Anxiety Flashcards
(11 cards)
Definition of anxiety
A negative emotion of a state of apprehension, worry, uneasiness or eagerness
What is State anxiety
An individual’s immediate but temporary level of anxiety in a particular situation
What is Trait anxiety
The general inclination of a person to perceive situations as threatening. This is stable (unchanging), enduring (long lasting) and global (applies across all situations)
What are the 2 types of responses to anxiety
Somatic and cognitive
What are somatic and cognitive responses to anxiety
Somatic response: the physical symptoms, including increased heart rate and blood pressure
Cognitive response: a performer’s thoughts or worries about their abilities to complete the task successfully
What is Competitive Trait Anxiety
A tendency to perceive competitive situations as threatening and to respond to these situations with feelings of apprehension or tension.
The effects of high C.T.A on performance can be catastrophic unless controlled.
How to measure Competitive Trait Anxiety
Sport Competitive Anxiety Test (SCAT)
Self Report Questionnaire (see below)
Read each statement below, decide if you “Rarely”, “Sometimes” or “Often” feel this way when competing in your sport, and tick the appropriate box to indicate your response.
The athlete responds to the questions on the questionnaire below to determine the athletes SCAT score
Analysis of the result is by comparing it with the results of previous tests.
It is expected that, with appropriate training between each test, the SCAT score would decrease
Interaction of anxiety and stress
Anxiety is a negative reaction of a performer to stress, often leading to over-arousal
Stress is a stimulus resulting in arousal/anxiety in response to a specific situation.
Examples of stressors are competition, frustration, conflict, injury etc
Individual Zone of Optimal Functioning (IZOF)
Research by Hanin (1986) found that each individual has their own ideal level of anxiety which elicits their best performance.
An individual’s preferred level of anxiety is shown as a band width not as a point.
If a performer is within their preferred zone, optimal performance is more likely.
If they are not in their zone, they will not perform at their best.
Low IZOF, introvert, simple/gross skills, cognitive/associative
High IZOF, Extrovert, complex/fine skills, autonomous
Effect of different levels of arousal in cue utilisation hypothesis
Low arousal- perceptual field is too wide
Optimum arousal- perceptual field is correct and you focus on the correct cues at the correct times
High arousal- perceptual field is too narrow, and you start to miss relevant cues.
As arousal rises, attention narrows
Hypervigilance is the state of anxiety when the field of attention narrows excessively and as a result the appropriate environmental cues are missed and not detected.
At this point, selective attention cannot operate, concentration is hindered and decisions are irrational and experiencing extreme panic and anxiety
What is cue utilisation hypothesis
As arousal increases the perceptual field will adjust to the
ideal width, enabling the performer to focus on the most
relevant cues/ information. Selective attention is fully
operational and the potential to concentrate is maximised.
