Don't Make Me Angry! A Psychophysiological Examination of the Anger–Performance Relationship in Intermediate and Elite Fencers

View/ open
Author
Zur, Itzhak
Cooke, Andrew
Woodman, Tim
Neil, Rich
Udewitz, Robert
Date
2018-05-14Acceptance date
2018-04-09
Type
Article
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
ISSN
1041-3200
1533-1571 (online)
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
We aimed to identify the effect of state-anger on precision, speed, and power components of performance during fencing attacks. We conducted a laboratory-based, single-case research experiment to test the fine motor task performance of two experienced and two elite-level fencers under two emotional states: anger and emotion-neutral. We assessed anger via psychophysiological and self-report measures, and we induced anger via a brief imagery intervention. Through the use of an innovative design, which included multiple measures of change, we showed that anger had a consistent negative effect on precision but an inconsistent relationship with response time and muscle activity. The current research design and protocol offer a novel and in-depth method for examining the specific relationships between affective states, emotions, and the complexities that underpin performance. The specific effects of anger on performance were multifarious, complex, and inconsistent. Nonetheless, the results tend to indicate that anger facilitates reaction time and debilitates performance, and these effects were clearer for the most elite performers. The effects of anger on performance are clearly complex, so it would be rather premature to make any suggestions for future practice at this point. Nonetheless, the clearer findings with the elite fencers indicate that researchers will likely yield the most fruitful insights by examining the effects of emotion of performance in elite performers.
Journal/conference proceeding
Journal of Applied Sport Psychology;
Citation
Zur, I., Cooke, A., Woodman, T., Neil, R. and Udewitz, R. (2018) 'Don't Make Me Angry! A Psychophysiological Examination of the Anger–Performance Relationship in Intermediate and Elite Fencers', Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, pp.1-18. doi: 10.1080/10413200.2018.1464079
Description
Article published in Journal of Applied Sport Psychology on 13 April 2018 (online) available at https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2018.1464079
Sponsorship
Cardiff Metropolitan University (Grant ID: Cardiff Metropolian (Internal))
Collections
- Import [796]
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, subject and abstract.
-
The antecedents, consequences and coping strategies of aggression displayed by womens Rugby Union players during match time
Morris, Elin (University of Wales Institute Cardiff, 2008)The purpose of this study was to examine the antecedents of aggression in womens rugby union players, and what effect they perceived this to have on their performance. Identification of coping strategies was also an objective ... -
STRESS AS A PROCESS NOT A PRODUCT IN NON-ELITE GOLFERS DURING COMPETITION
Richards, Tobias (Cardiff Metropolitan University, 2013)Informed by Lazarus and Folkmans transactional model of stress and coping (1984) and Lazarus’s cognitive-motivational-relational-theory (1991), the investigation holistically explored the stress process of five non- elite ... -
Physiological correlates of emotion-regulation during prolonged cycling performance
Lane, Andrew; Wilson, Matthew; Whyte, Greg; Shave, Rob (Springer Verlag, 2011)We proposed that experiencing unpleasant emotions during performance represents unsuccessful emotion-regulatory efforts, and that such effort concurrently tax physiological resources. We used data from 2-h cycling trials ...