arousal, anxiety and stress

Question 1

compare and contrast ways to regulate arousal, stress and anxiety:

Answer 1

Interactionist= guide teachers and coaches in their efforts to help individuals manage arousal and state anxiety. Creating a positive environment and a productive orientation to mistakes and losing is an effective way to manage stress.
Additionally, using the following four guidelines to manage stress: 1) identify the optimal combination of arousal-related emotions needed for best performance, 2) recognise how personal and situational factors interact to influence arousal, anxiety and performance, 3) recognise the signs of increased arousal and anxiety in sport and exercise participants, 4) tailor coaching and instructional practise to individuals.

Question 2

what is the reversal theory?

Answer 2

How an individual interprets their arousal will affect their performance, a performer can short or reverse their feelings towards their arousal in any situation.

Question 3

what is the catastrophe theory?

Answer 3

Physiological arousal is related to performance in an inverted-u fashion but only when an athlete is not worried or has low cognitive state anxiety. If the increase in arousal at some point reaches a threshold just past the point of arousal, there will be a rapid decline in performance. However, if anxiety is able to be lowered (cognitive) (even with high levels of somatic anxiety) performance can increase but not back to where it was before the decline.

Question 4

what is the multidimensional anxiety theory?

Answer 4

Predicts that cognitive state anxiety is negatively related to performance, thus an increase in it will lead to a decrease in performance. also states that somatic state anxiety increases performance according to the inverted u theory so facilitates performance up to a certain level and then performance begins to decline.

Question 5

what are individualised zones of optimal functioning?

Answer 5

An individuals optimal level within their performance. It doesn’t have to be in the middle of the continuum but can be anywhere along it. Zones if optimal functioning use a variety of emotional and psychological states. Also, optimal functioning is not a single point, but rather a bandwidth.

Question 6

what is the inverted-U hypothesis?

Answer 6

As arousal is low, so is performance because the individual isn’t psyched up. As arousal levels increase, so does performance, until it reaches an optimal level in which both arousal and performance reach their peak (an individual will be performing at their bets). However, if arousal continues to increase, there will be a deterioration in performance due to overarousal.

Question 7

what does social facilitation theory suggest about drive theory?

Answer 7

The presence of others helps performance on well-learned or simple skills and inhibits or lessens performance on unlearned or complex skills.

Question 8

what is drive theory?

Answer 8

As an individual’s arousal or state anxiety increases, so will their performance

Question 9

identify the major sources of anxiety and stress:

Answer 9

Context related sources:
Event importance & situation critically: the more important the event is perceived to be, the more state anxiety and stress will be felt.
Uncertainty: the greater degree of uncertainty an individual feels about an outcome or others’ feelings and evaluations, the greater state anxiety and stress will be.
Trait anxiety and self-esteem= high trait anxiety and low-self-esteem are related to heightened state anxiety reactions in athletes.
Social physique anxiety= the degree to which people become anxious when others observe their physiques.

Question 10

according to McGrath, what are the four interrelated stages of stress?

Answer 10

1. Environmental demand
2. Perception of demand
3. Stress response
4. Behavioural consequence

Question 11

what is environmental demand?

mcgraths stages

Answer 11

the physical and psychological demand placed on an individual

Question 12

what is perception of demand?

Answer 12

The amount of physiological or psychological “threat” perceived from the situation

Question 13

what is stress response?

Answer 13

The individuals physical and psychological response to the perception of the situation

Question 14

what are behavioural consequences?

Answer 14

The actual behaviour produced by the individual under stress.

Question 15

what is stress?

Answer 15

” a substantial imbalance between demand and response capability, under conditions where failure to meet the demand has important consequences” (McGrath, 1970).

Question 16

how is stress measured?

Answer 16

State anxiety= global and multidimensional self-report measures in which individuals are asked to rate how worried they feel and (for multidimensional only) how physiologically activated they feel ranging from low-to-high.
Trait anxiety= Sport Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT, Martens, 1977), unidimensional model producing a single score. Psychologists tend to now use global and multidimensional measures to test trait anxiety as well.

Question 17

how is arousal measured?

Answer 17

Changes in physiological states such as heart rate, respiration, skin conductance, an biochemistry.
Assess levels of cortisol for both arousal and anxiety (Filaire et al, 2009).
Can use self-report measures

Question 18

what is arousal?

Answer 18

A general physiological and psychological activation that varies on a continuum of deep to intense excitement.

Question 19

what is anxiety?

Answer 19

A negative emotional state in which feelings of nervousness, worry and apprehension are associated with activation or arousal of the body.
State= temporary, every changing emotional state of subjective, consciously perceived emotional feelings of apprehension and tension associated with the activation of the autonomic nervous system.
Trait= a behavioural disposition to perceived as threatening circumstances which objectively may not be perceived as dangerous and respond with disproportionate state anxiety.