A study aimed at reducing cognitive and somatic anxiety levels among collegiate drivers' performance in a meet setting

Abstract

An experiment was conducted on seven Division III collegiate divers to investigate the levels of cognitive and somatic anxiety and their impact on performance. Divers were given three tests, the CSAI-2, SCAT, and Likert-type survey to further understand anxiety levels and possible causes of anxiety. The participants were presented with five interventions that aimed at reducing levels of anxiety: visualization, imagaletics, thought stoppage, coping statements, and relaxation. These interventions were introduced throughout the final two months of the swimming and diving season in the meets leading up to the divers' championship meet. Performances were also tracked and compared to pre and post intervention period to see the difference in score. The results indicated that while performance scores increased among all divers, anxiety levels were not identical. Each diver responded differently to the interventions, lowering half of everyone's anxiety, while raising anxiety among the other half. Each diver wrote in journals over the course of the intervention period in order to give a narrative and description of their thought processes when facing a stressful situation. There was no definitive link between the intervention's effectiveness on the divers due to the conflicting results. There does appear to be a link between self-confidence levels, anxiety levels, and performance levels. In conclusion, the results find that each person responds differently to anxiety, either positively or negatively, therefore, levels of anxiety will ultimately be dete rmined by one's perception of the anxious situation. [from author's abstract]