TEST 1 - intro to arousal, anxiety, and stress Flashcards
what is sports psychology?
the scientific study of people and their behaviors in sport or exercise activities and the practical application of that knowledge
What are the two key questions sports + exercise psychologists seek to answer?
- Understand the effects of psychological factors on physiological and motor performance.
- Understand the effects of participation in physical activity in psychological development, health, and well-being.
study
the investigator observes or assesses without changing the environment in any way
experiment
the investigator manipulates variables while observing them, then examines how changes in one or more variables affect changes in others
examples of studies?
- “Every time I eat clams, I get sick. So, I must be allergic to them.”
- smoking is bad for you
examples of experiments?
whether or not eating carrots improve 1st graders’ reading
What is true of experiments in regards to studies?
experiments are ALWAYS better to do over studies
What is the large caveat to experiments > studies?
there are plenty of instances in which it is unethical to perform an experiment, so you must go forward with the study instead
In descending order from MOST to LEAST useful, what are the methods of knowing?
experiments; observational study; single case study; shared (public) experiences; introspection; intuition
single-case study
studying one person or situation; NOT studying something one single time
introspection
you thinking about something and reasoning it out on your own; most insidious method of knowing that causes the most trouble in life
intuition
guessing
professional practice knowledge
what we learned through experience, using many methods of knowing
shared (public) experience
personality
How is personality structured?
top of the pyramid: role-related behavior
middle of the pyramid: typical responses
bottom of the pyramid: psychological core
role-related behavior
external and dynamic part of personality structure; how one acts in a particular social situation
typical responses
heavy emphasis on social environment; the way one typically adjusts or responds to the environment
psychological core
internal and constant part of personality structure that changes very rarely; the most basic and deepest attitudes, values, interests, motives, and self-worth of a person
What are the 4 approaches to understanding personality?
psychodynamic approach; trait approach; situational approach; interactional approach
What is motivation?
the direction and intensity of effort
direction of effort
term referring to whether an individual seeks out, approaches, or is attracted to situations
intensity of effort
term referring to how much effort an individual puts forth in a situation
What are the 3 VIEWS of motivation?
- participant- or trait-centered view
- situation-centered view
- interactional view
What are the 5 guidelines for building motivation?
- both situations and traits motivate people
- people have multiple motives for involvement in the same activity
- change the environment to enhance motivation
- leaders influence motivation, both directly and indirectly
- use behavior modification to change undesirable participant motives
What are major motives for SPORT participants?
improving skills, having fun, being with friends, experiencing thrills and excitement, developing fitness
What are major motives for EXERCISE participants?
health factors, weight loss, fitness, self-challenge, feeling better
What does changing the environment to enhance motivation do?
- provide both competitive and recreational opportunities
- provide for multiple motives and opportunities
- adjust individuals within groups
achievement motivation
a person’s orientation to strive for task success, persist in the face of failure, and experience pride in accomplishments
competitiveness
a disposition to survive for satisfaction when making comparisons with some standard of excellence in the presence of evaluative others
What are the theories of achievement motivation?
need achievement theory, attribution theory, achievement goal theory, and competence motivation theory
competence motivation theory
your motivation is higher when you believe in your ability to do something; people are motivated to feel worthy/competent, and those feelings + perceptions of control determine motives
What are the keys of achievement goal theory?
focus extra attention on task-oriented goals and foster mastery or task motivational climates
task goal orientation
improving relative to one’s own past performance
outcome goal orientation
aka competitive goal orientation; comparing performance with and defeating others; winning or losing
Relationship b/w task and outcome goal?
they say winning isn’t everything ; improving > winning
social goal orientation
judging competence in terms of affiliation with the group and recognition of being liked by others
What is the main idea around attribution theory?
why you believe something happens influences your motivation to do something about it
What is important to note about attribution theory?
it’s compatible with need-achievement theory
What are the three main “categories” when it comes to attribution theory?
- stability - is this event reliable?
- locus of causality - who or what is causing this?
- locus of control - who is in control of the outcome?
stability
means RELIABLE not static; can you count on this event happening regularly or when you need it to happen?
What are examples of stable events?
sunrise and sunset; knowing how to ride a bike
locus of causality
what or who is causing this thing to happen?; either caused by you or by external factors
Examples of events caused by you?
drunk driving; fire; talking
Examples of events caused by external factors?
rain; earthquakes; tornadoes
locus of control
are you the person that is in control of this event?; either in your control or out of your control
What is important to understand w/ locus of control?
sometimes people are under the illusion of having control, and systems can take advantage of this illusion; people will sometimes give up their control
psychological result - stable event
increased expectation of success
psychological result - unstable event
decreased expectation of success
psychological result - caused by you
increased pride or shame
psychological result - caused by external factors
decreased pride or shame
psychological result - in one’s control
increased motivation
psychological result - out of one’s control
decreased motivation
What does achievement motivation say about high achievers?
- have high motivational orientation to achieve success
- have low motivational orientation to avoid failure
- focus on pride of success
- usually adopt task goals
- high perceived competence + feel achievement within control
- seek out challenges and demanding tasks
- perform well when being evaluated
To what do high achievers ascribe success?
when an event is stable, caused by internal factors, and within their control
To what do high achievers ascribe failure?
when an event is unstable, caused by external factors, and outside of their control
What does achievement motivation say about low achievers?
- have low motivational orientation to achieve success
- have high motivational orientation to avoid failure
- focus on shame of failure
- usually adopt outcome goals
- low perceived competence + feel achievement outside control
- avoid challenges and demanding tasks
- perform poorly when being evaluated
To what do low achievers ascribe success?
events that are unstable and external factors outside control
To what do low achievers ascribe failure?
stable + internal factors within control
What are the stages of developing achievement motivation + competitiveness?
autonomous competence stage (being able to do it on your own), social comparison stage (ability to do it compared to others) and integrated stage
trait vs. state
both of these are used to measure personality; trait is typical style of behavior that is mostly consistent, while state is situation’s effect on behavior from moment to moment
psychodynamic approach to personality
trait approach to personality
theory saying that behavior is determined by relatively stable traits that are fundamental units of personality and that these traits are predisposed to act in a certain way, regardless of the situation, b/c these traits are genetically predetermined
situational approach to personality
theory saying that behavior is determined largely by the situation or environment and that the situation is a more important determinant of behavior than some particular personality traits
interactional approach to personality
theory saying that behavior is determined by BOTH the person AND the situational factors as well as by interaction; favored by the majority of modern sport + exercise psychologists
participant view of motivation
take the trait approach to personality and apply it to motivation
situational view of motivation
take the situational approach to personality and apply it to motivation
Morgan’s iceberg profile
shows that successful athletes show greater positive mental health vs. less successful athletes AND successful athletes have similar tension, vigor, depression, anger, fatigue, and confusion
What is the relationship b/w personality, self-esteem, and exercise?
Type A behavior patterns, especially anger + hostility, are linked to and can be altered via exercise w/ CVD; increased fitness -> increases self-esteem, especially for those w/ low self-esteem
arousal
cognitive arousal vs. somatic arousal
somatic - moment to moment changes in perceived physiological arousal
cognitive - moment to moment changes in worries + negative thought
anxiety
stress
stress process
situational sources of stress
personal sources of stress
What does PEN stand for?
Psychoticism, Extroversion-introversion, Neuroticism - emotional stability
extroverts
individuals whose resting brain activity is lower than normal, which can be evened out with loud music, big crowds, talking to strangers; ‘adrenaline junkie’
introverts
individuals whose resting brain activity is higher than normal, which can be evened out with one-on-one conversations, reading; typically shy
What are the main arousal theories?
drive theory, inverted-U, individual zones of focus, reversal theory, catastrophe theory, anxiety direction + intensity
social facilitation theory
theory stating that you will perform better when you perform for a crowd/for fans
What’s the paradox behind home-field advantage?
relationship b/w alcohol and extroversion?
alcohol is a depressant > lowers brain activity > why you’re more sociable when you’re drinking
relationship b/w amphetamines and introversion?
amphetamines, like Ritalin, are stimulants > increases brain activity > why these help ADHD patients focus more
More on the situational approach?
we have scripts that we act from w/o even realizing, which leads to most people behaving according to the situation at hand (elevator + direction people face, e.g.)
