The effect of performance setting and individual differences on the anxiety-performance relationship for elite cyclists

Fifty-three national level cyclists completed competitive rides under both laboratory and field conditions to investigate the relationship between pre-competition anxiety and performance. A total of 39 males and 14 females participated in the study, ranging in age from 19 to 26. The objectives of the study were to, (a) measure the relationship between state anxiety and performance, (b) investigate differences in the anxiety-performance relationship under laboratory versus field conditions, and (c) examine the effect of trait anxiety on the state anxiety-performance relationship. State anxiety was measured using the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2; Martens, Vealey, & Burton, 1990), and trait anxiety with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI; Spielberger, Gorsuch, & Lushene, 1970). Results indicated that anxiety was strongly correlated with performance on the field test, but that the anxiety-performance relationship was weaker under laboratory conditions. Results also showed that trait anxiety interacted with the relationship, as low and high trait-anxious subjects had differential response patterns to pre-competition anxiety. The findings are discussed in terms of their relevance for both practitioners and researchers.     

The Distortion of Self-Perception by Learned Helplessness

This study examined the impact of learned helplessness on self-perception of competence. The participants were 180 undergraduates who were placed in control, failure, or success groups where they were given a list of traits on which to evaluate themselves, followed by an anagram-solution test. Significant performance effects were observed on the test; self-assessment was more representative of actual ability, however, than of the treatment situation. The results suggest that although experiencing uncontrollable failure may result in performance deficits, perception of ability may not be distorted.     

儿童期创伤对特质抑郁和特质焦虑的影响：图式中介特异性研究

根据Beck的认知内容特异性假说(Cognitive Content Specificity Hypothesis, CCSH), 本研究假设早期适应不良图式(EMSs)在儿童期创伤与特质抑郁和特质焦虑间存在中介效应的特异性。然后对668名大学生施以儿童期创伤问卷(CTQ-SF), Young图式问卷短版(YSQ-SF), 特质抑郁问卷(T-DEP)以及特质焦虑问卷(T-AI), 经中介效应检验程序分析, 结果表明：(1)三类儿童期创伤：情感虐待、情感忽视和躯体忽视与特质抑郁和特质焦虑相关均显著, 且三类创伤与特质抑郁和特质焦虑的相关系数差异不显著; (2)针对三类创伤的中介分析均表明情感剥夺、羞耻、社交孤立/疏离和自我牺牲等与没价值、无能力有关的图式在儿童期创伤和特质抑郁间起中介作用, 而不信任/虐待和对疾病/伤害易感性等与危险有关的图式在儿童期创伤和特质焦虑间起中介作用。结论：早期适应不良图式在儿童期创伤与特质抑郁和特质焦虑间存在中介效应的特异性。     

高焦虑个体对威胁性刺激的注意偏向特点*

采用点探测实验范式,将图片按照威胁性分为高威胁性和一般威胁性,探讨焦虑程度不同的个体对不同威胁性刺激的注意特点。采用状态-特质焦虑问卷从265个大学生中选取了33名高焦虑被试和31名对照组被试。结果发现：（1）高焦虑组个体对一般威胁性刺激有显著注意偏向,对高威胁性刺激有注意回避趋势;（2）对照组个体对一般威胁性刺激没有表现出注意偏向,对高威胁刺激有注意偏向趋势。结论：（1）即使是一般威胁性图片也能引起高焦虑被试的注意偏向 （2）高威胁性图片才能引起对照组个体产生注意偏向的趋势。     

Attentional disengagement from negative natural sounds for high-anxious individuals

Background and objectives: Previous studies have not consistently concluded whether high-anxious persons exhibit attentional bias towards negative natural auditory stimuli. The present study explores whether auditory negative stimuli could induce attentional bias to negative sounds in real life and investigates the exact nature of these biases using an emotional spatial cueing task.

Design: Experimental study with a mixed factorial design.

Method: We created two groups according to the state-trait anxiety scale, namely high and low trait anxiety. Participants (N?=?68 undergraduate students) were required to respond to an auditory target after receiving a negative (aversive sounds from natural life) or neutral auditory stimuli.

Results: A 2 (Validity: valid/invalid)?×?2 (Cue Valence: negative/neutral)?×?2 (Anxiety Group: LA/HA) repeated-measures ANOVA on reaction times revealed that participants with high trait anxiety exhibited slower reaction times in invalid trials following negative cues than following neutral cues. Higher levels of trait anxiety were associated with more difficult attentional disengagement from negative auditory information.

Conclusions: The results demonstrate that impaired attentional disengagement was one of the mechanisms by which high-anxious participants exhibited auditory attentional bias to natural negative information.