Psychology for sport performance:
Anxiety & Arousal
BTEC National
Miss McLaren
Objectives
Identify the 3 theories of arousal
Describe and explain the 3 theories of arousal and it’s
effect on sports performance.
P3 describe stress and anxiety, their causes, symptoms and effect on sports performance
P4 describe three theories of arousal and the effect on sports performance
M2 explain three theories of arousal and the effect on sports performance
What need to be included
 2 Know the relationship between stress, anxiety, arousal and sports performance
Stress: definition; types (eustress and distress); causes (internal, external, personal,
occupational, sports environments); symptoms (cognitive, somatic and behavioural);
effects on sports performance (nervous system responses, negative mental state, loss of
self-confidence and concentration)
Anxiety: definition; types (state and trait anxiety); cause (negative effect of stress);
symptoms (cognitive, somatic and behavioural); effects on sports performance (negative
mental state, loss of self-confidence and decreased expectations of success, fear of
failure)
Arousal: definition; theories eg drive theory, inverted U hypothesis, catastrophe theory,
individual zones of optimal functioning; effects on sports performance (improvements and
decrements in performance level, changes in attention focus, increases in anxiety levels,
choking
3 Theories of Arousal
 1. Drive Theory
 2. Inverted U Theory
Catastrophe theory
 3. Catastrophe
Theory
A
Optimum arousal
Extreme
D
Decline
B
Arousal
C
Inverted U Theory
 Performance increases but only when arousal is at moderate levels
– any higher then it will fall away.
 Performance is bad if:
 Arousal levels are low
 Arousal levels are high
A persons arousal level depends on 3 factors:
Types of skill: Gross skill – kicking a ball requires higher levels of arousal than a simple
skill e.g. throwing a dart. Which needs lower levels of arousal.
Ability of the performer: expert performers need greater levels of arousal to perform at
their best.
Personality of the performer: extroverts need higher levels of arousal to perform well.
Introverts need lower levels of arousal to perform well.
Catastrophe Theory
 Catastrophe theory suggest a much more dramatic
decline.
 Cognitive anxiety – worries in the mind
 Somatic anxiety – sweating, increased heart rate etc.
 Cognitive anxiety is more important than somatic anxiety in
determining a performer’s reactions to high levels of stress.
Catastrophe theory
.
Increased
levels of
cognitive anxiety
will help
performance if
somatic anxiety
is low
A
Optimum arousal
Extreme
D
Decline
B
Arousal
C
Key features
 Point A- Cognitive anxiety - reaching this
threshold creates a catastrophic effect
 Point B – performers continue with deterioration
caused by over arousal May continue to Point C
 Point B- they get to grips with the problem
performance will move towards Point D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xG9T0z
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eozhq5
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDEIUR
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Individual Zones of Optimal Functioning (IZOF)
 Individual Zones of Optimal Functioning (IZOF) states that each
person has different optimal levels of arousal and can remain in that
zone of arousal for a period of time.
 The difference between this inverted U theory and IZOF is that it is
seen as bandwidth.
Effects of Arousal on Sports Performance
Improvements & decrements in
performance level:
Arousal can have a positive and
negative effect on sports
performance – it can be positive
depending on the perception of the
athlete.
If changes due to arousal are seen
as positive then this will have a
positive effect on performance.
If changes are viewed as negative
this can negatively effect
performance.
Changes in attentional focus:
During heightened states of arousal, the
attentional field which focuses attention
and concentration, becomes narrowed.
This means that the more aroused you
become, the lower the number of
relevant cues you can concentrate on.
Foe example, In a game of netball, when
at optimal states of arousal, the centre
will be able to focus on opposing player
in possession of the ball as well as her
position on the court and the position of
other players. During heightened states
of arousal, the centre maybe able to
focus only on the opposition player who
has the ball and may disregard other
important cues. They may become more
concerned with crowd noise rather than
cues from the game.
Effects of Arousal on Sports Performance….
Increases in anxiety levels
Choking:
Increases in arousal levels can lead
to an increased awareness of
symptoms of state anxiety, which
leads to increases in both somatic
and cognitive state anxiety. Whether
this becomes a positive or negative
influence is dependent on how the
individual reacts.
Occurs in high-pressure situations,
such as important events like
waiting to putt in the open. It is an
extreme form of nervousness that
negatively affects performance. It
can be more apparent in presence
of significant others (peers or
parents).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyhkaBl
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Task
Produce a poster that includes the
following:
A diagram and explanation of each theory
Practical, sport-based examples of each theory
The key differences between each theory
A note about which theory you think is most
likely to explain the relationship between
arousal and performance and why.
Peer Assessment!
 Swap your computer with a partner. Using the following criteria you
are going to highlight where they have achieved the pass or do what
they need to include to achieve the pass.
 Criteria




definition; types (eustress and distress);
causes (internal, external, personal, occupational, sports environments);
symptoms (cognitive, somatic and behavioural);
effects on sports performance (nervous system responses, negative
mental state, loss of self-confidence and concentration)
 Sport specific examples of eustress and distress
Hand it back 10 minutes to improve your work
What is arousal?
Arousal is ‘ a general physiological and psychological activation varying
on a continuum from deep sleep to intense excitement’ (Gould and Krane,
1992)
BORED, RELAXED, SLEEP = Low state of AROUSAL
EXCITED, ANGRY, ANXIOUS = High state of AROUSAL
Task
Describe:
Arousal
Drive theory – positives and negatives
Inverted U Theory – positives and negatives
Catastrophe Theory – positives and negatives
Include sporting examples to support your
conclusions.
Task:
 P3 – Describe stress, it’s causes and symptoms and
effect on sports performance
 Describe:
Distress & Eustress
How stress is caused?
What are the symptom of Stress?
What are the potential positive and negative of
stress on sports performance?
Tip: Use examples from different types of sport e.g. rugby, snooker,
cricket etc.