TRAIT-STATE ANXIETY, WORRY, EMOTIONALITY, AND SELF-CONFIDENCE IN TOP-LEVEL SOCCER PLAYERS

Spielberger's trait-state anxiety theory suggests that persons high in trait anxiety have a greater tendency to perceive an ego-involving si tuation as threatening, and hence, they are expected to respond to thi s situation with elevated state anxiety (A-state). To test this hypoth esis measurements of A-trait (low vs. high) as a between-subjects fact or, measurements of stress level (low vs. high) as a within-subjects f actor, and measurements of state anxiety, cognitive anxiety, somatic a nxiety, self-confidence, and cognitive interference as dependent varia bles were made on 45 top-level soccer players. Statistical analysis re vealed a significant person-situation interaction only in self-confide nce. The lack of sensitivity in the state anxiety scores can be ascrib ed to the fact that soccer players play important games regularly and so become desensitized to precompetitive anxiety responses. A subseque nt multiple regression analysis showed that task irrelevant cognitions are correlated only with cognitive anxiety and not with either self-c onfidence or somatic anxiety.