Sport Topic 1

Question 1

What is meant by arousal?

Answer 1

General levels of physical and psychological activation; it will be low when bored or sleeping.
It prepares us for the flight or fight response.

Question 2

What is the difference between trait and state anxiety?

Answer 2

Trait- A person’s general personality, e.g. if they are an anxious person. So this is STABLE (constant)
State- anxiety that is situation dependent e.g. before or during competition

Question 3

What is the difference between somatic and cognitive anxiety?

Answer 3

Somatic- the physiological state that occurs when anxious e.g. accelerated breathing
Cognitive- The thoughts and mental processes that can cause a decline in performance e.g self-doubt

Question 4

What is the Inverted-U hypothesis by Yerkes and Dodson’s law?

Answer 4

It suggests that arousal improves performance up to a point. After this point, performance steadily decreases. easy tasks are performed best when arousal is high, and complex tasks are performed best when arousal is low.

Question 5

What is a problem with the inverted-U hypothesis?

Answer 5

the model does not account for individual differences in performance or the fact that different types of skill require different levels of arousal.

Question 6

How did Oxedine update the Yerkes-Dodson law?

Answer 6

-A high level of arousal is necessary for optimal perforce in gross motor activities involving strength, endurance and speed e.g weightlifting
-A high level of arousal interferes with performance involving complex skills, fine motor movements, co-ordination and concentration e.g. darts
-In general, a lightly above average level of arousal is preferable to a normal or below average level of arousal for all motor tasks.

Question 7

What is the catastrophe theory by Hardy 1987?

Answer 7

Predicts that stress 9physiological arousal) and (cognitive) anxiety will influence performance and each athlete will respond in a unique way to competitive anxiety.
-When cognitive anxiety is low, the inverted U comes into play
-But when cognitive anxiety is moderate or high, the inverted U does not adequately explain the arousal-performance link.
-Anxiety and arousal are closely linked on sensing arousal, a person might interpret this as indicating a challenge that they can’t cope with, so they will then experience anxiety as a result. this anxiety can then increase arousal (known as the anxiety/stress spiral)

Question 8

What are 2 scales martens made to measure anxiety?

Answer 8

SCAT- sport competition anxiety test
CSAI-2- Competitive State anxiety inventory

Question 9

What is the SCAT test?

Answer 9

A self report which consists of 15 items that respondents answer about themselves
For each item you indicate whether you rarely, sometimes of often feel/think that for different statements

Question 10

How does the CSAI-2 test work?

Answer 10

This contains 27 items
-9 erasure somatic state anxiety
-9 measure cognitive state anxiety
-9 erasures of self-confidence
A baseline score is normally taken a few days before competition and the test is then done again 24 hours before, 2 hours before and then 5 minutes before

Question 11

What does the CSAI-2 test results show?

Answer 11

That cog anxiety decreases in the run up to the event but suddenly increases immediately prior to the event.
-Somatic anxiety steadily increases over time and peaks just before the event

Question 12

What are 2 applications for topic 1?

Answer 12

CBT and diaphragmatic breathing technique

Question 13

How does CBT help to manage arousal and anxiety in sport?

Answer 13

CBT is an example of how arousal and psychological aspects of anxiety can be tackled. Involves identifying and modifying problematic thoughts that increase anxiety
for example, an athlete who believes they are unlikely to perform well in a given situation and that this would be a disaster, is actually more likely to mess up because these thoughts provoke so much anxiety. CBT would help this athlete by changing those thought

Question 14

What is diaphragmatic breathing technique and how does it work?

Answer 14

-An effective integrative body-mind technique
-enables a person to cope with their stress
-At first DBT is practiced for 5-10 minutes three/four times a day then increased gradually.
-Effort can be increased by placing book on abdomen
- can be done standing up.

Question 15

what was the aim of the key research by Fazey and Hardy (1988)?

Answer 15

To identify limitations with the inverted U model/ hypothesis of arousal and performance (distinguishing between somatic and cognitive anxiety) and to propose and alternative model explaining the relationship between anxiety and performance.

Question 16

What was the method for Fazey and Hardy’s research

Answer 16

This was a review paper that also proposed an alternative model rather than an investigation

Question 17

Breifly explain the 3 headings that reviewed the problems with the inverted U model/hypothesis

Answer 17

1-Difficulties with basic ideas- The inverted U treats anxiety, stress and arousal as tehy are all the same thing
2-Difficulties with evidence- The Inverted U model does not provide convincing evidence of the validity of the predictive relationship between stress and performance
3-Difficulties with applications- construct validity of the inverted U model in describing the effect of stress on performance. The inverted U predicts that small increases in stress beyond the optimal point lead to small decreases in an athlete’s performance, but from their own research and observations of athletes, they suggest that when an athlete when ;’over the top’ of the inverted U, small decreases in performance didn’t happen but instead a large and dramatic drop.

Question 18

What happens when this drastic drop-off in performance has occurred in competition (F+H)

Answer 18

It was difficult for an athlete to regain even a mediocre level of performance. So even small decreases in arousal after drop-off made little difference to performance

Question 19

What does the catastrophe model state?

Answer 19

They point out that when an athlete’s level of cognitive anxiety is low, the inverted U model can explain the relationship between physiological arousal ad performance- but this isn’t the case when the athlete’s cognitive anxietu is moderate or high.

Question 20

What did research by Parfitt and Hardy (1987) state?

Answer 20

They explained that when an athlete is performing a well-learned or easy task, they can control the negative effects of their physiological arousal on their performance, and even use it to improve their performance. But moderate to high cog anxiety is a distraction to the athlete; this hinders their ability to monitor the effects of their physiological arousal and their ability to differentiate unhelpful physiological effects from help from helpful ones, so their cog arousal increases and their performance suffers.

Question 21

When can cog anxiety increase and then damage performance?

Answer 21

Damage when physiological demand is lower and cognitive demands are high e.g. golf
Improve when physiological demand is high and cog demands are low e.g sprinting

Question 22

How did Parfitt and Hardy’s research (1977) support the catastrophe model of anxiety and performance?

Answer 22

8 experienced basketball players were required to perform a set of shooting tasks, under conditions of high and low cognitive anxiety. On each of these occasions, physiological arousal was manipulated by means of physical work in such a way that ps were tested with physiological arousal increasing and decreasing.

Question 23

What were the conclusions of Fazey and Hardy’s research?

Answer 23

-The catastrophe model explains anxiety-performance relationship in sport through the interaction of cog anxiety, physiological arousal and performance
( moderate-high anxiety= increase arousal= poorer performance)
- The inverted U model is weak in explaining the anxiety-performance relationship in sport and the catastrophe model gives a more valued explanation.

Question 24

What is a strength of the application CBT?

Answer 24

CBT is useful to regulate cognitive aspects of sporting anxiety- Turner and Barker (2013) used a form of CBT with 4 elite youth cricketers and in all cases competition anxiety was reduced significantly
Acknowledges the role of situation/experience in sporting anxiety eg pressure from fans/parents

Question 25

What is a weakness of the application CBT?

Answer 25

High level of commitment it essentialism- is only effective if an athlete is completely honest, motivated to engage with it and is able to focus and follow necessary stages.

Question 26

What is a strength of the application DBT?

Answer 26

Practicing relation techniques such as DBT can reduce the number of athletes taking drugs to reduce anxiety and enhance their performance (Parnabas et al 2014)

Question 27

What is a weakness of the application DBT?

Answer 27

Requires effort and practice-not à quick fix

Question 28

What are the 4 stages of CBT?

Answer 28

Assessment of
Identification of
Hypothesis formulation by psychologist
Athlete and coach work together ( to challenge the validity of dysfunctional automatic thoughts)