Cognitive Strategies for Coping with Stress in a Simulated Golf Task

This study examined the effectiveness of approach and avoidance strategies for coping with stress experienced during sports performance. Twenty two undergraduate female students whose ages ranged from 20 to 40 years participated in this experiment They were randomly assigned to four experimental groups to perform two different tasks (approach and avoidance tasks), With two coping strategies (approach and avoidance strategies) and two control groups The approach task was to putt fifteen golf balls on a man-made putting mat along a straight path, up an incline slope to reach a target hole. The avoidance task was to putt fifteen golf balls into an easy target while music and noise was played to distract subjects from the task. Subjects were then trained in either approach (mental rehearsal) or avoidance (attentional focus) strategies. The relationship between approach and avoidance coping strategies, the nature of the task, the appraisal of perceived demand and perceived capability, and their performance were examined.

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