❌Anxiety

Question 1

What is anxiety?

Answer 1

A level of nerves and irrational thinking

Question 2

What is competitive trait anxiety?

Answer 2

A disposition to suffer from nervousness in most sporting situations

Question 3

Why do some people experience competitive trait anxiety?

Answer 3

Might just be a part of their genetic makeup

Question 4

What is competitive state anxiety?

Answer 4

A nervous response to specific sporting situations.

Question 5

What’s an example of competitive state anxiety?

Answer 5

Taking a penalty in football.

The focus of attention and weight of responsibility is on the penalty-taker and this temporarily increase in anxiety can affect the outcome unless the nerves are controlled.

Question 6

How can the amount of state anxiety vary?

Answer 6

Might be high at the start and reduce during the action.

Can often depend on the mood of the player in the moment

Question 7

What’s the link between trait and state anxiety?

Answer 7

An individual with high trait anxiety is more likely to experience high state anxiety when faced with a stressful situation, especially if it is felt that others are watching or evaluating the performance.

Question 8

What is cognitive anxiety?

Answer 8

A psychological response such as worrying about losing.

Question 9

What is somatic anxiety?

Answer 9

A physiological response to a threat such as increased heart rate.

Question 10

What are examples of cognitive anxiety?

Answer 10

Apprehension 
Worrying 
Negative thinking 
Self-doubt.
Irrational thinking - not believing they can do it, even though they have the ability.

Question 11

What are examples of somatic anxiety?

Answer 11

Increased heart rate 
Increased core and skin temp 
Increase in muscle tension 
Can experience nausea 
Sweating

Question 12

What’s the relationship between anxiety and performance?

Answer 12

Increases in somatic anxiety can improve performance up to a point, after which further increases in anxiety will impair performance.

Cognitive anxiety has a negative linear effect. The greater the anxiety the worse the performance.

Question 13

What’s the relationships between anxiety and time of competition?

Answer 13

Somatic anxiety tends to increase just before a competition is due to begin and reduces as performance is underway.

Cognitive anxiety is present much earlier and just because the performer is not showing any physical signs of anxiety does not mean that worries about the forthcoming event are not present.

Question 14

How can you measure anxiety?

Answer 14

Self report questionnaires
Observations
Physiological testing

Question 15

What is a questionnaire?

Answer 15

A set of questions to measure or assess something, in this case anxiety.

Question 16

What are the advantages of questionnaires?

Answer 16

Quick 
Cheap 
Efficient
Large groups can be assessed quickly 
Compared easily

Question 17

Why are measures useful?

Answer 17

Knowledge of how players deal with and experience anxiety will help the coach to make informal decisions: which players can remain calm enough to take the penalty, for example?

Question 18

What are the disadvantages of questionnaires?

Answer 18

Player may not understand the questions
Their answers may be one they think is right rather than the actual truth (socially desirable).
Answers depend on mood (answers after the win will be different after a loss).
Response can be influenced by time (rushing may lead to incorrect responses).
Inappropriate questions so that biased results are given (if the question leads to an answer rather than asking for one).

Question 19

What’s an example of a questionnaire?

Answer 19

Sport Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT) - consists a series of 15 statements designed to measure how the player responds to competitive sporting situations.

Question 20

What is SCAT?

Answer 20

A questionnaire used by sports psychologists to measure anxiety

Question 21

What happened to the SCAT test?

Answer 21

Got extended in 1990 to become the Competitive Sport Anxiety Inventory (CSAI).

Question 22

What is the CSAI?

Answer 22

A questionnaire by sports psychologists to measure anxiety

Question 23

What is observation?

Answer 23

Gaining a measure of (in this case) anxiety simply by watching the performer.

Question 24

What are the advantages of observation?

Answer 24

True to life

Realistic

Question 25

What are the disadvantages of observation?

Answer 25

Results are based on opinions (subjective)
Time consuming
May need multiple observers
Performers may realise they’re being watched and act differently

Question 26

What are physiological measures?

Answer 26

Anxiety can be measured by using a physical response from the body. Such responses include increase heart rate, sweating, rate of respiration and levels of hormone secretion.

Question 27

What are the advantages of physiological measures?

Answer 27

They are factual so that comparisons can be easily made

Response can be measured in training or in game situations.

Question 28

What are the disadvantages of physiological measures?

Answer 28

Training is often required so that coaches can learn how to use the devices; the cost of them may deter amateur performers from using them.
In some cases actually wearing the measuring device, such as a heart rate monitor, may be restrict movement in sport.
The fact that the performer is aware that they are being measured may cause additional stress and give a false reading.

Question 29

What is psychosomatic anxiety?

Answer 29

It’s cognitive/affective (emotions) anxiety that causes somatic