The relationship of cognitive styles with precompetitive anxiety and self-confidence among male and female volleyball players

Cilj provedenog istraživanja bio je ispitati odnos kognitivnih stilova s prednatjecateljskom anksioznosti i samopouzdanjem sportaša i sportašica. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 220 sudionika (Nž=117, Nm=103) starijih od 18 godina (M = 24,55, sd = 6,595) koji se bave odbojkom profesionalno ili rekreativno. Sudionici su ispunili Skalu Optimizma - pesimizma (OP skali) (Penezić, 2002) te Upitniku stanja kompetitivne anksioznosti –2 (Martens, Vealey i Burton, 1990). Uz navedeno prikupljeni su i demografski podaci sudionika te podaci o obilježjima sportskih aktivnosti Rezultati su pokazali kako se odbojkašice i odbojkaši ne razlikuju značajno u kognitivnim stilovima, prednatjecateljskoj anksioznosti i samopouzdanju. Kod mladića i kod djevojaka utvrđena je značajna pozitivna povezanost optimizma sa samopouzdanjem, kao i značajna negativna povezanost optimizma s oba aspekta prednatjecateljske anksioznosti (somatskim i kognitivnim). Nadalje, kod oba spola utvrđena je značajna negativna povezanost pesimizma i samopouzdanja te značajna pozitivna povezanost pesimizma sa somatskom i kognitivnom anksioznosti. U skladu s očekivanjima, pokazalo se kako je na temelju kognitivnih stilova (optimizma i pesimizma) moguće objasniti značajan postotak varijance somatske i kognitivne anksioznosti te samopouzdanja sportaša i sportašica koji/e se bave odbojkom. S obzirom na relativno mali broj istraživanja na ovu temu, dobiveni rezultati mogu poslužiti kao smjer budućim istraživanjima u smislu produbljivanja znanja o kompleksnim izučavanim konstruktima. Također, dobiveni nalazi mogu se koristiti u radu sportskih psihologa u smislu podizanja razine samopouzdanja te reguliranja prednatjecateljske anksioznosti u svrhu postizanja bolje izvedbe.The aim of the research was to examine the relationship of cognitive styles with precompetition anxiety and self-confidence of male and female athletes. A total of 220 persons (Nf= 117, Nm= 103) older than 18 who play volleyball professionally or for recreation, participated in the research. The participants completed the Optimism – Pessimism scale (O-P scale) (Penezić, 2002) and the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory – 2 (Martens, Vealey and Burton, 1990). The participants’ demographic data as well as data about their sports activities’ characteristics. The results have indicated that male and female volleyball players do not differ significantly in cognitive styles, precompetition anxiety neither in self-confidence. A significant positive correlation was found between optimism and self-confidence in both male and female volleyball players, as well as significant negative correlation between optimism and both aspects of precompetitive anxiety (somatic and cognitive). Furthermore, for both genders a significant negative association was revealed between pessimism and self-confidence along with significant positive association of pessimism with somatic and cognitive anxiety. According to expectations, it has been shown that a significant percentage of the variance in somatic and cognitive anxiety as well as self-confidence of volleyball athletes can be explained on the basis of cognitive styles (optimism and pessimism). Regarding to relatively small number of researches done on this topic, the obtained results can be used as a guideline for future research in order to broaden knowledge about complex examined constructs. Furthermore, the obtained findings can be used in sport psychologists work in sense of rising the self-confidence level as well as regulating precompetition anxiety in order to improve the performance