Interpreting Direction of Anxiety Within Hanin's Individual Zone of Optimal Functioning

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine Jones' (1991) directionality hypothesis and Hanin's (2000) individual zone of optimal functioning model. Swimmers' performance was examined to determine if cognitive and somatic anxiety was within cognitive and somatic individual zones of optimal functioning (IZOFs). Direction of cognitive and somatic anxiety was examined to determine if anxiety within IZOFs would be reported as facilitative to performance. One 3×3 (cognitive anxiety X somatic anxiety) ANOVA was calculated using ipsative t scores as the performance dependent variable. Two separate one factor ANOVAs for cognitive anxiety and somatic anxiety were calculated using ipsatized cognitive and somatic direction scores as the dependent variables. Results indicated support for Hanin's IZOF theory relative to intensity of cognitive anxiety, however, interpretations of anxiety within IZOFs failed to provide support for the directional hypothesis. Results are explained via examination of extant anxiety-performance and directionality literature. Potential limitations and implications for future research are discussed.     

Psychological Skills Do Not Always Help Performance: The Moderating Role of Narcissism

Psychological skills are typically viewed as beneficial to performance in competition. Conversely, narcissists appear to thrive in competitive environments so should not need psychological skills to the same degree as less narcissistic individuals. To investigate this moderating hypothesis high-standard ice-skaters completed measures of narcissism, psychological skills, and anxiety before performing their competition routine during training. A week later, participants performed the same routine in competition. Performance was operationalized as the difference between competition and training scores. Moderated regression analyses revealed that narcissism moderated the relationship between psychological skills and performance. Psychological skill effectiveness depends on an individual's degree of narcissism.     

Both young and older adults discount suggestions from older adults on a social memory test

In the present study, we examined the impacts of participant age and confederate age on social memory processes. During a collaborative recall phase, young and older adult participants were exposed to the erroneous memory reports of a young or an older adult confederate. On a subsequent individual recall test, young and older adult participants were equally likely to incorporate the confederates’ erroneous suggestions into their memory reports, suggesting that participant age had a minimal effect on social memory processes. However, confederate age did have a marked effect: Young adult participants were less likely to incorporate misleading suggestions from older adult confederates and less likely to report “remembering” items suggested by older adult confederates. Critically, older adult participants were also less likely to incorporate misleading information from fellow older adult confederates. Both young and older adult participants discounted older adult confederates’ contributions to a memory test.     

Child Characterization Sketch

The aim of this paper is to describe a novel method of eliciting and exploring the constructs that parents use to anticipate their children's behavior. The need for such a method arises from the inadequacies of alternative measures used in early intervention studies. The method is called the Child Characterization Sketch, in acknowledgment of the method of self-characterization first described by Kelly. The technique and subsequent analysis are described in detail to enable others to evaluate its potential. In the present paper its use is illustrated both from a counseling viewpoint and in relation to research questions concerning mothers of children with intellectual impairments. The results provide an exploratory consideration of the types of constructs mothers use and a comparison of mothers of children with or without intellectual impairment.     

Qualitative Grids,the Relationality Corollary and the Levels of Interpersonal Construing

Qualitative grids are powerful tools for mapping interpersonal construing and provide a new method of interviewing, research and intervention into social situations. This article introduces some of their forms after discussing the theoretical framework from which they are derived. Although they are based within personal and relational construct psychology, they can be used within any theoretical approach interested in the study of and intervention in human relationships. Kelly's sociality corollary is a deeply heuristic formulation that presages many similar concepts in contemporary use, such as theory of mind and mentalization. But the corollary is open to critique and further elaboration. As originally stated, it is restricted to the construing of one other person or position in a relationship. This enables us to elaborate the relationality corollary that includes a person's construing of relationships and interactions with two or more others, giving us a deeper understanding of group situations. This involves developing a conception of different levels of interpersonal construing. These can be nicely captured using qualitative grids, and an understanding of this helps the interviewer in designing the grid form suitable for the task in hand.