AROUSAL ANXIETY PERFORMANCE

What is arousal?

 Arousal is physiological and psychological activation.

 It can be high or low.
 It can be pleasant or unpleasant.
What is anxiety?

 Anxiety is an unpleasant state of high arousal.

 It is a combination of physical and psychological manifestations.
What is stress?

 Stress is both arousal and anxiety experienced as a response to a threat.

 It can be chronic or acute.

FACTORS INDUCING STRESS & ANXIETY

Situational factors

 Event importance
 Expectations
Individual factors

 Trait anxiety
 Performance concerns
 Locus of control (facilitative/debilitative)

FACTORS INDUCING AROUSAL & PERFORMANCE

Drive theory

 Factors affecting performance: 1) complexity of task, 2) arousal, 3) learned habits

 Performance = Arousal x Habit

Inverted u theory

 Also known as the Yerkes-Dodson Law

 Fine motor skills - low levels of arousal
 Gross motor skills - high levels of arousal

FACTORS INDUCING ANXIETY & PERFORMANCE

The catastrophe model

 States that when in high cognitive anxiety, a small increase in arousal beyond the optimum level can cause a massive fall in performance

Zones of optimal functioning

 Holds that individual differences play a part in our responses to anxiety

 Each athlete has a preferred level of anxiety (IZOF). Performance would suffer if anxiety level goes above or below such a preferred level.