What is cognitive anxiety?
- Any change of thought from them performer (usually negative)
- usually happens prior to an event
- nervousness apprehension and difficulty concentrating
What are the different types of anxiety?
- cognitive anxiety
- somatic anxiety
- trait anxiety
- state anxiety
- competitive trait anxiety
What is somatic anxiety?
- Change of physiological response experienced by the performer
- increase blood pressure and heart rate
What is trait anxiety?
- General disposition of a performer to perceive a situation as threatening
- genetically inherited
- those with high trait anxiety more likely to become anxious than those with low trait anxiety
- also referred as A trait
What is state anxiety
- occurs when a performer is placed in no specific situation
- linked to the performers mood and can alter from moment to moment
- also referred to as A state
What is competitive trait anxiety
- tendency of the performer to perceive competitive situations as threatening and respond with feelings of apprehension or tension
- an individual with high trait anxiety is more likely to experience high state anxiety
- can only occur in competitive situations as they feel that they are being evaluated or judged
What are the three ways to measure stress levels and anxiety?
1) observation
2) biofeedback
3) self-report questionnaires
What does observation of a performer involve?
- subjective but allows the performer to be assed in the actual performance situation
- two types of behaviour will be recorded: individual behaviour and aspects of performance
- performance is analysed and patterns are recorded
What are drawbacks of using observations?
- there should be several observers to ensure all aspects of performance are noted
- performer should be well known by observers to enable them to determine any unusual characteristics and behaviours
What is individual behaviour?
Behaviours usually associated with nervousness e.g. Fidgeting, changes of speech pattern and increased aggression
What is aspects of performance
Execution of skilled actions such as accuracy of passing, decision making and reaction time
What is biofeedback
- monitors the physiological responses of the performer
* data is collected e.g. Heart rate and sweat production
What are the drawbacks of biofeedback
- difficulty recording information during competitive performance
- the potential changes in a laboratory and competing are incomparable
What are self report questionnaires?
- performers answering a number of questions concerning their emotions in specific situations
- easy and cheap administration
- large amounts can be completed at once
- STAI, SCAT, CSAI-2
What are drawbacks of using questionnaires
- Individuals may misinterpret questions
- may answer questions to sound in a good light
- the time of completion may influence responses
- answers may not cater for the experiences of the individual
What is the STAI questionnaire?
- state trait anxiety inventory
- 20 statements to asses state anxiety
- 20 statements to asses trait anxiety
What is the SCAT questionnaire?
- sport competition anxiety test
- measure competitive trait anxiety of a performer in a pre-competitive sporting environment
- 15 statements
What is the CSAI-2 questionnaire
- individuals state anxiety and corresponding behaviour activities
- cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety as well as self confidence
- completed up to an hour before the event
