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How can psychology affect performance: Anxiety and Arousals (Optimum…
How can psychology affect performance: Anxiety and Arousals
Trait anxiety
Describes the person and physical traits shown by an individual feeling apprehension or tension e.g. attack of nerves, a rise in heart rate, sweating (anxious about unknown outcomes)
Athletes with high levels of trait anxiety will need to develop mechanisms to control the levels of anxiety that arises with performance
Coaches in particular can influence trait anxiety
Supportive, positive comments and encouragement positively affects players level of trait anxiety more than any other influence
Responds to competitive situations with high trait anxiety
State anxiety
Describes reactions to a particular event and might occur before a major race or a grand final game
Intensity of the anxiety will be affected by the importance/significance of the event
E.g. When an athlete is in a high pressure situation and is called upon to perform e.g. Jonathon Thurston in the NRL grand final in 2015, where he was kicking for the golden point to win the grand final against the Broncos. He hardly ever misses the kick and missed when attempting to win the grand final = went into extra time
E.g. serving match in tennis, penalty shot in soccer, shooting a free throw in basketball
Sources of stress
Stress - Occurs when there is an imbalance between an expectation and perceived ability to meet that expectation - arises from imbalance
Types of stress
Fear of injury
Over-active imagination
Previous experiences
Selection concerns
Contract concerns
Preparation
Expectations
Crowds
Financial concerns
Relaxation techniques, mental rehearsal, visualisation, and developing concentration skills are all methods to cope with stress
Optimum arousal
Optimal arousal is required for athlete to perform their best
A highly aroused person is mentally alert, has an elevated hear rate and may be sweating while someone with low arousal is
'half asleep'
Different individuals and sports require different levels ofd arousal for optimal performance
E.g. a golfer compared to a rugby union forward or.a boxer won't need as much pumping up or higher arousal levels before they compete as there is an optimal level of arousal for each type of sport
The inverted u hypothesis suggest that performance improves with increasing arousal to a point beyond which performance will deteriorate
Arousal can be both positive and negative for performance e.g. if it's too high or too low and not the optimum then performance will not be as effective.
The more difficult the skill the lower levels of arousal needed
The more high intensity contact sports have a higher optimal arousal level than low intensity non-contact sports
Anxiety and Arousal
Anxiety -Heightens emotions and causes reactions in the performer (psychological)
Arousal - Describes the state of readiness of the individual before the performance (physiological - from bodily responses to a stimulus)
Anxiety and arousal have similar effects on the body - anxiety tends to inhibit performance, arousal inhibits or is beneficial to performance