6: Psychological Skills Flashcards
psychological skills training (PST)
“systematic and consistent practice of mental or psychological skills for the purpose of enhancing performance, increasing enjoyment, or achieving greater sport and physical activity self-satisfaction”
some distinguish between psychological skills (desired outcome) and methods/techniques (means)
others distinguish between basic skills and advanced skills
basic vs advanced skills
basic = relaxation, goal setting, imagery, self-talk
advanced = controlling anxiety, optimising self-confidence, motivation, attention
PST interventions
meta-analysis found PST interventions overall moderately effective in improving sport performance
it can facilitate athletic performance
anxiety in athletes
anxiety = unpleasant emotion which is characterised by vague but persistent feelings of apprehension and dread
tension often accompanied by a heightened state of physiological arousal
different from fear which is a brief emotional reaction to a stimulus that is perceived as threatening
research is challenged by conceptual confusion between arousal and anxiety
arousal refers to a bodily energy which primes or prepares us for emergency action
anxiety is an emotional label for a particular type of arousal experience
anxiety is multidimensional
cognitive (mental) = worry and negative thoughts
somatic (physical) = nervousness, tension, increased perspiration, pounding heart
behavioural = tense facial expressions, changes in communication
causes of anxiety
perceived importance
predispositions
attributions and expectations
perfectionism
fear of failure
lack of confidence
coping definition
“a process of constantly changing cognitive and behavioural efforts to manage specific external and/or internal demands or conflicts appraised as taxing or exceeding one’s own resources”
coping categories
problem focused coping = efforts to alter or manage the problem that causing the stress, information gathering, pre-competition/competition plans, goal setting, time management skills, increasing effort, self-talk
emotion focused coping = regulating the emotional responses to the problem that cause stress, meditation, relaxation, wishful thinking, reappraisal, mental and behavioural withdrawal
coping - the matching hypothesis
techniques used should match anxiety felt
cognitive anxiety - mental relaxation
somatic anxiety - physical relaxation
some crossover - techniques can reduce CA and SA
controlling anxiety in sport
have to understand the pressure experienced
constructive interpretation of signals
giving specific instructions
adhering to pre-performance routines
constructive thinking
simulated training
study: elite vs non-elite rugby players psych skills
elite performers found their somatic anxiety and worry much more facilitative
non elite athletes appear to use more somatic skills - relaxation
elite athletes use performance enhancing skills - imagery, goal setting, self-talk
aims of PTS
increase performers’ self awareness
improve performers’ ability to self regulate
compare training vs competition, best vs worst performances
checklists can be used, or test of performance states (TOPS)
conceptual frameworks
behaviour modification: classical conditioning, operant learning, stimulus control
cognitive: challenging maladaptive cognitions is central
cognitive-behavioural: cognitions (thoughts and beliefs) and behavioural
the behavioural model
learning is a relatively permanent change in behaviour that takes place through experience
focus of consultancy is on client’s learned experiences as reflected by current behaviours
both normal and abnormal behaviours can be learned and unlearned
classical, operant, sociocultural
classical conditioning
unconditioned stimulus: an event or object that causes a reflex or instinctive (unlearned) emotional or physiological response e.g. dog food
unconditioned response: the reflective or instinctive emotional or physiological response caused by the conditioned stimulus e.g. drooling at food
neutral stimulus presented
conditioned stimulus: an event or object that develops an association with the unconditioned stimulus e.g. bell associated with food
conditioned response: a learned emotional or physiological response that is similar in appearance to the unconditional response e.g. dog learns to drool when ringing bell
operant conditioning
deals with modification of voluntary behaviour (responses, reinforcement)
behaviours are maintained by consequences unlike classical conditioning
“an observable response changes in frequency or duration as the result of a consequence”
consequence = any outcome that occurs after behaviour and influences future behaviour
basic process: reinforcement, punishment extinction, scheduling
reinforcement = results in behaviour proceeding it being strengthened
positive = increasing the frequency or duration of a behaviour as a result of presenting a reinforcer
negative = removing or avoiding a stimulus to increase behaviour
relaxation
ability to control or interpret anxiety discriminates high skilled from low skilled performers
muscle to mind relaxation = progressive relaxation, differential active, passive PR, differential relaxation, diaphragmatic breathing
mind to muscle relaxation = thought stopping, cognitive reappraisal/restructuring, mediation
muscle to mind relaxation
breathing exercises - complete breath, sighing with exhalation, rhythmic breathing
progressive relaxation exercises - tensing and relaxing different muscles, full body scan, important process for systematic desensitisation
diaphragmatic breathing
applied relaxation
process to get athletes to relax taking 20-30 minutes to just seconds
8 weeks of training
PMR + breathing
cue words
application
decrease in somatic and cognitive anxiety, increases direction for both (somatic more beneficial)
no clear effect on performance
implication: acclimatisation training
importance of practicing under anxiety e.g. rewards, video cameras, observers, evaluation apprehension
study: basketball players perform better under anxiety conditions
self-talk
“words actually spoken, or ones that come into one’s mind”
key component in cognitive interventions
core component of cognitive anxiety
giving instructions, reinforcement or interpretation of feelings or perceptions
Hardy defined self talk as: verbalisations or statements addressed to the self, multidimensional in nature, having interpretive elements, somewhat dynamic, serves at least two functions (instructional and motivational)
meta-analysis found self-talk was consistently positively associated with improved performance, negative self talk not always detrimental
self-talk II
self-talk was put forward as the best predictor of performance indications
can be asset in enhancing self-worth by regulating arousal and anxiety and changing cognitions
liability when negative as distracts from automatic performance
especially destructive when general labels are used e.g. choke or loser
affects wellbeing as well as performance
Seligman described depression as nothing more than a disorder of conscious thought
more self-talk found in competitions than practice
self talk important for
skill acquisition
changing bad habits
attention control
creating affect of mood
controlling effort
building self-efficacy
increasing adoption and maintenance of exercise behaviour
identifying self talk
retrospection: reflecting on situations, recreating thoughts, feelings, use of video before during and after
imagery: relaxation and reliving past performance, recreating all relevant sensory experience
self-talk log: accurate awareness of self-talk rather than reliance on recall that can be distorted
biggest influence on self-efficacy is performance accomplishments
