Precompetitive appraisal, performance anxiety and confidence in conservatorium musicians: A case for coping

The way musicians appraise their abilities to succeed in a forthcoming evaluative performance impacts on the range of emotions they will experience. According to Lazarus’ cognitive-motivational-relational theory, emotions may wield powerful consequences depending on whether the performance is interpreted as a threat (high importance/primary appraisal; low coping prospects/secondary appraisal), or challenge (high importance; high coping prospects). Thirty-six Bachelor of Music students at a large University music school completed an adaptation of the Precompetitive Appraisal Measure (PAM) and Competitive State Anxiety Inventory–2R-D twice in relation to their end-of-semester recital: at the start of semester, and within an hour before their recital. Primary and secondary appraisals formed theoretically consistent and reliable evaluations of threat and challenge. Secondary appraisals were significantly lower for students who viewed the performance as a threat. Students who viewed the performance as a challenge reported significantly less cognitive anxiety and higher self-confidence. Findings indicate that the PAM is a brief and reliable measure of cognitive appraisals that trigger precompetitive emotions of anxiety and confidence which can be used to identify those performers who could benefit from pre-performance intervention strategies to manage performance stress.