Psyching Up Without Psyching Out: Understanding Arousal in Energy Management

1. ENERGY MANAGEMENT: PSYCHING UP WITHOUT PSYCHING OUT Damon Burton University of Idaho

2. What is arousal?

3. AROUSAL DEFINED • Arousal – the general physiological and psychological activation of the body that varies on a continuum from deep sleep to intense excitement.

4. AROUSAL CONTINUUM Low High Arousal Arousal Coma Frenzy couch potato working out

5. COMPONENTS OF AROUSAL • intensity – amount of activation of the Autonomic Nervous System. • direction – interpretation of activation as positive and facilitating performance or negative and detrimental to performance.

6. PHYSIOLOGICAL COMPONENTS OF AROUSAL • Under stress, the Autonomic Nervous System is activated. • The sympathetic component of the ANS pumps adrenaline into bloodstream to help the body prepare to handle demanding situation. • The “Fight or Flight Syndrome” is a survival mechanism built into our caveman ancestors.

7. PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES DURING MAXIMAL AROUSAL • Heart rate, blood pressure and breathing increase, • Muscles develop anticipatory tension, • Glucose is released from the liver to provide extra energy, • Through vasodilation, blood is shunted away from the digestive system to the large muscles of arms and legs, • The kidneys shut down and the bladder is emptied, • Brain activity increases, enhancing alertness, and • Our cooling system engages to prepare for vigorous activity.

9. WHAT TRIGGERS ACTIVATION OF THE ANS? • life-threatening situations that trigger the “Fight or Flight Syndrome,” • psychological stress such as preparing for a big test, an important speech, a crucial job interview or a major sport competition.

10. MENTAL COMPONENTS OF AROUSAL • self talk, • imagery, • attentional focus, and • perceptions of control.

11. Does arousal help or hurt performance?

12. Relationships Between Physical and Mental Components of Arousal High Physical Arousal • somatic anxiety • anger • excitement • challenge • readiness Debilitative Facilitative • boredom • fatigue • lethargy • relaxation Low Physical Arousal

13. FACILITATIVE AROUSAL • high arousal that is interpreted positively as optimal challenge, readiness or excitement. • leads to a constructive approach to competition in which athletes are highly-focused, thinking positively, feeling prepared and in control, and imagining successful process and outcome. • prompts performers to rise to the occasion, attain personal excellence and promote Flow.

14. DEBILITATIVE AROUSAL • high arousal that is interpreted negatively as threat, worry, and fear of failure. • leads to a detrimental approach to competition in which athletes are highly-distracted, thinking negatively, feeling ill prepared and totally overwhelmed, and imagining disastrous performance and outcome. • prompts choking and poor performance, thus blocking Flow.

15. How does arousal relate to anxiety?

16. RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN AROUSAL AND ANXIETY • Anxiety – a negative emotional state characterized by feelings of nervousness, worry and apprehension associated with activation of the body. • Anxiety is a negative emotion that has a detrimental impact on performance. • Trait anxiety – is the tendency to view situations negatively and respond with higher levels of state anxiety. • State anxiety – is a momentary anxiety experience that includes both autonomic arousal and specific cognitions of worry and apprehension.

17. Model of Competitive Emotions Facilitative • excitement • readiness • self-confidence self Physical Mental • somatic anxiety • cognitive anxiety Debilitative

18. DIMENSIONS OF ANXIETY • Cognitive Anxiety – is negative expectations of success or worrying about the negative consequences of failure. • Symptoms include: self-doubts, concerns about doing well, lack of control, inability to concentrate and images of failure or disaster. • Somatic Anxiety – is the physiological and affective component of anxiety that develops directly from autonomic arousal and is interpreted negatively. • Symptoms include: muscular tension, butterflies in the stomach, shortness of breath, sweaty palms, “cotton mouth,” frequent urination, and increased heart rate.

19. POSITIVE COMPETITIVE EMOTIONS • Self-Confidence – is positive expectations of success that should facilitate performance. • Symptoms include: feelings of control, perceptions of being highly prepared, few concerns about doing well, extreme belief in talent and ability, and images of success. • Excitement/Readiness – reflects a positive interpretation of autonomic arousal symptoms that should facilitate performance. • Symptoms include: muscular tension, butterflies in the stomach, shortness of breath, sweaty palms, “cotton mouth,” frequent urination, and increased heart rate.

20. How does arousal impact performance?

21. DRIVE THEORY: AROUSAL- PERFORMANCE RELATIONSHIP Performance Arousal High High Low

22. INVERTED-U THEORY: AROUSAL- PERFORMANCE RELATIONSHIP Performance 1 2 3 • Individualized ZOF Arousal

23. CATASTROPHE THEORY: WHEN AROUSAL & COGNITIVE ANXIETY ARE HIGH High Cognitive Anxiety Performance 1 2 3 Arousal

25. How do underarousal and overarousal hurt performance?

26. HOW UNDERAROUSAL IMPAIRS PERFORMANCE • Arousal is insufficient to prepare body for challenging competitive demands. • Insufficient oxygen is pumped to the working muscles, • The body’s cooling system is not adequately readied, • Nonessential systems such as digestion and excretion are not put on standby, • Glucose has not been released from the liver to fuel activity, and • Brain activity increases, heightening alertness.

27. HOW OVER AROUSAL IMPAIRS PERFORMANCE • excessive muscular tension and coordination problems, • index finger example • attentional problems, • attentional narrowing, • inability to shift attention, • brain specialization problems, • excessive analyzer control, • adoption of an outcome rather than a process orientation

41. How do task and personality variables influence optimal arousal?

43. OPTIMAL AROUSAL: SIMPLE VERSUS COMPLEX TASKS • attentional demands • decision-making requirements, and • nature of the motor response.

44. ATTENTIONAL DEMANDS • the number of stimuli in the environment, • the number of cues you need to attend to, • the duration and intensity of the stimuli, and • the conflicting nature of cues.

45. DECISION-MAKING REQUIREMENTS • number of decisions necessary, • number of choices per decision, • speed at which decisions have to be made, and • the sequence of those decisions.

46. NATURE OF THE MOTOR RESPONSE • the number of muscles involved, • the amount of coordination required, • the precision and steadiness needed, and • the fine motor skills required.

47. OPTIMAL AROUSAL: TASK DURATION • Long-duration events – require execution of the skill as efficiently as possible to minimize energy expenditure through good technique and correct pace. • Short-duration events – require sharply-focused, explosive arousal for a few moments when athletes perform.

48. Does the inverted-U hypothesis still effectively explain how arousal influences performance?

49. RECONCEPTUALIZING THE INVERTED-U • Facilitative arousal conditions – cognitive anxiety is low, self-confidence is high, and athletes adopt a process orientation. • Debilitative arousal conditions – cognitive anxiety is high, self-confidence is low, and athletes adopt an outcome orientation. • Neutral arousal conditions – low-moderate cognitive anxiety, moderate to high self-confidence, and a moderate outcome orientation.

50. AROUSAL-PERFORMANCE RELATIONSHIP: FACILITATIVE CONDITIONS Performance Arousal High High Low