facilitates top performance.
How can one achieve the zone of optimal functioning?
- Be relaxed.
- Be confident.
- Be completely focused.
- Activity is effortless.
- Movements are automatic.
- Fun.
- In control.
What is cue utilisation?
– Attention is more effective if the performer concentrates on cues that are relevant at that time.
– If the cues aren’t used effectively, the sports person fails together relevant information from the field of play.
What is the cue utilisation theory?
– As the arousal level of the athlete increases their attention narrows.
– The optimum level of arousal is moderate because this is when the athletes cueing ignores irrelevant cues.
– If arousal levels are too low, both irrelevant and relevant cues are attended to.
– If arousal levels are too high both types of queues are ignored.
What is trait anxiety?
Proposes that anxiety is innate stable and enduring and consistent across situations.
What is state anxiety?
Situation specific form of anxiety often due to the fear of failure.
What is cognitive symptoms of anxiety?
Psychological fear of failure.
What are somatic symptoms of anxiety?
Physiological e.g. increased heart rate.
