Chapter 6: Rules & Goals

Question 1

Rule

Answer 1

describes a statement of information that a specific experience or situation will pay off

Question 2

Contingency-learned behaviour

Answer 2

is a great training tool - we have an athlete try things & learn through trial & error & direct consequences

Question 3

Rule-governed behaviour

Answer 3

discusses behaviour that is controlled by the rule itself

• “when you do X, then Y will happen”
• rules can be helpful, they can lead to control & follow-through with execution

Question 4

Failure to follow rules can lead to self-punishment. This can be a BIG issue for who? Why?

Answer 4

• this can be a BIG issue for athletes who are anxious or tend to have more perfectionist tendencies
• anything less than perfect is a failure & can lead to significant issue with performances

Question 5

Effective rules

Answer 5

Effective:

• specific behaviour
• sizeable consequences
• probable consequences
• following the rule is reinforced
• with a deadline

Question 6

Ineffective Rules

Answer 6

Ineffective:

• vague behaviour
• small consequences
• improbable consequences
• ignoring the rule is reinforced
• without a deadline

Question 7

Emotions can get in the way of following rules:

Answer 7

• too excited to focus, too depressed to try, the individuals value of importance of following the rule can def get in the way
• age can also come into play when considering rule behaviour

Question 8

Goals

Answer 8

are a key component to mental skills training

• often the first thing to review with athletes (& other clients) when we start working together
• can help support effective treatment planning & execution of the interventions being used

Question 9

We can split goals into 3 tiers:

Answer 9

1. Outcome goals
2. Performance goals
3. Process goals

Question 10

Outcome goals

Answer 10

focus on the end result
- the difficulty with these is that they often depend on things you can’t control (ex: the coaches decision, other applicants, & opponents)

Question 11

Performance goals

Answer 11

focus on end product, but is comparison to self

- this might include skill improvement

Question 12

Process goals

Answer 12

focus daily tasks that help you meet bigger (ex: performance goals)

• this is the level of goals that is almost completely in an individual control, & therefore a really great way to drive performance
• these can also be helpful for athletes to use to direct focus in a practice, or for them to develop training around

Question 13

An ex used with a hockey team that uses a model of identifying 1 outcome goal, 2 performance goals & 3 process goals:

Answer 13

ex:
Outcome goal: play on 1st line
Performance goals: score X goals in 1st 10 games & shave X seconds off mile run time
Process goals: interval training on treadmill 4 days per week, shot practice daily for 30 minutes, sleep 8 hours per night

• the effective & ineffective pieces of goal-setting is important to consider

Question 14

What is the last effective ‘goal setting’ statement?

Answer 14

• for individuals to be committed to their goal
• this often feeds into motivation with the athletes I work with - if the goal isn’t very meaningful, it’s hard to maintain during the grind