Arousal and anxiety practice questions.

A gymnast performs a vault she has practised for two seasons. According to drive theory (Hull), how does her performance change as arousal rises?

• It rises in a straight line as the dominant response is strengthened
• It improves up to a moderate level of arousal and then falls away again
• It collapses suddenly once arousal passes one critical point
• It stays highest inside a narrow band that is unique to her

Answer: It rises in a straight line as the dominant response is strengthened

Drive theory treats performance as habit strength multiplied by drive, so more arousal amplifies whatever response is dominant; in a well-learned vault the dominant response is the correct one. The predicted fall at high arousal belongs to the inverted U, not to drive theory.

Two athletes wait in the same call room: an archer about to shoot and a shot putter about to throw. Which arousal levels does the inverted U hypothesis predict to be optimal for them?

• A high level for the archer and a low level for the shot putter
• The same moderate level for both, because the model is not task specific
• A lower level for the archer and a higher level for the shot putter
• A low level for both, because competition has already raised arousal

Answer: A lower level for the archer and a higher level for the shot putter

The shape of the curve is the same for every task, but the position of the peak moves: fine motor control and precise aiming peak at lower arousal, while a gross power action such as the shot put tolerates and benefits from higher arousal. Reading the model as one universal optimum is the usual error.

What distinguishes the catastrophe model of Hardy and Fazey from the inverted U hypothesis when a goalkeeper's arousal rises during a penalty shoot-out?

• It predicts that performance improves steadily as physiological arousal increases, whatever the worry level
• It predicts a sudden drop in performance when arousal rises under high cognitive anxiety
• It predicts that every goalkeeper shares one identical optimal point of arousal
• It predicts that cognitive anxiety has no measurable effect on the performance curve

Answer: It predicts a sudden drop in performance when arousal rises under high cognitive anxiety

The catastrophe model adds cognitive anxiety as a second variable: with low worry the curve is a gentle inverted U, but with high worry a further rise in arousal produces an abrupt collapse instead of a smooth decline. It is the shape of the fall, not the existence of an optimum, that separates the two models.

Before a cup final a midfielder reports four experiences. Which one is a symptom of somatic state anxiety?

• Repeatedly imagining the penalty being saved by the opposing keeper
• Worrying that the manager will leave him out of the next round
• Doubting whether his preparation has been good enough this week
• A pounding heart and clammy hands while waiting in the tunnel

Answer: A pounding heart and clammy hands while waiting in the tunnel

Somatic anxiety is the bodily component of state anxiety, covering heart rate, sweating, muscle tension and stomach symptoms, whereas worries, doubts and negative images belong to the cognitive component. Both are recorded by the same questionnaire, the CSAI-2, which is why they are so often confused.

Two swimming team-mates report very different pre-race anxiety levels, yet both produce personal best times. Which model accounts for this most directly?

• Hanin's individual zones of optimal functioning
• Hull's drive theory of arousal and habit strength
• The inverted U hypothesis with one shared optimal point
• Martens' multidimensional model of two anxiety components

Answer: Hanin's individual zones of optimal functioning

IZOF replaces a single universal optimum with a band that differs from athlete to athlete, so a swimmer who races best when highly anxious and one who needs calm can both be inside their own zone. The inverted U cannot explain the pair, because for a given task it assumes one optimal point in the middle of the range, whereas IZOF describes a band whose position differs from athlete to athlete.

A coach notices that one hurdler treats almost every competitive situation as threatening, from club meetings to national finals. Which construct does this pattern describe?

• State anxiety, because it changes from moment to moment during a race
• Somatic anxiety, because it is recorded through bodily symptoms
• Trait anxiety, because it is a stable disposition of the performer
• Eustress, because the arousal is interpreted as facilitative

Answer: Trait anxiety, because it is a stable disposition of the performer

Trait anxiety is an enduring disposition of the performer, whereas state anxiety is the temporary reaction to one particular moment. Somatic and cognitive name components of that reaction rather than its stability, and eustress describes activation that the athlete reads as facilitative.