TEST 3 - arousal regulation, imagery, self-confidence, and goal setting Flashcards
Why should we regulate arousal?
- to stay focused and in control
What is the relationship with overall performance and coping skills?
performance decreases with lack of effective coping skills in response to stress
What is the FIRST STEP in controlling arousal?
self-awareness; knowing what your current levels are
What are the 3 main types of anxiety-reducing techniques?
- multimodal techniques
- somatic anxiety reduction
- cognitive anxiety reduction
What is somatic anxiety reduction? What does it entail?
an anxiety reduction technique focused on the physical aspects of anxiety; done through progressive relaxation, breath control, and/or biofeedback
How do you implement the progressive relaxation aspect of somatic anxiety reduction?
Learn to feel the tension in your muscles and then to let go of the tension (similar to a weightlifter who can identify a weight by feeling it)
How do you implement breath control (somatic)?
when you are under pressure, your breathing will be short, shallow, and irregular as opposed to when you are calm/cool/collected, in which your breathing will be smooth, deep, and rhythmic
How can you implement biofeedback w/ somatic anxiety reduction?
by becoming more aware of your ANS and learning to control physiological and autonomic responses by receiving feedback not normally available
How can a person implement cognitive anxiety reduction techniques?
the relaxation response teaches individuals to quiet the mind, concentrate, and reduce muscle tension by applying elements of meditation
What is involved in multimodal anxiety reduction?
stress inoculation training
What is stress inoculation training (SIT)?
a method of anxiety reduction in which an individual is exposed to and learns to cope with stress in increasing amounts, thereby enhancing his or her immunity’s success
What are the four steps of SIT?
- prepare for the stressor
- control and handle the stressor
- cope w/ feelings of being overwhelmed
- evaluate your coping efforts
What is hypnosis?
an altered state of consciousness that can be induced by a procedure in which a person is in an unusually relaxed state and responds to suggestions designed to alter perceptions, feelings, thoughts, and actions
What are two things to remember when it comes to hypnosis?
- the smarter a person is, the more receptive they are to hypnosis
- the deeper the trance, the more likely it is that suggestions under hypnosis will be given
What are the 4 stages of hypnosis?
- lowering arousal - INDUCTION
- making suggestions - HYPNOTIC PHASE
- raising arousal - WAKING PHASE
- everyday life - POSTHYPNOTIC PHASE
What does the matching hypothesis state?
it states that an anxiety reduction technique should make the particular problem
What is coping?
a process of constantly changing cognitive and behavioral efforts to manage specific internal/external demands or conflicts appraised as taxing or exceeding one’s resources
problem-focused coping
coping that involves efforts to alter or manage the problems that are causing the stress
emotion-focused coping
regulating the emotional responses to the problem that causes the stress
What are the major problem-focused categories of coping?
- information gathering
- pre-competition and competition plans
- goal setting
- time management skills
- problem solving
What are the major emotion-focused categories of coping?
- meditation
- relaxation
- wishful thinking
- reappraisal
- self-blame / mental/behavioral withdrawal
- cognitive efforts to change the meaning of the situation, but not the actual problem/environment
What does it mean to have a corrective experience?
what this means is that the athlete makes a conscious decision to engage in the behavior that is of concern
What can corrective experiences actually lead to?
reducing anxiety and correcting past mistakes
What is withdrawal coping?
- avoiding the problem altogether under the guise of coping
- effective in reducing immediate stress of competition, but with long-term variables, negative relationship found
What is the definition of imagery?
a form of stimulation that involves recalling from memory pieces of information stores from experiences and shaping those experiences into meaningful images; synonymous with visualization, mental rehearsal, symbolic rehearsal, covert practice, mental practice
What are the basics of imagery?
- involves creating/recreating an experience in your mind and involves all the senses (even those outside of the “5 senses”)
- visual
- kinesthetic
- auditory
- tactile
- olfactory
- thermodynamic, etc.
What are the functions of imagery?
- improve concentration
- enhance motivation
- build confidence
- control emotional responses
- acquire/practice/correct sport skills
- acquire and practice strategy
- prepare for competition
- cope with pain and adversity
- solve problems
What is external imagery perspective?
visualizing yourself from the perspective of an outside observer (as if you were watching yourself in a movie)
What is internal imagery perspective?
visualizing the expectation of a skill from your own vantage point (as if you had a GoPro on your head)
What are the 4 theories of imagery?
- psychoneuromuscular theory
- psychological skills hypothesis
- bioinformational theory
- symbolic learning theory
What is important to understand with the four theories of imagery that don’t apply elsewhere (the Bean, e.g.)?
the four theories of imagery are COMPATIBLE with each other
What are the two main ideas of the psychoneuromuscular theory of imagery?
- When you learn something, you’re hardwiring it into your brain so that after awhile, a) you don’t think about what you’re doing and b) you can’t do a step-by-step instructions on how to do it
- Anything you do is a multi-stop “circuit” -> past stations don’t know what’s happening in the future nor does it matter
psychological skills hypothesis
theory stating that 1) imagery develops mental skills, 2) imagery refines mental skills, 3) imagery reduces anxiety, and 4) practicing a physical skill = practicing a whole set of mental skills that can transfer over to other activities
symbolic learning theory of imagery
theory stating that imagery helps us understand movement patterns and functions as a coding system
bioinformational theory of imagery
theory stating that images are made of stimulus and response propositions; “if this, then that” theory
What are the 2 keys to effective imagery?
- vividness
- controlability
What is the definition of self-confidence?
the belief that you can successfully perform a desired behavior
dispositional self-confidence
the degree of certainty individuals usually have about their ability to succeed
state self-confidence
the belief of certainty that individuals have at a particular moment about their ability to succeed
What are the benefits of self-confidence?
- arouses positive emotions
- facilitates conversation
- affects the setting and pursuit of challenging goals
- increases effort
- affects game strategies
- affects psychological momentum
- affects performance
What is the “optimal level” of self-confidence?
not having too much confidence but also having enough
Downsides to lack of confidence?
creates anxiety, breaks concentration, causes indecisiveness
downsides to false confidence/overconfidence?
causes you to prepare less than you need in order to perform and succeed
Stage 1- how expectations influence outcomes
coaches form expectations based on a) personal cues and b) performance information
Stage 2- how expectations influence outcomes
coaches’ expectations influence their behavior regarding
a) frequency + quality of coach-athlete interactions
b) quantity and quality of instruction
c) type and frequency of feedback
Stage 3- how expectations influence outcomes
if stage 1 -> negative expectations, eventually at this stage, there is less reinforcement, less playing time, less confidence, and attributions to low ability ; aka BIASES REINFORCED
Stage 4 - how expectations influence outcomes
athletes’ performance confirms coaches’ original expectations but not out of actual truth, but out of how stage 1 affected stages 2 and 3
What are the main sources of self-efficacy, from most to least frequent?
- performance accomplishments
- vicarious experiences
- verbal persuasion
- imaginal experiences
- physiological states
- emotional states
What are the main sources of self-efficacy, from most to least frequent?
- performance accomplishments
- vicarious experiences
- verbal persuasion
- imaginal experiences
- physiological states
- emotional states
performance accomplishments and self-efficacy
- most dependable source of self-efficacy
- success raises self-efficacy levels
- failure -> lowered self-efficacy levels
What are ‘vicarious experiences’?
learning or experiencing something through modeling/seeing others do it first
verbal persuasion
learning through instructions from coaches, teachers, peers, yourself
How does imaginal experiences influence self-efficacy?
beliefs are generated within an individual about personal efficacy (or lack thereof) by imagining themselves or someone else behaving effectively/ineffectively in future situations
How do physiological states influence self-efficacy?
when these states are associated with aversive physiological arousal, poor performance, and perceived failure
What is the relationship b/w self-efficacy and behavioral changes?
a RECIPROCAL relationship
a) self-efficacy is determinant of performance
b) performance determines one’s self-efficacy
What are subjective goals?
general statements of intent such as ‘have fun’ and ‘do your best’; things you cannot measure
What are objective goals?
goals aligning with the scientific definition; attaining a specific standard of proficiency on a task, usually in a specified time
What are OUTCOME goals?
goals that focus on a competitive result of an event
What are PERFORMANCE goals?
goals that focus on achieving standards of performance or objectives INDEPENDENTLY of other competitors
example of a common performance goal?
making comparisons with one’s own previous performance
What are PROCESS goals?
goals that focus on the actions an individual must engage in during performance to execute or perform well
Why have subjective goals?
they still matter and are still important because they mean stuff to individuals
Demographics of goal setting….
females set goals MORE OFTEN and find them MORE EFFECTIVE than men do
What is the relationship w/ athletes and goal setting?
the more experience athletes have with goal setting, the better they are at developing effective goal-setting strategies
What is the indirect thought process view of goal-setting?
view that says that goals influence performance INDIRECTLY by affecting the psychological factors, such as anxiety, confidence, and satisfaction
What is the direct mechanistic explanation of goal-setting?
a view stating that goals direct attention to the important elements of the skill, they mobilize performers’ efforts, they prolong performers’ persistence, and they foster the development of new learning strategies
What is the most effective thing you can do for producing behavioral changes?
setting specific goals that are moderately difficult but realistic
When it comes to short and long term goals, which comes first?
you should set LONG TERM first!
For every outcome goal…
set several performance and process goals that will lead to the desired outcome
When designing a goal-setting system, what should be included?
- assessing abilities and needs
- setting goals in diverse areas
- identifying influences on goal-setting systems
What are some common problems when it comes to goal setting?
- failing to set specific goals
- setting too many goals too soon
- failing to adjust goals
- failure to evaluate goals
