Option B.3

B.3.1 Define the term arousal

* Alertness or state of readiness (ranging from deep sleep to intense alertness) of the body for action * No affective component, i.e. neutral and triggered by pleasant/positive and unpleasant/negative situations * How motivated/interested/excited an athlete is prior to and throughout performance

somatic anxiety

* Body o Often decreases after competition has begun o Relates to our perceptions of out bodily state (physiology arousal) o EG. - Awareness of a pounding heart (increased heart rate) - Increased blood pressure - Clammy hands - Trembling legs - Butterflies in the stomach - Shaking - Pacing, restlessness - Dry mouth - Sweating

Trait anxiety

* Innate o If they have the trait, they are more likely to show the state o Relative enduring disposition o An innate personality dimension that causes people at the high of this continuum to view a wide range of non-dangerous circumstances as threatening o Constant characteristic o Changing athlete's personality isn't really an option o EG. - Rugby player who worries about condition of the pitch for the next month's game exhibits trait anxiety

Drive reduction theory

* Linear relationship between arousal and performance, where arousal increases so does quality of performance o Constant increase o Strong positive correlation o Max. arousal = max. correlation o Highly learned skill + high arousal - More likely that the performance will be good o Little research to support the theory - Evidence that suggests that arousal is only produced up to a certain point before it begins to have negative effects on the athlete

State anxiety - Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2R)

* Measures 3 different dimensions of state anxiety in threatening situations - Cognitive - Somatic - Self-confidence/self-efficacy • Situation specific, not how they generally feel • Developed as a sport-specific measure of pre-competitive state anxiety o Before competition but more than once - a week before, a day before, half an hour before etc. • Enables researchers to discover baseline levels of anxiety and compare to pre-competition levels • Two subscales: somatic anxiety (physiological), cognitive (worry) and related construct - self-confidence

cognitive anxiety

* Mind o May start at the same level or increase when completion begins o Most likely when facing strong opposition o Characterised by thoughts and perceptions of worry/doubts and negative expectations about performance, self-evaluation and evaluation by others o Negative effects: - Confusion - Irrational thoughts - Lack of concentration - Nervousness or apprehension o Positive effects: - Faster information processing - Increased attention

Inverted-U-hypothesis

* Optimal performance occurs when the performer reaches an optimal level of arousal * When arousal levels are too high/low, performance quality decreases o Lower levels of arousal = performance won't be as high - Athlete isn't psychologically or physiologically ready o Higher arousal = higher performance up until a certain point until it reaches peak (optimal performance and arousal level) o If arousal increases beyond this point, performance will begin to deteriorate o Limitations of the inverted-U approach - Lack of credible wright of evidence on responses in sport - Real-world performances are comprise of several components and anxiety may affect different components in different ways - Real-life declines are often sudden and rapid - Descriptions of relationships don't provide explanatory mechanisms for the effects - Arousal isn't accurately define (different elements may change independently of each other) - Anxiety or other important cognitive processes associated with stressful performances aren't included

Catastrophe theory

* Performance is affected by arousal * Inverted U when levels of cognitive activity are low o Predicts a rapid decline in performance resulting from the combination of high cognitive anxiety and increasing somatic anxiety o Higher levels of cognitive anxiety + high arousal levels = drastic drop in performance - Different to inverted U-drop, doesn't have to be steady - Levels reach too high, decline can be catastrophic - (Not entirely negative, need it for attention and concentration) o Increases until reaches optimal performance o Followed by a sudden, large decrease in quality o Issues: - Suggests a relationship between anxiety, arousal and performance but no explanation/evidence to support - Presented idea of a 'performance surface' - didn't explain how to accurately determine a performer's position on this surface - Limited potential to apply to the 'real world' • Peak arousal level depends on different sporting events / difficulty or nature of a task

Trait anxiety - Sport Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT)

* Provides a measure of competitive trait anxiety o Responds to each question according to how they generally/usually feel in competitive sport situations before competition

STAI

* Self report questionnaire - rate how nervous they feel both in general and specific situations o Scoring system gives an indication of both state and trait anxiety of the performer

State anxiety

* Situation specific * Drops significantly once competition begins o Temporary negative emotion of apprehensive and tension experienced in threatening situations and is situation specific o Relatively easy to imagine ways to control state anxiety to improve performance o EG. Can change during a game of football; - Moderate below kick off - Lower as game starts - High at certain movements, i.e. taking a penalty

Trait anxiety - Sport Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT) disadvantages

- Can be dishonest - Misinterpret questions - Open to response bias - answer questions how the questioner wants them to be answered instead of their true/own belief - Not sensitive to small changes in anxiety levels - Cannot be administered during competition - Limited competition value of info, as it's a state measure (specific situation) - Allows weak predictions of an athletes' likely state anxiety

Trait anxiety - Sport Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT) advantages

- Easy to administer (<5 mins) - Used with large groups - Cheap to administer - Instant feedback - Reliable and valid - Useful predictor from a practical perspective - Important implications for sport coaches • High in competitive trait anxiety are more sensitive to: criticism, failure, making mistakes • Positive reinforcement, encouragement, support - crucial in helping athletes improve performance - All ages - different languages and all genders

Behavioural response Actual observed behaviour

Biting fingernails Lethargic movements Inhibited posture Playing safe Going through motions Introversion Displays of extroversion Fidgeting Avoidance of eye contact Covering face with hand

B.3.8 Evaluate how anxiety is measured

Both state and trait anxiety affect performance • Four factors relating to competitive anxiety: 1. Individual differences in how performers interact with diff. situations - some events are more important that others so cause more anxiety 2. Different types of anxiety (state and trait) that a performer experiences 3. Specific anxiety trait that only occurs in competitive situations 4. Competition itself - involves interaction between: o The performer's personality traits o Own competitive trait anxiety o Specific situation involved

B.3.2 Describe the theoretical approaches to arousal B.3.3 Draw and label a graphical representation of the arousal performance relationship

Drive reduction theory Inverted-U-hypothesis Catastrophe theory

Somatic response Feel / react physically

Increased blood pressure Pounding heart Increased respiration rate Sweating Clammy hands and feet Butterflies in the stomach Adrenaline surge Dry mouth Need to urinate Muscular tension Tightness in neck and shoulders Trembling Incessant talking Blushing Pacing up and down Distorted vision Twitching Yawning Voice distortion Nausea / vomiting Diarrhoea Loss of appetite Sleeplessness Loss of libido

Psychological response Cognitive thought process

Indecision Sense of confusion Feeling heavy Negative thoughts Poor concentration Irritability Fear Forgetfulness Loss of confidence Images of failure Defeatist self-talk Feeling rushed Feeling weak Constant dissatisfaction Unable to take instructions Thoughts of avoidance

B.3.4 Discuss the emotions that may influence an athlete's performance or experience in a physical activity

Participation in sport and exercise influences a range of participant emotions. This may include: positive emotions negative emotions relationship

B.3.9 Describe the stress process in sport

Process that involves one's perception of substantial imbalance between the demand (physical and/or psychological) and response capability, under conditions were failure to meet that the demand has important consequences • Stages: 1. Causes of stress (environmental demand - physical/psychological demand) 2. Threat - one's own 'perception of the demand' 3. Response to the perception a) Stress response (person's reactions) b) Stress experience (psychological interpretation/cognitive response) 4. Actual behaviour athlete demonstrates (outcome) • Stress process may result in anxiety, but can also result in other emotions (fear, curiosity, sadness, anger and depression)

B.3.7 Distinguish between trait and state anxiety

Trait anxiety State anxiety

B.3.6 Distinguish between cognitive and somatic anxiety

cognitive anxiety somatic anxiety

relationship

memories & levels of confidence and their effect on performance

B.3.5 Define the term anxiety

negative emotions of apprehension and tension (stress) which includes irrational thoughts, fear of failure, self doubt, apprehension and worry

State anxiety - Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2R) disadvantages

o Can be dishonest o Misinterpret questions o Open to response bias - answer questions how the questioner wants them to be answered instead of their true/own belief o Cannot be administered during that actual competition/game o Inconvenient in real sport situations - can interfere with anxiety response

State anxiety - Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2R) advantages

o Easy to administer (>5 mins) o Used with large groups o Cheap to administer o Instant feedback o Reliable and valid o Useful for sports coaches, trying to get athletes emotionally ready for competition • EG. Important to reduce worry, build confidence o Athletes react differently in terms of anxiety-performance relationship o Important for sport coaches to have sensitivity to each athlete's individual needs pre-competition

State the two types of anxiety

o Trait (innate) anxiety o State (situation) anxiety

negative emotions

often leads to decreased performance: o Anger o Guilt o Shame o Anxiety o Boredom - Under arousal - Slower reaction time - Not alert • Specific emotions that have a discrete effect to performance o EG. Negative mood is more likely to prime us to remember negative memories of past failures, and thus reduce our feelings of confidence to perform o EG. Positive mood is more likely to prime us to remember positive previous outcomes, and increase our confidence to perform • Some emotions, traditionally considered negative but for specific individual that have a positive effect on performance (e.g. anger) • Creates emotions that result in individual zone of optimal functioning • Personal 'group' of emotions that are consistently associated with optimal performance for that individual

positive emotions

often leads to improved performance: o Excitement - Over arousal - High heart rate - Can lead to decrease in performance - Over arousal - cannot cope - Adrenaline - less resistant to fatigue o Relief o Pride

Cognitive anxiety, characterised by:

• Negative thoughts • Low concentration • Disrupted attention

Somatic anxiety, characterised by:

• Rapid heart rate • Tense muscles • Butterflies in stomach