Stress and Arousal Regulation (Basic Info)

Question 1

state what it is meant by the key term - stress

Answer 1

stress occurs when the relationship between the person and their environment is perceived as taxing or exceeding one’s resources, and thus endangering well-being (Lazarus and Folkman, 1984)

Question 2

state what it is meant by the key term - stressor

Answer 2

a stressor is a demand, pressure, event or situation that can be perceived as stressful

Question 3

state the 3 types of stressors in sport (Sarkar and Fletcher. 2014)

Answer 3

1. competitive stressors
2. organisational stressors
3. personal stressors

Question 4

state what it is meant by the key term ‘competitive stressors’ and give 2 examples

Answer 4

1. demands associated with competitive performance

2. injury, pressure

Question 5

state what it is meant by the key term ‘organisational stressors’ and give 2 examples

Answer 5

1. demands related directly with the organisation in which the athlete operates
2. coach conflict, travel, career progressions

Question 6

state what it is meant by the key term ‘personal stressors’ and give 2 examples

Answer 6

1. demands associated with personal, non-sporting events

2. work-life balance, kids, relationships

Question 7

state what it is meant by the key term - coping

Answer 7

coping is a process of constantly changing cognitive and behavioural efforts to manage specific internal and/or external demands, or conflicts, appraised as taxing or exceeding one’s resources (Lazarus and Folkman, 1984)

Question 8

state the names of the two approaches to coping, and who came up with those approaches

Answer 8

1. trait approach - Carver et al., 1989

2. process approach - Lazarus, 1999

Question 9

state what it is meant by the key term - ‘trait approach to coping’

Answer 9

Carver et all (1989) suggested that people do not approach each context anew, but rather bring to bear a preferred set of coping strategies that remains relatively fixed whatever time and circumstance

Question 10

state what it is meant by the key term - ‘process approach to coping’

Answer 10

assumes coping is a dynamic and recursive process that involves interactions between internal and situational/environmental factors

Question 11

state the names of the 3 groups of coping categories

Answer 11

1. problem focused
2. emotion focused
3. avoidance focused

Question 12

state what it is meant by, and give 2 examples, of the key term - ‘problem focused coping’

Answer 12

1. efforts to alter or manage the problems that are causing stress
2. goal setting, coach support, instructional self-talk

Question 13

state what it is meant by, and give 2 examples, of the key term - ‘emotion focused coping’

Answer 13

1. efforts to regulate the emotional response that results from the problem that is causing it
2. venting emotions, imagery, optimistic thinking, humour

Question 14

state what it is meant by, and give 2 examples, of the key term - ‘avoidance focused coping’

Answer 14

1. efforts to psychologically or physically remove themselves form the problem that is causing the stress
2. thought stopping, remove themselves from the situation, disengage (focus on other things)

Question 15

what did Nicholls and Polman do in 2007?

Answer 15

did a systematic review of 64 studies on coping

Question 16

what 5 things did Nicholls and Polman’s review in 2007 discover?

Answer 16

1. most studies supported the process approach
2. male athletes used more problem-focused but women used more emotion-focused
3. older males used more problem and emotion focused
4. emotion and avoidance focused linked to greater cognitive anxiety vs problem focused
5. support for the ‘Goodness of Fit’ model and ‘automaticity’

Question 17

who came up with the ‘Goodness of Fit’ model ?

Answer 17

Folkman, 1991, 1992

Question 18

state 2 facts about the ‘Goodness of Fit’ model

Answer 18

1. problem-focused coping strategies should be relatively more effective for dealing with controllable situations
2. emotion-focused coping strategies should be relatively more effective for dealing with uncontrollable situations

Question 19

state 3 applied implications of coping

Answer 19

1. athletes should learn a range of coping strategies (problem and emption focused)
2. athletes should learn when to use coping strategies (controllable = problem, uncontrollable = emotion)
3. athletes should practice coping strategies (automaticity is key to using coping strategies effectively)

Question 20

who, and when, came up with progressive muscular relaxation techniques ?

Answer 20

Jacobson, 1938

Question 21

explain the 4 step process of ‘breathing control’

Answer 21

1. fill lower lungs with air, push diaphragm down and abdomen out
2. fill middle lungs with air, expand chest and raise rib cage
3. fill upper lungs with air by raising chest and shoulders
4. hold, then exhale, pull abdomen in and lower shoulders and chest

Question 22

what is the ratio during ‘breathing control’ ?

Answer 22

1: 2
inhalation: exhalation

Question 23

who, and when, came up with the ‘relaxation response’ ?

Answer 23

Benson, 2000

Question 24

explain the process of the ‘relaxation response’ (4 points)

Answer 24

1. a quiet place that minimises distractions
2. a comfortable place to sit
3. a mental devise (eg - a cue word such as ‘calm’)
4. a passive attitude (don’t attend to worrying thoughts, focus on cue word)

Question 25

who, and when, came up with ‘systematic desensitisation’

Answer 25

Wolpe, 1958

Question 26

explain what ‘systematic desensitisation’ is (3 points)

Answer 26

1. goal is to replace nervous activity with a competing behaviour (eg - breathing relaxation)
2. athlete images 10 scenarios, from least to most anxiety provoking
3. athlete images each scene and uses competing behaviour until it is no longer linked with anxiety

Question 27

who, and when, came up with matching hypothesis ?

Answer 27

Maynard et al. 1955

Question 28

what did Pelka et al do in 2016 ? (3 points)

Answer 28

1. systematic review of 21 studies examining the effects of relaxation techniques (9 somatic, 5 cognitive, 7 both)
2. biofeedback and hypnosis most successful strategies in terms of improving sports performance
3. however, overall, studies had poor methodological quality (unclear randomisation, drop out rates)

Question 29

who, and when, came up with an ‘Arousal Reappraisal’ study that you need to know about ?

Answer 29

Jamieson et al. 2013

Question 30

explain ‘Arousal Reappraisal’ as stated by Jamieson et al. 2013 (2 points)

Answer 30

1. not about reducing stress-induced anxiety or arousal, but changing how we view it, as facilitative not debilitative
2. appraising elevations in physiological arousal as a tool that will optimise performance, not a sign of nervousness or poor performance

Question 31

what 4 situations do athletes usually use ‘Arousal Reappraisal’ ?

Answer 31

1. feeling lethargic and under-energised
2. moving slowly and feeling flat or heavy legged
3. becoming easily distracted
4. lacking concern and enthusiasm

Question 32

state 4 examples of TEAM arousal inducing strategies

Answer 32

1. pep talks
2. goal setting
3. bulletin boards
4. media coverage and reports

Question 33

state 3 examples of INDIVIDUAL arousal inducing strategies

Answer 33

1. increase breathing frequency
2. acting energised
3. saying mood words
4. shouting or grunting
5. listening to energising music
6. using energising imagery

Question 34

state what it is meant by the key term - pressure training

Answer 34

pressure training aims to expose athletes to pressure in practice so that they are better able to cope during actual competition (Stoker et al. 2016)

Question 35

state the 2 sub-divisions of pressure training

Answer 35

1. Demands (task, performer, environmental)

2. Consequences (forfeit, reward, judgemental)

Question 36

state names of the 3 types of demands in relation to pressure training

Answer 36

1. Task stressors
2. Performer stressors
3. Environmental stressors

Question 37

state the names of the 3 types of consequences in relation to pressure training

Answer 37

1. forfeit stressors
2. reward stressors
3. judgemental stressors

Question 38

state 4 facts about the following study:

Pressure Training (Lowe et al. 2020)

Answer 38

1. meta-analysis of 14 studies (10 sport, 4 law) that examined the effects of pressure training
2. pressure training had a mod-high effect on performance
3. effects were not moderated by domain, dose, experience or type of task
4. pressure training, of any dose, can aid novices in open and closed skills in many domains

Question 39

explain, using 2 points, what ‘Stress Inoculation Training’ is

Answer 39

1. athlete is exposed to, and learns how to, cope with stress in increasing amounts, thereby building immunity to stress
2. often involves developing coping skills (eg - self-talk)

Question 40

explain the 4 steps to how ‘Stress Inoculation Training’ is carried out

Answer 40

1. prepare for the stressor
2. controlling and handling the stressor
3. coping with feelings of being overwhelmed
4. evaluating coping efforts

Question 41

what is ‘Stress Exposure Training’ ?

Answer 41

similar to stress inoculation training, in that it aims to expose athletes to stress to develop coping skills

Question 42

state the names of the 3 steps of ‘stress exposure training’

Answer 42

1. information provision
2. skill acquisition
3. application and practice

Question 43

explain the first step of stress exposure training - ‘information provision’

Answer 43

athlete is educated about stress, stress responses, and the likely effects on performance

Question 44

explain the second step of stress exposure training - ‘skills acquisition’

Answer 44

coping skills required to combat stress are taught and learnt

Question 45

explain the third step of stress exposure training - ‘application and practice’

Answer 45

coping skills are applied and practiced under simulated pressure and actual competition

Question 46

state, and explain, the first type of demand in relation to pressure training

Answer 46

Task stressors - such as equipment manipulation, time requirements, score requirements

Question 47

state, and explain, the second type of demand in relation to pressure training

Answer 47

Performer stressors - such as physical and cognitive preparation, and/or restrictions to cognitive capabilities (eg - disrupt team talks)

Question 48

state, and explain, the third type of demand in relation to pressure training

Answer 48

Environmental stressors - such as whether constraints, noise manipulation, and/or attitude constraints

Question 49

state, and explain, the first type of consequence in relation to pressure training

Answer 49

1. forfeit stressors - include athletes receiving something negative and/or losing something positive as a consequence to poor performance

Question 50

state, and explain, the second type of consequence in relation to pressure training

Answer 50

2. reward stressors - include athletes receiving something positive as a consequence of good performance

Question 51

state, and explain, the third type of consequence in relation to pressure training

Answer 51

3. judgemental stressors - include athletes feeling like their performance is being evaluated by others and/or an audience