1. The Effect of Arousal/Anxiety on Performance

2. Arousal: general physical/psychological activation • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBlu8StfXtM (Haka) • Anxiety: negative emotional interpretation of arousal • 3 dimensions of anxiety • Cognitive: worry, negative appraisal of self/future • Somatic: physiological symptoms of stress • State: tension, agitation, restlessness (physio/psycho) • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yG7v4y_xwzQ (inside the mind of a champion)

3. Yerkes-Dodson Law (1908)The inverted U Hypothesis • All motor skills have an optimum arousal level • Performance drops when arousal level exceeds or fails to approach this level • Different activities, different optimal levels

4. Catastrophe Model • (Fazey & Hardy, 1988) • When anxiety level exceeds the optimal level drop in performance is dramatic, not gradual • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3O-kYwM8qY (Quicksand) • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOzUUhX9Qr4 (Adam Scott)

5. Optimal Arousal Theory • Hanin (1997) • Top athletes have own, individual zone of optimal anxiety • When arousal level and cognitive anxiety level meet result is peak performance • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuR9TJfW9vQ (Laettner)

6. Role of Self Efficacy in Sport • 4 Sources of Efficacy • 1. Enactive Mastery Experience: practice/games give athlete most info on their capabilities • 2. Observing Models: successful models increase efficacy • 3. Verbal Persuasion: coaches, teammates, fans, self all effect efficacy (Jay Bilas example) • 4. Interpretation of Arousal: dealing/coping with adversity improves with high self efficacy • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPFOlXo7UPI (MJ)

7. Research on Efficacy • Fitzsimmons et al (1991): Self Efficacy Among Weightlifters • Procedure: single max bench press followed by lifts either with more or less weight—subjects were deceived about the actual weight • Results: subjects who were told the weight was less performed better (even if the weight was more), demonstration of increased confidence/efficacy