YOU CAN DO IT! EFFECTS OF AUDIENCE SUPPORT AND ANXIETY ON PHYSICAL AND PERCEPTUAL-COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE IN CYCLISTS

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event YOU CAN DO IT! EFFECTS OF AUDIENCE SUPPORT AND ANXIETY ON PHYSICAL AND PERCEPTUAL-COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE IN CYCLISTS Bethany Bradhurst1*, James Donnelly1 and Christopher Stevens1 1 Southern Cross University, Psychology, School of Health and Human Sciences, Australia Aim: The presence of a supportive audience is reported to be a contributing factor to optimal physical performance. Research also indicates that supportive audiences can induce anxiety, causing people to perform below their actual physical abilities. Currently, little is known about the effects of audience support on perceptual-cognitive performance during exercise. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of audience support and anxiety on physical and perceptual-cognitive performance during cycling. Method: Forty one participants were allocated to either a live audience (n=12), recorded audience (n=15), or no audience (n=14) group. Participants completed the Revised Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2R) and an abbreviated version of the Physical Activity and Sport Anxiety Scale (PASAS) before completing a 10-min warm up protocol on a Wattbike cycle ergometer. Participants then performed a 10-min time trial (TT) for the highest mean power. During the TT, participants performed a combined Flanker/Go-No Go task that was presented on a monitor positioned in front of the bike. Results: No significant differences were found between groups on cycling performance (F(2,36) = 1.04, p = .364, ηp² = .055), cognitive task reaction time (F(2,37) = .30, p = .741, ηp² = .016), or accuracy (F(2,36) = 1.58, p = .220, ηp² = .081). Conclusions: Cycling and in-task cognitive performance are neither enhanced nor debilitated by the presence of a live or recorded supportive audience. Keywords: Anxiety, Cycling, power output, audiences, Perceptual-cognitive Conference: Southern Cross University 13th Annual Honours Psychology Research Conference, Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia, 7 Oct - 7 Oct, 2016. Presentation Type: Research Topic: Psychology Citation: Bradhurst B, Donnelly J and Stevens C (2016). YOU CAN DO IT! EFFECTS OF AUDIENCE SUPPORT AND ANXIETY ON PHYSICAL AND PERCEPTUAL-COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE IN CYCLISTS. Front. Public Health. Conference Abstract: Southern Cross University 13th Annual Honours Psychology Research Conference. doi: 10.3389/conf.FPUBH.2016.02.00013 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 29 Sep 2016; Published Online: 30 Sep 2016. * Correspondence: Ms. Bethany Bradhurst, Southern Cross University, Psychology, School of Health and Human Sciences, Coffs Harbour, NSW, 2450, Australia, b.bradhurst.10@student.scu.edu.au Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Bethany Bradhurst James Donnelly Christopher Stevens Google Bethany Bradhurst James Donnelly Christopher Stevens Google Scholar Bethany Bradhurst James Donnelly Christopher Stevens PubMed Bethany Bradhurst James Donnelly Christopher Stevens Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.