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IB Sports, Exercise & Health Science: C.4 · Stress and coping

Arousal, anxiety, coping strategies. 2 subtopics, 8 key terms.

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In this topic: C.4.1 · C.4.2

C.4.1Arousal, anxiety and performance

Arousal: A general state of physiological and psychological activation.
State / trait anxiety: Temporary anxiety in a situation / a general tendency to be anxious.
Cognitive / somatic anxiety: Worry and negative thoughts / physical symptoms (butterflies, sweating).
Inverted-U hypothesis: Performance improves with arousal up to an optimal point, then declines.

Drive theory: performance increases linearly with arousal (for well-learned skills).

The full notes, worked example, interactive diagram and check questions for this subtopic are in the app.

Exam tip: Sketch the inverted-U and label the optimal point when explaining arousal questions.

Stress: An imbalance between perceived demands and perceived ability to meet them.
Problem-focused coping: Dealing with the cause of stress (e.g. planning, improving technique).
Emotion-focused coping: Managing the emotional response (e.g. relaxation, reframing).
Avoidance coping: Physically or mentally withdrawing from the stressor.

Sources of stress: competition importance, uncertainty, injury, selection, travel, media, relationships.

The full notes, worked example and check questions for this subtopic are in the app.

Exam tip: Choose the coping strategy based on whether the stressor is controllable.