After such failure, the original level of performance can only be regained if stress levels are considerably reduced to the point where the original performance curve was highest, that is, when the task was performed and capably handled. When cognitive anxiety is low the model proposes that physiological arousal has only a relatively small and possibly symmetrical effect upon performance. When cognitive anxiety is high, the effect of physiological arousal is both large and catastrophic, that is, after reaching an optimal level performance is disrupted dramatically. Anxiety-based models of stress . These focus on the anxiety response that accompanies high levels of stress.
Anxiety involves cognitive and somatic components.
The human organism has a limited channel capacity, so disruptive information in a channel is best removed by saturating the channel with neutral or relevant information. An athlete experiencing cognitive anxiety would be best served by a cognitive intervention strategy, whilst athletes experiencing unwanted physiological arousal would be best served by a somatic intervention strategy. Anxiety disrupts performance by clogging channels with useless information. However, there is now a considerable body of experimental evidence supporting the independence of cognitive and somatic anxiety. Cognitions in athletic arenas are not solely restricted to anxiety or its absence.