Stress and Arousal Regulation (Further Info)

Question 1

explain, in 3 points, the study by ‘Eubanks and Collins (2000)’

Answer 1

1. found that individuals that saw anxiety as debilitative lacked coping strategies
2. therefore, people who view it as facilitative generally perform better
3. people who view it as facilitative are more likely to have problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies

Question 2

what can anxiety cause ?

Answer 2

anxiety can cause inappropriate muscle tension as well as inappropriate cognitions

Question 3

Hanton and Maynard (2007) found that 3 critical periods for the interpretation of anxiety. what are these 3 periods ?

Answer 3

1. after performance
2. 1-2 days pre competition
3. day of the competition

Question 4

explain, using 2 points, what ‘Hanton and Maynard (2007)’ found differed between facilitators and deabilitators during the 3 periods used to reflect on anxiety

Answer 4

1. in each of these time frames, facilitators used a refined repertoire of psychological skills to internally control and reinterpret the cognitive and somatic anxiety felt
2. deabilitators did not possess these refined psychological skills, and therefore lacked the internal control to alter these anxiety states

Question 5

explain, using 3 points, the findings to ‘Kudackova, Eccles & Diffenback, (2013)’ were

Answer 5

1. studies athletes from professional, college and recreational backgrounds
2. found that professionals engaged in more relaxation techniques than the other 2 groups
3. all groups used more physical than mental skills for competition, and more mental than physical skills for everyday life

Question 6

‘Progressive Muscular Relaxation’ (somatic) rests on what 3 assumptions ?

Answer 6

1. it is possible to learn the difference between tension and relaxation
2. tension and relaxation are mutually exclusive
3. reducing physical tension will, in turn, reduce mental tension

Question 7

state 2 additional facts about ‘Progressive Muscular Relaxation’

Answer 7

1. the goal is to gain the ability to relax on site (eg - during competition)
2. can take individuals unto 30 minutes to complete properly

Question 8

state 3 additional facts about the ‘Breathing Control’ psychological technique

Answer 8

1. research suggests holding a breath increases tension whereas releasing it reduces tension
2. best time to use during competition is during a break in the play
3. also provides a short mental break from the pressure of the competition and can allow you to renew your energy

Question 9

state what it is meant by the key term - biofeedback

Answer 9

biofeedback is a physically oriented technique that teaches people to control physiological or autonomic responses

Question 10

state 2 additional facts about the ‘Biofeedback’ psychological technique

Answer 10

1. usually involves an electronic monitoring devise that can detect and amplify internal responses not ordinarily known to us
2. can help people become more aware of their autonomic nervous system, and subsequently control their reactions/responses to stress

Question 11

what interesting fact did ‘Solbery et al. (2000)’ find out about the ‘Relaxation Response’ psychological technique

Answer 11

found that meditation has been linked to lower lactate levels, lest self-reported tension, and an increase in performance compared to controlled groups

Question 12

state 2 additional facts about the ‘Relaxation Response’ psychological skill

Answer 12

1. focus on mind as argues that a relaxed mind will relax the body
2. recommended use for 20 mins a day

Question 13

what does the ‘Relaxation Response’ technique teach you to do ?

Answer 13

it teaches you to quiet the mind, focus on the task, and reduce muscular tension

Question 14

when is the ‘Relaxation Response’ not suitable for usage ?

Answer 14

not appropriate immediately pre-comp as you could potentially become too relaxed and lethargic

Question 15

state what it is meant by the key term - Autogenic Training

Answer 15

Autogenic Training consists of a series of exercises that produce sensations, specifically of warmth and heaviness

Question 16

who, and when, came up with ‘Autogenic Training’

Answer 16

Johannes Schultz, 1930’s

Question 17

state 3 additional facts about ‘Autogenic Training’

Answer 17

1. attention is focused on the sensations that you are trying to produce
2. as in the relaxation response, feelings should be able to happen without interference
3. usually takes several months of practicing 10-40 minutes a day to become proficient

Question 18

Autogenic Training are based on 6 hierarchical stages. state these stages in order from 1 to 6

Answer 18

1. heaviness in the extremities
2. warmth in the extremities
3. regulation of cardiac activity
4. regulation of breathing
5. abdominal warmth
6. cooling of the forehead

Question 19

what are the use of ‘Multimodal Anxiety Reducing Techniques’ ? (2 points)

Answer 19

1. used to alleviate both somatic and cognitive anxiety

2. helps athletes develop a number of coping strategies via exposure to different situations

Question 20

state what it is meant by the key term - ‘Cognitive-Affective Stress Management Training (SMT)’

Answer 20

a skills programme that teaches a person a specific integrated coping response that uses relaxation and cognitive components to control emotional arousal

Question 21

what 4 things does ‘cognitive-affective STM’ account for ?

Answer 21

1. the situation
2. the individuals mental appraisal of the situation
3. the physiological response
4. the actual behaviour

Question 22

Smith’s Cognitive-Affective STM programme (Smith & Rohsenous, 2011) has 5 phases. state the names of these 5 stages, in order

Answer 22

1. pre-treatment assessment
2. treatment rationale
3. skill acquisition
4. skill rehearsal
5. post-training evaluation

Question 23

Smith’s Cognitive-Affective STM has 5 steps, explain the first step - pre-treatment assessment (3 points)

Answer 23

1. consultant interview to identify stress causes + effects
2. assesses current coping skills
3. info used to tailor individual programme

Question 24

Smith’s Cognitive-Affective STM has 5 steps, explain the second step - treatment rationale (2 points)

Answer 24

1. help individual understand the stress response by analysing their previous experiences
2. programme is educational, not therapeutic

Question 25

Smith’s Cognitive-Affective STM has 5 steps, explain the third step - skill acquisition (2 points)

Answer 25

1. receive training in muscular relaxation, cognitive reconstructing and self-instruction
2. training teaches problem solving for stressful situations

Question 26

Smith’s Cognitive-Affective STM has 5 steps, explain the fourth step - skill rehearsal (2 points)

Answer 26

1. consultant induces different levels of stress

2. performer must use taught coping strategies to cope with the different levels of stress

Question 27

Smith’s Cognitive-Affective STM has 5 steps, explain the fifth step - post-training evaluation (2 points)

Answer 27

1. self-monitoring and clinician evaluation

2. info can be used to plan a further intervention

Question 28

state what it is meant by the key term - hypnosis

Answer 28

hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness that can be induced by a procedure in which a person is usually in a relaxed state and responds to suggestions for making alterations in perceptions, feelings, thoughts or actions (Kirsch, 1944)

Question 29

state 4 things that hypnosis is used to do

Answer 29

1. enhance focus
2. enhance attention
3. increase confidence
4. decrease anxiety

Question 30

state the names of the 4 stages of a hypnosis intervention

Answer 30

1. induction phase
2. hypnotic phase
3. waking phase
4. posthypnotic phase

Question 31

explain the first step of a hypnosis intervention - induction phase (3 points)

Answer 31

1. must trust the hypnotist
2. participant is put into a hypnotic trace via imaginary or attentional focus techniques
3. become relaxed and suggestions on thoughts and feelings can be made by the hypnotist

Question 32

explain the second step of a hypnosis intervention - hypnotic phase (2 points)

Answer 32

1. individual responds similarly to being in a relaxed state
2. participant is asked to respond to different suggestions (posthypnotic suggestions) which are then carried out when they wake

Question 33

explain the third step of a hypnosis intervention - waking phase (1 point)

Answer 33

1. the participant comes out of a hypnotic trace (via a suggestion made by the hypnotist)

Question 34

explain the fourth step of a hypnosis intervention - posthypnotic phase (2 points)

Answer 34

1. asked to carry out posthypnotic suggestions made during the hypnotic phase
2. typically, suggestions produce actions which feel like they should in a competitive state

Question 35

explain, in 2 points, the study by ‘Rumbold et al. 2012’

Answer 35

1. reviewed 64 coping intervention technique studies

2. 81% showed stress components were optimised in one of 5 ways

Question 36

(Rumbold et al. 2012) found that 81% of coping interventions optimised stress components in 5 ways. state these 5 ways

Answer 36

1. stressors were reduced
2. cognitive appraisals were modified
3. negative effect states were reduced
4. positive effect states were increased
5. effective coping behaviours were facilitated

Question 37

state 3/6 examples of ‘Anecdotal Tips for Coping with Stress’ as stated by (Weinberg et al. 2007)

Answer 37

1. smile when you feel tension coming on
2. have fun and enjoy the situation
3. set up stressful situations in practice
4. slow down and take your time
5. stay focused on the present
6. come prepared with a good game plan

Question 38

explain the following method of anecdotal methods of coping with stress as stated by (Weinberg et al. 2007):

‘smile when you feel tension coming on’ (3 points)

Answer 38

1. it is difficult to be mad whilst you are smiling
2. takes the edge off the anxiety inducing situation
3. this keeps things in perspective so you can forget about the pressure and enjoy the competition

Question 39

explain the following method of anecdotal methods of coping with stress as stated by (Weinberg et al. 2007):

‘have fun and enjoy the situation’ (4 points)

Answer 39

1. high ability athletes claim fun and enjoyment
2. most athletes look forward and relish anxiety
3. enjoyment can also prevent youth burnout
4. focus on enjoyment above the result

Question 40

explain the following method of anecdotal methods of coping with stress as stated by (Weinberg et al. 2007):

‘set up stressful situations in practice’ (2 points)

Answer 40

1. great practice for actual competition pressure

2. helps reduce competitive anxiety

Question 41

explain the following method of anecdotal methods of coping with stress as stated by (Weinberg et al. 2007):

‘slow down and take your time’ (2 points)

Answer 41

1. many athletes claim they rush movements when they are mad/angry
2. feel as if, the faster they get it done, the anxiety will go sooner

Question 42

explain the following method of anecdotal methods of coping with stress as stated by (Weinberg et al. 2007):

‘stay focused on the present’ (2 points)

Answer 42

1. thinking about what happened/what could happen can increase anxiety and pressure
2. can lead to missing key information in the present

Question 43

explain the following method of anecdotal methods of coping with stress as stated by (Weinberg et al. 2007):

‘come prepared with a game plan’ (3 points)

Answer 43

1. indecisiveness produces anxiety
2. decision making can be stressful
3. a plan makes decision making easier as have less to think about during the moment