Psych of Sport Exam 4

UNT KINE 4000

Communication: Sending and Reciving Information

PURPOSE:

• Persuasion

• Evaluation

  • Watching someone and getting a score or feedback based on what you did 

  • All negative – affects self-esteem, confidence, etc.  

  • Positive -> want to build up, focus on the good stuff 

  • When to apply pressure, serious vs how to go with the flow, etc.  

• Information

• Motivating

  • Trying to get athletes motivated to get them to have full effort at practice 

• Problem Solving

  • Everyone is going to have different solutions for the problems, but you have to be able to solve them 

  • Most places – the quickest way to get it done efficiently 

Communication Process (1-2 questions on Exam)

• 1 -> You need to decide that you are sending a message to someone (witness, thought, etc.) - have to process it; need to make sure that it is appropriate to say something (sometimes things don’t need a response) 

  • The “know it all” - ‘Actually” 

• 2. Encoding the message: avoid ambiguity so the person knows what we are trying to send, aka “I think it would be....”.  

  • You need to be direct: “you should do this...” -> it needs to make sense 

  • Interfering with the encoding -> EMOTIONS (blurs decision making) 

• 3. Channeling through which the message is transmitted to receiver    -> sending the message 

  • Yelling vs. soft-spoken 

  • Agitated and you come up with your hands up, etc.  

  • Coaching examples -> Hands up, thumbs up, handshake, benching a player after working on the play all week 

• 4. Decoding the message by the receiver – athlete decoding the message 

  • Should be simple for them to understand (why they got benched) 

  • Youth – simpler, clear, and to the point 

• 5. Internal response by the receiver to the message 

  • Receiver can decode it improperly and could be seen as negative 

• Breakdowns of communication -> ALL OF THEM!!!! HAPPEN ANYWHERE!!!! 

  • Too much feedback, too much communication 

  • Can break down at any stage! -> exam question 

Methods of Communcation in a Typical Day

• Little structured training on listening, even though there are courses on how to speak, write, and read

  • Listening vs. hearing someone 

    • Listening is just listening 

    • Hearing someone is understanding what they are saying and why they are saying it  

Types of Communication (3 types)

1. Interpersonal

2. Intrapersonal

3. Nonverbal

1 → Interpersonal

• Two or more people in a meaningful exchange!

• Message perceived by:

  • 1. Intended Party

  • 2. Unintended Party

    • Can have consequences for someone overhearing the message….

• Messages can become distorted:

  • Have to make sure people cannot always hear you (coach on coach) - be careful what is being said 

    • What may cause this? How to fix? Prevent it?

• Interpersonal communication INFLUENCES intrapersonal communication!!!!

  • If you’re getting yelled at, it can make it worse.  

    • Some shut down or can respond to it  

  • Ruin people’s motivation, confidence, etc.  

2 → Intrapersonal

• Communication we have with ourself (i.e., self-talk)

• Inner dialog helps:

  • Shape how we act

    • Negative – carrying yourself a different way 

  • Predict how we perform

    • Negative – predict poor outcomes 

    • Competition – always positive or attempt to get the player in that headspace, also trying to get the motivated for that “1” opportunity. 

• Can also affect → Motivation & Behavior

Living in your head → turn negative = could turn into depression

3 → Nonverbal

• Communication without words

• Critical for:

  • Conveying and receiving information

• Important component of interpersonal communication!!!

  • Meet in the middle to help in situations 

  • Don’t have to kiss ass or be too shy to move up – have effective communication (positive body language) 

• Nonverbal Message Characteristics → on pic

  • PA – look good, feel good or doctor in shorts vs suit and tie 

  • Voice Characteristics – public speaking – nervous people speak quicker compared to people who speak in public often 

  • Gestures – hand motions, etc.  

  • Posture – slouchy and down compared to someone who normally sits up 

  • Body Position – open, square facing the person, then slowly stepping aside to open up their body to let the other person know that they need to leave or end the conversation. Same with slowly backing up. 

Nonverbal Communication

→ The percentage of understanding that is gained from the spoken word is considered less than the meaning that people gain from listening to a person’s tone of voice or nonverbal communication!

Research Example:

→ Participants watching a tennis match saw only the players between points - NEVER saw the players actually hit a ball or play a point → around 75% of the time, the participant could pick out who was winning

Breakdowns in Communication

• Sender Failure → poorly transmitted message (ambiguity, inconsistency, etc.)

• Receiver Failure → Failure to listen (misinterpretation)

BREAKDOWNS CAN OCCUR AT ANY STAGE OF THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS!!!!!!

→ Examples:

1. Giving unsolicited advice or solutions

   1. -> You have to let people struggle; let them learn (good communication) 

2. Preaching or moralizing

3. Giving orders

4. Put downs

5. Critism

   1. -> not always bad but some people cannot receive criticism well 

   • -> Need a reason or context 

6. Ridicule

Confrontation: Dealing with Breakdowns

Face-to-face discussing among people in conflict

• Useful for:

  • 1. Understanding issues clearly without stress, guilt, or inadequacy

  • 2. Clearing the air, especially with minor conflicts

• When to Confront:

  • In control

  • Thinking clearly

  • Striving to understand

• How to Confront:

  • Be empathetic

  • Be cautious

  • Proceed gradually

Being Assertive

DESC Formula

• Describe situation

• Express feelings

• Specifiy changes

• Consequences that will occur

• Assertive -> not all jerks -> direct  

• For performance reviews, individual development plans, etc.  

Being Critical: The “Sandwich Approach”

→ Positive, sincere remark

→ Corrective information (future-oriented instruction)

→ Compliment and/or positive encouraging remark

Sending Messages Effectively

• Clear and Consistent

• Complete and specific

• State feelings or thoughts

• Seperate fact from opinion

• Focus on one thing at a time

• Be supportive

• Reinforce with repetition

• Look from feedback

Effective communication often makes the differences between success and failure!!!!!

examples → Fact based communication – yds per carry, less touches, no fumbles, etc. -> explaining why someone is starting (most athletes handle this a lot better compared to opinion-based communication) 

Receiving Messages Effectively (EXAM)

• Active Listening

  • Attending, asking questions, and paraphrasing

    • Requires you to hear someone

• Supportive Listening

  • Communication that shows you are “with” the speaker and value his/her messages

• Aware Listening

  • Realizing that people react differently to the way you communicate

    • Great out in public 

    • Ex: conference – networking event with students and faculty (know when to put the phone down and engage – paid money to go and actually listen)  

1. The ________ approach is best used when being critical of others.

a) hot dog

b) burrito

C) pita

D) sandwich

D

2. Non-verbal cues can be transmitted via:

a) Discussion of problems

b) The color of the eyes

c) Texting a friend

d) Body position

e) Calling someone to talk on the phone

D

3. ________ makes up approximately 40% of communication in a typical day. Interestingly, there is little structured training on this form of communication.

a) Listening

b) Writing

c) Zooming

d) Reading

e) Speaking

A

4. Breakdowns in communication can occur at any stage within the communication process.

True or False?

TRUE!!!!

5. Supportive listening is defined as attending, asking questions, and paraphrasing during a conversation.

True or False?

False!

6. _______ is the face-to-face discussing among people in conflict.

a) Assertiveness

b) Critique

c) Negativity

d) Confrontation

D

7. Which of the following is NOT an element of the communication process?

a) Deciding to send a message

b) Paraphrasing a message

c) Interpreting a message

d) Encoding a message

e) Receiving a message

B

8. Intrapersonal communication involves two or more people in a meaningful exchange.

True or False?

False!

9. Self-talk, otherwise known as ______ communication, is the communication we have with ourselves.

a) telepathic

b) intrapersonal

c) interpersonal

d) individual

e) nonverbal

B

10. Communication can be used for which of the following (select ALL that apply)?

a) Persuading

b) Informing

c) Motivating

d) Evaluating

e) Problem solving

ALL OF THE ABOVE!!!!

Performance = Physical preparation + Technical Skill + Mental Readiness

• Mental Training is the foundation of performance!

Psychological Skills Training (PST)

The systematic, consistent practice of mental or psycholigical skills for the purpose of:

• Enhancing performance

• Increasing enjoyment

• Achieving greater sport/physical activity self-satisfaction

Requires practice (trainable, similar to physical skills)

PST Methods/Techniques

1. Behavioral modifications

2. Cognitive theory and therapy

3. Rational emotive therapy

4. Goal Setting

5. Attentional control

6. Progressive Muscle relaxation

7. Systematic desensitization

8. Imagery

Mental Toughness

• Focusing → is key for mental toughness 

  • Ex: Scared of going to the job market, but they weren’t doing their grad work; had to refocus the grad student 

• Rebounding from failure

• Persisting in the face of adversity

• Coping with pressure

  • Coping mechanisms is important to learn 

• Mental resilience

  • Military/navy seal training

ex: Navy seal training

“Four C” Model of Mental Toughness

• Control

  • Handling many things at once

  • Remaining influential rather than controlled

    • [over your body and mind] - be logical when having an attack [to show yourself that you have control over the situation] 

• Commitment

  • Being deeply involved in pursuing goals despite difficulties

    • [you have to fully commit to the thing you are doing, perfecting your craft] 

• Challenge

  • Perceiving potential threats as opportunities for personal growth

  • Thriving in constantly changing environments

    • [making it challenging for people/being uncomfortable] - pushing yourself – exercise or nutrition-wise (you might be hungry but you’re making a change -> mental and physical) 

• Confidence

  • Maintaining self-belief in spite of setbacks

    • [small goals but they don’t just always fail] 

example → (military for psychologist – out mental resistance training-> for both personnel and families) 

Building Mental Toughness - NOT a quick fix!!! (exam - know which things fall into which category)

Deliberately taught examples:

• Positive motivational practice environment

• Intense competitive practices

• Simulations (pressure)

• Specific goals

  • Challenges, but they are difficult (SMART goals)

• Instructional and supportive feedback

• Confidence

• Attentional control

NOT deliberately taught examples: (employers want this… testing resilience) - also depends on how you were raised

• Sibling rivalries

• Supportive parents

  • Letting the kids fail and fix it

• Coach expectations

  • Have expectations - players know, and if they don’t do it, the coach will let you know

• Motivational training environment

• Teammate encouragement

• Coping with failure

Why Psychological Skills are Neglected

1. Lack of knowledge (myths)

2. Psycholigcal skills are viewed as unchangeable

3. Lack of time

PST Myths

• PST is for “problem” athletes only

• PST is for “elite” athletes only

• PST provides quick-fix solutions

• PST is not useful

MUST BE realistic WITH expectations!!!

Research on PST Programs

• 85% of studies found positive performance effects (N=45)

  • Athletes from the Olympic level down report that mental training and discipline play a huge part in their success

  • No ready-made solutions on how coaches and sport psychologists can integrate and implement a PST program

PST Knowledge Base

Research on elite athletes shows that most successful athletes differ from less successful ones in the following ways:

• Higher confidence

• Greater self-regulation of arousal

• Better communication

• More positive thoughts and images

• More determination or commitment

Three Phases of Mental Training

1. Educational Phase

   1. Learn the importance of the skill and how the skill affects performance

      1. Lectures and science and outcomes 

      • Demos... rock the boat example – string in front of face example (imagining rocking a boat vs standing on the boat) 

2. Acquisition Phase

   1. Strategies and techniques to perform the skill

      1. Learning how to do it and report it 

3. Practice Phase

   1. The repeated performance of a skill

      1. Going home and trying it – checking in, etc.  

Goals of a PST Program

Primary goal = self-regulation

• Manage own behaviors that are directed towards specific goals

  • Having control over the situation and thoughts

Long-term goal = generalization

• Maintain behavior change over time and across different situations

  • Apply these skills to your everyday life (past the athlete portion of their life)

Kirschenbaum’s five-stage model of self-regulation

• The person/athlete must:

  • recognize the problem

  • want to change

• Example → free throws during critical moments

  • model is used for healthy self-regulation

• 1. HAVE TO KNOW HOW TO EXPLAIN 

• 2. SMART goals – get them to commit to a change plan 

  • NEEDS TO BE WILLING TO CHANGE 

• 3. after the lectures and techniques -> doing it on their own 

• 4. Home games could make the anxiety worse -> know what/more training on those days to help bring down the increased level of anxiety 

  • WE WANT STABILITY IN THE ATHLETES! - want them performing at the same level all the time 

• 5. out of practice – game passed – made a mistake (costed the game) - people are trolling you online – apply those techniques/skills to help – apply off the field 

  • Apply to everyday life 

When to Implement a PST Program

• Best time = during the offseason or preseason

  • Make it part of practice–before the season–so it slowly becomes part of their day (built in, etc.) 

• Worst time = after starting the competitive season

  • Athletes are not going to be interested since they have other things to do, since most of this work is take-home work 

• Continue PST as long as the athlete competes

  • Become more focused and clear their head 

  • Better performance due to being able to focus on form 

• Establish a mental training schedule

• Evaluate the program: (select all that apply?)

  • Provide feedback

    • Verbal feedback – show statistics – scales to measure mindfulness – see if they are becoming more aware/descriptive with what you ask them to do (like drinking water, etc.) 

  • Determine effectiveness

    • Ask them if they are feeling better or if they are recovering (can feel better than how you sound) - do you think you are becoming more mindful, etc.  

  • Implement modifications

    • If you notice anything, you can adjust; for example, an athlete doing better in the mornings, shift everything to the morning.  

    • (aka night or morning person) - can change the athlete to switch sides when you need to; it just takes time 

Time Spent on PST Program

• First Formal Exposure = 3-6 months

  • Ideally 3 months

• New mental skills often need: (on average, 30 minutes)

  • 15-30 minute intervals

  • 3-5 times per week

    • Multiple skills – split up in brackets – 2 15-minute sessions or every other day for each skill, etc.  

• Integrate PST with psycial/technical skills training as soon as possible!!!

Who Should Administer PST Programs?

Ideally: planned, implemented, and supervised by a qualified CMPC

(not that feasible)

• Coach’s responsibility to provide PST and to reinforce optimal psychologcal states

  • tell athlete’s its important

  • CMPCs can’t be at all practices/competitions

  • Ethical dilemma

How to Design A Mental Training Program

• Assess the situation (e.g., need, politics, level of support, are you qualified?)

  • “Needs” assessment

• Evaluate the person’s (athlete or coach) mental skills

  • Run a sociogram, find a hierarchy, skills that are good/weak (imagery) [quarterback visualizing the play] 

• Determine psychological skills to include

  • Groups or individual – understand the athletes’ mental profile 

• Establish a mental training schedule (e.g., time allocation)

  • Timer – to the minute – precision – how much time is wasted on other things vs. how much time you can use during the day 

  • Time allocation schedule  

• Evaluate the program (e.g., feedback, effectiveness, modifications)

  • Monitoring from the side

Intial Assessment

Individual or group setting?

• Questionnarie

  • Test of Performance Strategies (TOPS), etc.

• Interview

  • Structured, Semi-structured, etc.

    • Make sure that they are the same throughout the whole team (allows for a direct comparison) 

    • Semi-structured/unstructured -> good for check-ins, specialized clients, trust, struggling and immediately needs help 

• Profiling

  • Hierarchical, Circular, etc.

    • Profiling - getting certain ads, etc.

• Observation

  • Performance evaluation rating

    • Practice/games, film

Questionnarie - Motivation and Goal Setting

3. Framework = SMART goals!!!!!

Interview

Best vs. Worst Performance:

• Who were you competing against?

• What was the setting?

• How did you prepare for that competition?

• What were you thinking or saying to yourself?

• What did you feel like?

  • Prior to comp?

  • During comp?

  • Following the comp?

Compare Performance → Picture

Profiling

• Circular Model

• Hierarchial Model

• Profile Graph

Important Factors in Facilitating the Development of Profiling

• Recognize there are no “Right” or “Wrong” answers 

• There is no limit to the number of responses 

• Use the labels or descriptions given by the athlete 

• Do not spend too long deliberating or analyzing 

• Encourage the athlete to maximize the range of the scale 

Profiling - Circular Model (EXAM)

Examples:

• Determination

• Stress Management

• Goal-setting

• Leadership

• Communication

• Imagery

• Consistent Effort

• Self-Talk

• Self-Confidence

• Mental Preparation

• Concentration

• etc.

KNOW THIS →

• Most comprehensive, most changeable, etc.  

• Can change the characteristics on the model; not set in stone 

  • Could ask a coach what is the top 10 attributes they want to see.  

• Can compare the athlete rating of themselves to the coach rating of the athlete.  

  • Can do averages on the team vs. individuals 

Profiling - Hierarchial Model

• Listing the types of qualities in a top-down fashion and then rating the individual, team, or coach on those qualities

Rank order - highest to lowest (can compare athlete vs coach ratings)

Profiling - Profile Graph

• Emotions During Performance

• Comparing two groups 

  • Light blue – high-performing athletes 

  • Dark blue – low-performing athletes 

  • (could also be the same athlete – pre- and post-season) 

Evaluating of Programs Effectiveness

• Provides consultants and coaches with information needed to modify their programs

• Allows athletes and coaches to give their input

The only way to objectively judge whether the program achieved its goal!!!!

→ Get some data and see if things are actually working – if not, figure what to fix and change it! 

Evaluating Effectives

Part 1

Determine strengths and weaknesses

• Content of sessions

  • (make sure it's age-appropriate) - for the group

• Delivery of materials

• Examples:

  • Did you accomplish your objective? What techniques worked best? were athlete/coaches responsive?

Part 2

Total evaluation at the end (continuous process)

• team and individual discussions

• written evaluations by athletes and coaches

• Sample athlete questions:

  • How often did you actually practice the skills? What exercises were most helpful? Any suggestions to make the program better in the future?

Keys for Success in Teaching Mental Skills

EXAM QUESTION → Which quarterback was discussed in Class?

→ Ryan Leaf!!!!!

1. Identify the commonly used psychological skills training methods and techniques (select ALL that apply).

a) Behavior modifications

b) Goal-setting

c) Imagery

d) Attentional control

e) Systematic desensitization

ALL OF THE ABOVE!

2. Mental toughness is comprised of which of the following (select ALL that apply)?

a) Clarity

b) Confidence

c) Commitment

d) Challenge

e) Control

B, C, D, E

3. This assessment is used when generating an athlete profile of dysfunctional and optimal emotions during performance.

a) Best vs. worst performance

b) Profile graph

c) Circular model

d) Hierarchical order

e) Test of Performance Strategies (TOPS)

B

4. Strategies and techniques to perform a mental skill are taught during this phase of a PST program.

a) Practice phase

b) Teaching phase

c) Acquisition phase

d) Educational phase

e) Performance phase

C

5. Mental resilience is another term used to describe mental toughness.

True or False?

True!

6. The long-term goal of a psychological skills training program is self-regulation.

True or False?

False!

7. ___________ is the systematic, consistent practice of mental or psychological skills for the purpose of enhancing performance, increasing enjoyment, and achieving greater sport/physical activity self-satisfaction.

a) Mental rehearsal

b) Psychological skills training

c) Psychophysiology

d) Visualization

e) Sport psychology

B

8. Identify the psychological skills training (PST) myth.

a) PST enhances performance when practiced consistently

b) 85% of studies find increases in performance following PST programs

c) PST programs are only for elite athletes

d) PST programs can increase enjoyment and self-satisfaction

e) PST programs require realistic expectations

C

9. The best time to implement a psychological skills training program is during the offseason or preseason.

True or False?

True!

10. A sibling rivalry is an example of a deliberatively taught method to increase mental toughness.

True or False?

False!

Kerri Strug, 1996 Gymnastics

• Never deviate from your routine 

• Positive self-talk, focus on breathing, etc. 

• -> watch her breath, watch the quiet eye – reduce sensory input - focus on that one spot, terms in the head to focus on what they are doing – helps with reaction 

Arousal vs. Anxiety

Arousal

• A blend of physiological and psychological activity in a person

• The intensity dimension of motivation

  • NUMBER ONE REASON ATHLETES GO IN FOR HELP

  • SIMPLE!!!!!!

Anxiety

• A negative emotional state

  • COMPLEX!!!!

• nervousness, worry and apprehension

• Cognitive vs. Somatic

• Reaction to Stress

Types of Anxiety

State

• one’s ever-changing mood

• “Right now” feelings

  • influence VERY quickly

Trait

• Part of the personality (stable)

• A predisposition to perceive things as threatening or stressful

Stress

A substantial imbalance between demand (physical or psychological) placed on a performer and his/her response capability where failure to meet the demand has important consequences.

The Stress Process

Examples of environmental demands:

• Execution of newly required skills

• Pressure from parents/coaches

• A sport psychologist focuses on the perception of the athlete; they can try to shit/change the athlete’s perception 

• If they can’t help with the perception, they focus on how they can modify the stress response 

Sources of Stress and Anxiety in Sport

INTERACTIONAL APPROACH!!!! (internal and external)

Stress Evaluation Techniques

1. Stressor Library

2. Downscaling Your Life

3. Time Management “Am I having Fun Yet?” Example

Stressor Library/Journal - Stress Eval Techniques

• Log how you respond in different situation (note what was going on and how you felt, give intensity rating, how did I cope/what I did, and then see what you could do to manage them in the moment.  

Downscaling Your Life - Stress Eval Techniques

• Being productive requires working within your limits

• Asserting yourself

• Learning how to say “No”

  • Setting boundaries

• Communicating effectively to reduce stress

Time Management - Stress Eval Techniques

• “To do” lists and scheduling

• Prioritize tasks

• Avoid procastination

• Delegate work

• Take breaks

• Set deadlines

• Stay organized

“Am I Having Fun Yet?” Example - Stress Eval Techniques

Example:

• List your top 10 favorite activities and number how many times per week you do them.

  • What is the total # of times you have had fun this week?

Arousal-Performance Relationship

Proposed Explanations

1. Drive Theory

2. Inverted-U Hypothesis

3. Zones of Optimal Functioning

4. Multidimension Anxiety Theory

5. Catastrophe Model

6. Reversal Theory

Drive Theory

• The higher the arousal/state anxiety, the better the performance is

  
  

  Social Facilitation Theory

  • The presence of others…

    • …helps performance on well-learned or simple skills

    • …inhibits performance on unlearned or complex tasks

  
  

  ex: coaching a youth baseball team. Audeince detrimental or facilitative?

  • detrimental - parents yelling “coaching” from the stands

  • facilitatiev - cheering their kid on

Inverted-U Hypothesis

• 50% is optimal for everyone

• once the athlete gets to a certain level of arousal, theyll peak in performance. Then after, if they become more aroused, their performance will tank

Zones of Optimal Functioning

• Different athletes have different levels/zones of optimal performance. No one athlete is the same

• athlete a - needs a low state/low arousal level to succeed

• athlete b - needs mod state anxiety/aroual to succeed

• athelte c - needs high amounts of state anxiety/arousal to succeed

Multidimensional Anxiety Theory

• Somatic - Physical

• Cognitive - brain/mental

• Left graph

  • Cognitive Anxiety (worry)

    • Negatively related to performance

  
  

  Right gragh

  • Somatic Anxiety (physical)

    • Related to performance in an inverted-U pattern

  
  

  examples

  • Cognitive Anxiety: Has a rigid, negative linear relationship with performance. As your mental worry goes up, your performance automatically goes down—no matter what your body is doing.

  • Somatic Anxiety: Has a classic Inverted-U relationship with performance. A little bit of physical arousal helps you warm up, but too much physical tension hurts performance.

Catastrophe Model

• More likely to perform better at the high cognitive level but a higher chance of failing 

• Good for regular season, second graph – all or nothing game 

• Interaction A (Low Worry): If your cognitive anxiety is low, your somatic arousal behaves normally, following a safe, gentle Inverted-U curve.

• Interaction B (High Worry): If your cognitive anxiety is high, your somatic arousal becomes highly dangerous. As your physical symptoms rise, they will push you to a peak, but crossing that threshold triggers an immediate, catastrophic crash in performance.

Reversal Theory

Arousal can affect performance depending on how individual interprets his or her arousal level

• low arousal = relaxation or boredom?

• high arousal = excitement or anxiety?

Arousal can be interpreted as pleasant (excitement) or unpleasant (anxiety)

Interpretation can change between positive and negative!!!!

graph

• paratelic (playful) → welcomes arousal

• Telic (serious) → avoids arousal

Facilitative vs. Debilitative Anxiety

How to increase control:

• Enahnce confidence

• Psychological skills training (e.g., imagery, self-talk, goal setting, etc)

• Arousal and anxiety = excitement, NOT fear

Controlling Arousal

Be more aware during practice/competition

• Self-monitoring

  • Right here, right now, “how am I feeling, thinking, and what is my body doing?” 

• Reflection

Once aware, employ arousal regulation strategies

Key: How individuals cope with anxiety is more important than how much anxiety they experience!

• As long as you understand that it’s real and you can feel it. That's good. Don’t try to ignore it. You can have responses; it’s normal – deal with it healthily. 

Anxiety Reduction Strategies

1. Somatic

2. Cognitive

3. Multimodal

1 → Somactic - Anxiety Reduction Strategies

Breath Control

• One of the easiest, effective ways to control anxiety

• Control breathing in stressful situations

• When calm: breathing is smooth, deep, and rhythmical

• When tense: breathing is short, shallow, and irregular

• → MOST CLASSIC = 6 breathes per minute

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

• Feel tension in the muscles and then let go of it

  • Squeezing fingers into a fist for 30 seconds, then letting go, etc.

Assumptions: (picture)

• 1. It is possible to learn the difference between tension and relaxation

• 2. Tension and relaxation are mutually exclusive

• 3. Relaxation of the body through decreased muscle tension will decrease mental tension

Biofeedback:

• Helps people become more aware of their physiological and autonomic nervous system reactions

• Increases control of these responses

2 → Cognitive - Anxiety Reduction Strategies

Systematic Desensitization

• People have learned through classical conditioning to experience anxiety in certain situations

• Stressful situations are imagined

• Relaxation is paired with the scene until anxiety is no longer produced

Relaxation Response (Mental Relaxation)

• Teaches you to quiet the mind, concentrate, and reduce muscle tension by focusing attention on a mental device or thought

• Requires:

  • quiet environment

  • comfortable position

  • mental device (focus on single thought/word)

  • Passive attitude (learn to let things happen)

Autogenic Training

• a series of exercises designed to produce two physical sensations: warmth and heaviness

  • “Being in the Womb”

• Attention is focused on the sensations you are trying to produce

• Stages:

  • 1. Heaviness in the extremities

  • 2. Warmth in the extremities

  • 3. Regulation of cardiac activity

  • 4. Regulation of breathing

  • 5. Abdominal warmth

  • 6. Cooling of the forehead

3 → Multimodal - Anxiety Reduction Strategies

• Can alleviate both cognitive and somatic anxiety

• Provides systematic strategies for rehearsing coping skills under simulated stressful conditions

Help control dysfunctional emotions by:

1. Producing more adaptive appraisals

2. Improving coping responses

3. Increasing confidence in using skills to mamage sources of stress

3 → Multimodal cont.

Cognitive-Affective Stress Management

• Teaches coping responses using relaxation and cognitive components to control emotional arousal

• Phases:

  • 1. Pretreatment assessment (assess skills and deficits)

  • 2. Treatment rationale (help athlete understand stress response)

  • 3. Skill acquisition (muscular relaxation, cognitive restructuring, and self-instruction)

  • 4. Skill rehearsal (induce arousal, evaluate responses)

  • 5. Post-training evaluation (self-monitoring, performance measures, and feedback)

Stress-Inoculation Training (SIT)

• Teaches a person to cope with increasing amounts of stress, thereby enhancing the person’s immunity to stress

• 1. Prepare the stressor → “it’s going to be rought; keep your cool”

• 2. Control and handle the stressor → “Keep your cool; just stay focused on the task.”

• 3. Cope with feelings of being overwhelmed → “Stay focused; what’s next?”

• 4. Evaluate coping efforts → “You handled yourself well.”

Techniques include: imagery, role-playing, and homework assignments

Hypnosis (efficacy a major issue)

• Alter state of consciousness that can be induced by a putting subject in a relaxed state while having them respond to suggestions form making alterations in perception, feelings, thoughts, or actions.

• Stages:

  • 1. Induction: relaxed and peaceful; place in trance via imagery or attentional focus

  • 2. Hypnotic: physiological responses similar to relaxation; asked to respond to specific suggestions

  • 3. Waking: Awake from trance through a suggestion of a signal

  • 4. Posthypnotic: suggestions during hypnosis are thought to influence behaviors/feelings

1. Breath control is a common cognitive anxiety reduction strategy.

True or False?

False!

2. ______ is the most important factor for determining whether anxiety will be facilitative or debilitative.

a) Awareness

b) Control

c) Confidence

d) Self-efficacy

e) Self-esteem

B

3. Which of the following statements about arousal are true (select ALL that apply)? 

a) It's a blend of physiological and psychological activity.

b) It can be state dependent.

c) It is the intensity dimension of motivation.

d) It is a reaction to stress.

e) It always results in worry.

A, B, & C

4. How individuals cope with anxiety is more important than how much anxiety they experience.

True or False?

True!

5. The matching hypothesis suggests that the anxiety reduction strategy should match the specific problem an athlete is managing (e.g., physical tension should be treated with a somatic technique). 

True or False?

True!

6. Identify the anxiety reduction strategy whereby athletes are shown their physiological and autonomic reactions so they can gain control of their responses. 

a) progressive muscle relaxation

b) breath control

c) hypnosis

d) biofeedback

e) autogenic training

D

7. This stress evaluation technique typically involves creating "to do" lists, delegating tasks, setting deadlines, and staying organized.

a) "Am I having fun yet"

b) stressor library

c) systematic desensitization

d) time management

e) downscaling your life

D

8. The two sensations emphasized in autogenic training are: 

a) warmth and lightness

b) cold and heaviness

c) cold and lightness

d) warmth and cold

e) warmth and heaviness

E

9. The premise of stress inoculation training is to __________.

a) stress an individual so they no longer display an unwanted behavior

b) expose individuals to large doses of stress to reduce reactivity

c) teach people that stress in in their mind

d) improve appraisal of stressful situations

e) gradually expose an individual to stress to increase immunity

E

10. Identify the emotion-focused coping strategies (select ALL that apply).

a) time management skills

b) goal-setting

c) meditation

d) reappraisal

e) self-talk

C & D