Week 3 - Arousal, Stress & Anxiety Flashcards
Define arousal
Blend of physiological + psychological activity in a person that refers to the intensity dimensions of motivation at a particular moment.
Intensity of arousal falls along a continuum ranging from not at all aroused (i.e comatose) to completely aroused (i.e frenzied).
Describe highly aroused ind.
Mentally + physically activated
Experience increases in HR, resp. + sweating
Is arousal automatically associated w/ pleasant or unpleasant events?
no
Define anxiety
-ive emotional state characterised by nervousness, worry + apprehension + is associated w/ the activation or arousal of the body.
What do Cheng, Hardy + Markland describe anxiety as?
“An unpleasant psychological state in reaction to perceived stress concerning the performance of a task under pressure.
Define state-anxiety
Temporary, ever-changing mood component.
An emotional state characterised by subjective, consciously perceived feelings of apprehension + tension, accompanied by or associated w. the activation of the autonomic nervous system.
– Spielberger, 1966
Define cognitive state anxiety
Degree to which one worries
Define somatic state anxiety
Moment to moment changes in perceived physiological activation.
What did research suggest about there being a perceived control or regulatory component of state anxiety?
That the degree to which 1 believes they have the resources + ability to meet challenges is an important comp. of state anxiety.
– Cheng et al., 2009
Define trait anxiety
Behavioural disposition to perceive threatening circumstances that objectively may not be dangerous + to respond w. disproportionate state anxiety.
What is the difference between people w/ high trait and low trait anxiety?
Ppl w/ high trait usually have MORE state anxiety in highly comp, evaluative situations than ppl w/ lower trait anxiety.
Define emotion
Psychophysiological reaction to ongoing relationships w/ the env. but not always interpersonal or social
What physiological signs would you look for when measuring arousal?
HR
Resp.
Skin conductance
Biochemistry - Used to assess changes in substances i.e catecholamines.
How is skin conductance measured
Recorded on a voltage meter
Self-report measures of arousal + anxiety
When psychologists look at how ppl rate their arousal levels using statements:
i.e “My heart is pumping”
+ numerical scales ranging from low to high.
What are the ways in which psychologists can measure state anxiety?
By using global + multidimensional self-report measures
Define global self-report measures
Ppl rate how nervous they feel from low to high.
Summing the scores of ind. items to prod. a total score.
Define multidimensional self-report measures
Ppl rate how worried + how physiologically activated they feel using self-report scales ranging from low to high.
How are sub-scale scores for cognitive + somatic anxiety obtained?
By summing the score for items representing each type of state anxiety.
Give an example of a sport-specific scale that measures STATE anxiety in sport
Competitive State Anxiety inventory - 2 (CSAI-2)
– Martens, Vealey + Burton, 1990
Describe the Competitive State anxiety inventory - 2 (CSAI-2)
Incl. statements athletes have used to describe their feelings b4 a comp.
Req. you to think of a comp in which you have participated.
Read each statement + circle appropriate no.
What is the sport anxiety scale
Originally developed by Smith, Smoll + Schutz - 1990.
Later updated + extended to young athletes = Sport Anxiety Scale - 2 (SAS-2). – Smith, Cumming + Grossbard, 2006.
Sport Anxiety Scale - 2 (SAS-2)
More widely used in the field + breaks anxiety into 3 components + a total score.
What 3 components does the Sport Anxiety Scale - 2 (SAS-2) break anxiety into?
Somatic State Anxiety (i.e degree to which 1 exp. heightened physical symptoms).
Cognitive State Anxiety (i.e degree to which 1 typically worries)
Concentration disruption (i.e degree to which 1 exp. conc. disruption during comp.)
Has research shown that those who score high on trait anxiety measures also have more state anxiety in highly comp. situations?
YES
How might highly-trait anxious athletes avoid perceiving situations as threats?
Can learn coping skills to ⬇️ the state anxiety they exp. in evaluative situations.
What future measures need to be assessed in anxiety?
Changes in anxiety from playing in a game to, i.e, taking a penalty kick.
One strategy could be to retrospectively measure changes in anxiety.
Developing from future measures, what did Neil, Bowles, Fleming + Hanton use?
(2016)
Reflective diaries to help cricket players remember specific stressful situations, their appraisal of the situation + reactions to it for 5 diff. Games so that they would be able to respond w. Specifics during an in-depth interview.
— Results revealed that at the heart of cricketers appraisal of pot. Stressful + threatening situations were their perceived stress levels + emotional state.
What did Miles, Neil + Barker (2016) investigate in relation to changes in stress + comping strategies leading up to a comp?
Investigated changes over a 7-day period b4 the 1st cricket game of the season.
During this, players were evaluated to determine who would make the starting line up for the 1st comp.
What were Miles, Neil + Barker (2016) results after the cricket players investigation?
Major comp. stressor for players early in week = whether they would be selected to play.
As players were selected, the stress on comp. day shifted to performing well for their team.
HOWEVER, players also continued to experience stressors that emanated from outside sporting env. termed:
- Organisation (i.e team issues)
- Personal (i.e relationships)
What are some of the major coping strategies used to deal with stressors emanating from the outside sporting env. (organisational + personal stressors)?
Social support
Pre-comp. routines
Self-talk
Humour
Define stress
Imbalance between physical +/or psychological demand + responses capability, under cond. where failure to meet that demand has important consequences.
McGrath, 1970
What did McGrath (1970) propose that stress consisted of?
4 interrelated stages:
- Env. Demand
- Perception of demand
- Stress response
- Behavioural consequences
McGraths stress stages
Explain env. demand
Physical or psychological
i. e for physical = P.E student has to execute a newly learned volleyball skill in front of class.
i. e for psychological = Parents pressuring young athlete to win a race.