Recall agreement between actual and retrospective reports of competitive anxiety: A comparison of intensity and frequency dimensions.
Author
Thomas, Owen
Picknell, G.
Hanton, Sheldon
Date
2011Type
Article
ISSN
0264-0414
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
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, Vealey, Bump, & Smith, 1990) at four pre-competition and four post-competition intervals to compare actual and recalled responses. In Phase 2, follow up interviews (n = 6) explored the perceived mechanisms underpinning the quantitative results. Limits of agreement (Bland & Altman, 1999
) analysis on the quantitative data indicated that, compared with intensity, memory for frequency was generally more reliable, and recall ability of this dimension was less biased for symptoms that occurred earlier in the week. Inductive analysis of the qualitative interviews suggested athletes were more attuned to the frequency rather than the intensity of their competitive anxiety symptoms. These findings provide support for the notion that the frequency of symptoms may act as a precursor for increasing anxiety levels and this dimension may be a more accurate reflection of experienced symptoms when recalling emotional accounts. The implications are that researchers and practitioners need to consider frequency in addition to intensity when seeking to manage anxiety responses during the time preceding competition.
Journal/conference proceeding
Journal of Sports Sciences
Citation
Thomas, O., Picknell, G. and Hanton, S. (2011) 'Recall agreement between actual and retrospective reports of competitive anxiety: A comparison of intensity and frequency dimensions', Journal of Sports Sciences, 29(5), pp.495-508.
Description
This article was published in Journal of Sports Sciences on 27 January 2011 (online), available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2010.541479
Collections
- Sport Research Groups [620]
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, subject and abstract.
-
Which anxiety dimension do participants in team sports perceive as the most influential upon preparation and performance?
O'Brian, Hayley (University of Wales Institute Cardiff, 2008)Competitive anxiety has been a popular topic within sports psychology research. However, previous research has failed to identify the influence of all three anxiety dimensions upon performance. Therefore, the aim of the ... -
Frequency and perceptions of pre-competition symptoms (thoughts and feelings) in elite and non-elite athletes.
Major, Harriet (University of Wales Institute Cardiff, 2012)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 ... -
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, ...