Chapter 2 - Behavioral Assessment

Question 1

Target behaviour

Answer 1

The behaviour to be changed in a behavioural program is often referred to as the

Question 2

Behavioural assessment

Answer 2

is concerned with identifying & describing a target behaviour, identifying possible causes of the behaviour, selecting an appropriate treatment strategy to modify the behavior, & evaluating treatment outcome

Question 3

What are the topics that a BSP will go through in the first “session”?

Answer 3

• Explain Confidentiality
• Briefly Describe Your Background
• Talk About Sport Psychology
• Clarity Misconceptions About Sport Psychology

Question 4

What does the misconception, “To do well in competition, you have to get yourself really psyched up” mean?

Answer 4

• A swimmer about to swim a 50-meter race should be physiologically aroused, BUT
• A swimmer about to swim a 1500m race should be reasonably relaxed

Question 5

what does the misconception, ““Sport psychology alone can make one a super athlete” mean?

Answer 5

Athletes need to understand that exceptional athletic performance requires preparation in all areas

Question 6

What are the 4 main areas that exceptional athletic performance requires preparation in?

Answer 6

1) Physical – they must be in excellent physical condition
2) Technical - their technical skills must be correct, highly practiced, & 2nd nature to them
3) Tactile – they must have a game plan for dealing with certain opponents, running

certain races, skiing certain courses, etc. &

4) Psychological – refers generally to mental preparation

Question 7

What does the misconception, “Sport psychologists only consult with athletes at competitions” mean?

Answer 7

Need to understand that physiological strategies can help them improve performance in all aspects of practices & competitions

Question 8

What does the misconception, “To get really good at mental preparation, all you have to do is talk to a sport psychologist” mean?

Answer 8

Athletes need to appreciate that mental skills are like physical skills - they are behaviours that occur in certain settings, & to be good at then they must be learned & practiced

Question 9

Initial info gathering in behavioural assessment can be accomplished using:

Answer 9

• Behavioural Interviewing
• Across-Sport Behavioural Checklists
• Within-Sport Behavioural Checklists
• Performance Profiling &
• Assessment For “Slump-Busting”

Question 10

What is behavioural interviewing?

Answer 10

• Establish & maintain rapport & mutual trust
  1) Ask them about their backyard & why he seek help, if reluctant ask turn to complete an Athlete Information Form
  2) Or, ask the athlete about the details of their own best & worst recent performance during competitions.

Question 11

Across-Sport Behavioural Checklist

Answer 11

lists performance aspects of practices &/or competitions that apply to a # of different sports

• Asked to circle the alternate that best applies from the options of Always, Occasional is, or Never

Asses an athlete’s current physical & mental behaviours that comprise his/her preparation for competitions

Question 12

Across-Sport Behavioural Checklist is desgined to:

Answer 12

assess an athlete’s current physical & mental behaviours that comprise his/her preparation for competitions

Question 13

Within-Sport Behavioural Checklist

Answer 13

lists performance aspects of practices &/or competitions for a particular sport

Question 14

Within-Sport Behavioural Checklist Benefits

Answer 14

providing a quick, & reasonably thorough, identification of areas in which he athlete already performs well, as well as areas in need of improvement

Question 15

Within-Sport Behavioural Checklist differs:

1. Across-Sport Behavioural Checklists
2. Traditional psychological test

as they…

Answer 15

1. apply only to a particular sport
2. within-sport behavioural checklists DO NOT have norms & they are NOT designed to measure character or personality traits

Question 16

Within-Sport Behavioural Checklist advantage

Answer 16

the increased face validity in the eyes of the athlete involved, which can often enhance rapport & lead to credibility to tie consultant

Question 17

Performance Profiling

Answer 17

is a strategy for discovering an athlete’s perspective of his/her own strengths & weaknesses

Question 18

Performance Profiling involves 3 main steps:

Answer 18

1) An athlete is asked to identify the qualities & characteristics of a top athlete in their sport
2) The athlete is asked to evaluate his/her current level of mastery with respect to each of those qualities & characteristics
3) Areas in which the athlete is deficient in terms of those qualities & characteristics are used to identify specific target behaviour for improvement

Question 19

Assessment For “Slump-Busting”

Answer 19

a problem that calls for broad-based behavioural assessment is “slump busting”

Question 20

Slump

Answer 20

is (a) an unexpected decline in athletic performance that (b) occurs for a sufficient length of time to (c) be of serious concern to the athlete & coach

• “slumps are a significant source of concern, confusion, & frustration for athletes & coaches”

Question 21

Other possible causes for being a slump

Answer 21

1st, some slumps may have a physical cause

2nd, slumps may be the result of some slight changes in the athlete’s technique

3rd, slumps might be caused by slight changes in the equipment used in a particular sport

4th, due to inadequate mental preparation

Question 22

6 objective dimensions or characteristics to consider for choosing target behaviours & devising ways to monitor them:

Answer 22

topography (or form), frequency (or rate), duration, free (or intensity), stimulus control, & latency (rxn time)

Question 23

Topography

Answer 23

(or form) of a behaviour is the specific movements involved, such as the tackling form of a hs football player

Question 24

Frequency

Answer 24

(or rate) of a behaviour is the # of repititions that a golfer practices a golf shot in 5 mins

Question 25

Duration

Answer 25

of a behaviour is the length of time that it lasts, such as the length of fine spent treading water at a swimming practice

Question 26

Intensity

Answer 26

of a behaviour refers to the physical effect it has on the environment, such as the force with which a hockey player can shoot a slap shot

Question 27

Stimulus control

Answer 27

of a behaviour refers to the degree of correlation b/t a particular stimulus & a particular response, such as a hockey referee blowing the whistle & the players stop playing

Question 28

Latency

Answer 28

(or rxn time) of a behaviour is the time b/t the occurrence of a stimulus & the response evoked by the stimulus, such as the time b/t the firing of the starters pistol until the runner leaves the blocks

Question 29

Quality

Answer 29

not a new characteristic beyond the 6 mentioned previously

- rather, it is a refinement of one or more of those characteristics

Question 30

By being specific in the identification of target behaviours, a BSP will:

Answer 30

a) Help to ensure the reliability of detecting improvements in the behaviour; &
b) Increase the likelihood that the treatment program will be applied constantly

Question 31

Target behaviours are typically monitored by one of the following 4 strategies:

Answer 31

Direct Observation Of A Single Behaviour
- A target behaviour of an athlete is directly monitored by an observer

Behavioural Checklists To Record Multiple Behaviours
- In some cases, consultants or researchers have designed checklists that enable observers to easily monitor multiple behaviours of an individual

Athlete self-Monitoring
- An effective way to track the behaviour of interest

Videotaping of Target Behaviours
- Less common but a useful way of monitoring target behaviours, & provides a permanent record of that behaviour for observational analysis

Question 32

A successful behavioural treatment program typically involves at least 3 phases during which behaviour is recorded:

Answer 32

a baseline phase, a treatment phase, & a follow-up phase

Question 33

baseline phase

Answer 33

the target behaviour is assessed in order to determine its level prior to The into of the intervention

Question 34

treatment phase

Answer 34

involves that period of time, after the initial baseline assessments during which the BSP intervenes in various ways to attempt to help the athlete

Question 35

follow-up phase

Answer 35

is sometimes carried out to determine whether the improvements achieved during treatment are maintained after the athlete stops meeting with the BSP

Question 36

5 benefits of behavioural assessments:

Answer 36

1st, accurate records of a behaviour on a few occasions prior to the into of a treatment program maybe help a BSP to identify the best treatment strategy

That is, monitoring aspects of an athlete’s problem behaviour may help to identify features of the envir­onment that are contributing to the problem, & that may help to identify features of the environment that are contributing to the problem, & that may i. be changed during a treatment program

2nd, accurate records of a behaviour provide a means for clearly determining whether the treatment program has produced, or is producing, the desired improvement

3rd, recording & charting behaviour may lead to improvement apart from any further program

4th, visual demonstrations of improvement through the use of checklists & graphs can provide a power­ful incentive for athletes to continue to implement the treatment, & to maintain the progress that they have gained

Finally, freq. discussions b/t an athlete & a BSP concerning the data that assesses progress throughout a program is an imp. accountability mechanism to ensure that the BSP provides ethical treatment of the athlete