BHK Sport and Exercise Psychology 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Hardy's Catastrophe Theory predicts that a sudden drastic drop in performance occurs when:
- Physiological arousal alone becomes very high
- Cognitive anxiety is high and physiological arousal suddenly increases beyond a threshold (Correct answer)
- Social pressure exceeds the athlete's coping resources
- Somatic anxiety is absent during high-stakes competition
Correct answer: Cognitive anxiety is high and physiological arousal suddenly increases beyond a threshold
Hardy's Catastrophe Theory states that when cognitive anxiety is elevated, a sharp rise in physiological arousal triggers a catastrophic, difficult-to-reverse collapse in performance.
Question 2: An athlete who perceives pre-competition nervousness as energizing and helpful is experiencing:
- Cognitive anxiety
- Somatic anxiety
- Facilitative anxiety (Correct answer)
- Trait anxiety
Correct answer: Facilitative anxiety
Facilitative anxiety refers to competitive anxiety that the athlete interprets positively — as excitement that enhances readiness — rather than as a harmful threat.
Question 3: Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) reduces somatic anxiety by:
- Focusing attention on positive performance images
- Alternately tensing and releasing specific muscle groups throughout the body (Correct answer)
- Regulating breathing to slow the heart rate
- Using biofeedback devices to monitor physiological signals
Correct answer: Alternately tensing and releasing specific muscle groups throughout the body
PMR, developed by Jacobson, systematically tenses then relaxes successive muscle groups, helping athletes recognize and release physical tension associated with somatic anxiety.
Question 4: The Individual Zones of Optimal Functioning (IZOF) model emphasizes that:
- All athletes perform best at the same arousal level
- Each athlete has a unique optimal arousal zone for best performance (Correct answer)
- Optimal functioning requires complete absence of anxiety
- Arousal level is irrelevant to individual performance
Correct answer: Each athlete has a unique optimal arousal zone for best performance
Hanin's IZOF model proposes that each athlete has a personal, individualized zone of arousal intensity — which may be low, moderate, or high — within which they perform best.
Question 5: Somatic anxiety is primarily characterized by:
- Negative thoughts and worry about performance outcomes
- Physical symptoms such as increased heart rate, sweating, and muscle tension (Correct answer)
- Loss of attentional focus during competition
- Fear of negative social evaluation
Correct answer: Physical symptoms such as increased heart rate, sweating, and muscle tension
Somatic anxiety refers to the physiological component of anxiety, manifesting as bodily symptoms including increased heart rate, sweating, nausea, and muscle tension.
Question 6: Under high arousal conditions, attentional focus in athletes typically:
- Broadens to incorporate all available environmental cues
- Remains unchanged regardless of arousal level
- Narrows to fewer, more central cues in the environment (Correct answer)
- Shifts entirely to internal bodily sensations
Correct answer: Narrows to fewer, more central cues in the environment
High arousal causes attentional narrowing, where athletes focus on fewer central cues, which can be beneficial if relevant cues are central but harmful if important peripheral cues are missed.
Question 7: Centering is a sport psychology technique primarily used to:
- Build cardiovascular endurance before competition
- Quickly reduce anxiety and redirect attentional focus to the present moment (Correct answer)
- Increase competitive arousal before performance
- Develop long-term team cohesion strategies
Correct answer: Quickly reduce anxiety and redirect attentional focus to the present moment
Centering is a controlled breathing and focusing technique used to rapidly lower anxiety and reestablish attentional control during high-pressure competitive moments.
BHK Sport and Exercise Psychology 2
Hardy's Catastrophe Theory predicts that a sudden drastic drop in performance occurs when: