Stress, Arousal and Anxiety

What Stress, Arousal and Anxiety covers

Stress, Arousal and Anxiety is examined in AS Unit 1, Exploring physical education. It covers stress, arousal and anxiety defined, drive, inverted-U and catastrophe theories, the zone of optimal functioning and peak flow, measuring stress, arousal and anxiety and controlling stress, arousal and anxiety.

The 5 subtopics

Each one has its own page. WJEC AS Physical Education students sit this topic in the first year.

• Stress, arousal and anxiety definedStress, arousal and anxiety and how they relate, trait and state anxiety, somatic and cognitive anxiety, arousal and personality, the effect of an audience, and whether anxiety always harms performance.Open →
• Drive, inverted-U and catastrophe theoriesDrive theory and the dominant response for experts and novices, the inverted-U with skill type and expertise, catastrophe theory, recovering after a catastrophe, and how the theories compare.Open →
• The zone of optimal functioning and peak flowThe zone of optimal functioning and how it differs from the inverted-U, individual zones, being in the zone, peak flow experience and its conditions and barriers, and how coaches help performers reach it.Open →
• Measuring stress, arousal and anxietyPhysiological measures, observation and questionnaires with their strengths and weaknesses, the sport competition anxiety test (SCAT), the competitive state anxiety inventory (CSAI-2), and combining methods.Open →
• Controlling stress, arousal and anxietySomatic and cognitive techniques, biofeedback, breathing control, progressive muscle relaxation, goal setting, imagery and positive self-talk, matching the technique to the anxiety, and raising arousal when it is too low.Open →

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Take Stress, Arousal and Anxiety further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

• Trait anxiety vs State anxiety

  Trait anxiety: a stable tendency to feel worried across many situations. State anxiety: a temporary worry felt in one particular moment.

• Somatic anxiety vs Cognitive anxiety

  Somatic anxiety: physical symptoms such as sweating and a raised heart rate. Cognitive anxiety: worry, negative thoughts and poor concentration.

• SCAT vs CSAI-2

  SCAT: a questionnaire measuring a performer's general tendency to be nervous in contests. CSAI-2: a questionnaire measuring cognitive and somatic nervousness and self-confidence before a contest.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What is stress?

   Model answer

   Stress is a response to a situation in which the demands seem to exceed a person's ability to cope. Stress can be positive or negative.

2. 2

   What is arousal?

   Model answer

   Arousal is a person's level of physical and mental activation. Arousal ranges from deep sleep to intense excitement.

3. 3

   What is anxiety?

   Model answer

   Anxiety is a negative emotional state of worry and apprehension. Anxiety is linked to high arousal.

4. 4

   What is the relationship between stress, arousal and anxiety?

   Model answer

   A stressor raises arousal. When a performer interprets high arousal negatively, anxiety results.

5. 5

   What is trait anxiety?

   Model answer

   Trait anxiety is a stable tendency to feel anxious in many situations. It is part of a performer's personality.

6. 6

   What is state anxiety?

   Model answer

   State anxiety is a temporary feeling of anxiety in a particular situation. State anxiety changes from moment to moment.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

Stress, Arousal and Anxiety revision questions

Is Stress, Arousal and Anxiety examined at AS in WJEC Physical Education?

Yes. It sits in AS Unit 1, which you take in the first year, so it is on the AS paper as well as counting towards the full A level.

What does Stress, Arousal and Anxiety cover in WJEC AS-Level Physical Education?

5 subtopics: stress, arousal and anxiety defined, drive, inverted-u and catastrophe theories, the zone of optimal functioning and peak flow, measuring stress, arousal and anxiety and controlling stress, arousal and anxiety. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.

How is Stress, Arousal and Anxiety organised?

By the WJEC 601-8485-1 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.