Frequency and perceptions of pre-competition symptoms (thoughts and feelings) in elite and non-elite athletes.
View/ open
Author
Major, Harriet
Date
2012Type
Thesis
Publisher
University of Wales Institute Cardiff
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Research has suggested that the measurement of competitive state anxiety may benefit from applying a more detailed approach, as oppose to the traditional intensity‐alone perspective (Jones & Swain, 1992). Thus, the purpose of this study is to extend the competitive anxiety literature, by modifying Marten’s original Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2), to include scales for frequency (Swain & Jones, 1993) and perceptions of pre-competition frequency symptoms (Jones & Swain, 1992). This study aims to examine the differences in pre-competition symptoms and interpretations between elite and non elite athletes, preceding competition. Participants consisted of 93 England Rounder’s trialists, competing for a position in England’s U14 and U16 squads. Participants were asked to complete the 27 item questionnaire on three time periods (7 days, 1 day, & 1 hour) pre-competition. The modified CSAI-2 was distributed to the trialists through email, 7 days and 24 hours prior to the athlete’s trial. Participants were handed a final copy of the questionnaire to complete, 1 hour pre-competition. It was concluded that elite athletes do not differ from their non-elite athlete counterparts in their frequencies or interpretations of pre-competition anxiety symptoms. However, single time analysis suggested that elite athletes experience greater amounts of cognitive frequency, 1 hour pre-competition. Important practical implications emanated, particularly the need for coaches to encourage young athletes to gain more experience in a competitive sporting environment, to help them understand what anxiety is, and how it affects their performance. Additionally, the current findings identify the key roles that coaches and sport psychologists have in nurturing the athlete’s ability to redirect their symptoms of
anxiety, to facilitate their performance.
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, subject and abstract.
-
Recall agreement between actual and retrospective reports of competitive anxiety: A comparison of intensity and frequency dimensions.
Thomas, Owen; Picknell, G.; Hanton, Sheldon (2011)Using a mixed-method design, we compared athletes' abilities to recall intensity and frequency of competitive anxiety. In Phase 1, performers (n = 35) completed the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (Martens, Burton, ... -
The directional perception of the frequency of anxiety symptoms between elite and non-elite female football players
Lloyd, Bethan (University of Wales, 2011-10-25)Within the competitive anxiety literature, researchers have failed to consider whether the frequency of symptoms have an effect on performance. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the directional perception ... -
THE DIRECTIONAL PERCEPTIONS OF COMPETITIVE ANXIETY FREQUENCY: TEMPORAL RESPONSES OF ELITE AND NON-ELITE
Belcher, Victoria (2013-02)This study examined temporally the competitive anxiety symptoms of elite and non-elite performers. The design incorporated the four dimensions of competitive anxiety which are intensity, directional perceptions of intensity, ...