title: Preliminary evidence of salivary cortisol predicting performance in a controlled setting.
abstract: The aims of this study were to examine the influence of salivary cortisol on tennis serve performance in a controlled setting and to investigate if cortisol predicts unique variance in performance beyond a subjective anxiety measure (i.e., Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 [CSAI-2]). Twenty-three tennis players performed two series of second tennis serves separated by an anxiety induction (i.e., arithmetic task). Cortisol was assessed six times during the experiment. Results show that cortisol response and a drop in serving performance are positively correlated (r=.68, p<.001). Cortisol also explains unique variance in performance (i.e., 19%) beyond CSAI-2 measures. Thus, considering cortisol measurements seems warranted in future research aimed at understanding performance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Performance Psychology, Institute of Psychology, German Sport University Cologne, Germany. Electronic address: F.Lautenbach@dshs-koeln.de.
authors.forename: Franziska
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lautenbach
authors.affiliation: Department of Performance Psychology, Institute of Psychology, German Sport University Cologne, Germany; UFR STAPS, University of Caen, France.
authors.forename: Sylvain
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Laborde
authors.affiliation: Institute of Training Science and Sport Informatics, German Sport University Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Achtzehn
authors.affiliation: Department of Performance Psychology, Institute of Psychology, German Sport University Cologne, Germany; Department of Applied Sciences, London South Bank University, UK.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Raab
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000503:physiopathology*; D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013715:Tennis; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: Competition; Emotion; Hierarchical regression; Hormones; Sport performance