Chapter 7: Mental Skills and Tools Related to Performance

Question 1

What are Mental Skills?

Answer 1

Psychological abilities that facilitate athletes performance and personal development, can be honed and practiced.

(motivation, self-confidence, attentional focus, arousal regulation, emotional regulation, and mindfulness)

Question 2

What are Mental Tools?

Answer 2

Techniques and procedures that athletes engage in to develop physical and mental tools.

(goal-setting, imagery, self-talk, arousal reduction and relaxation, mindfulness-based training, routines)

Question 3

What is Motivation?

Answer 3

Direction, intensity, and regulation of a person’s effort.

Question 4

What is Intrinsic Motivation?

Answer 4

Interest, passion, and feelings of fulfillment from an activity.

Question 5

What is External Motivation?

Answer 5

Winning, rewards, and outperforming others.

Question 6

What is Self-Confidence?

Answer 6

A belief or certainty that an athlete has about their ability to be successful in their sport.

Question 7

What is Attentional Control?

Answer 7

The process of deliberately directing one’s working memory capacity to completion of a singular immediate task.

Question 8

What are the 3 parts to Attentional Control?

Answer 8

1. Attentional Capacity (amount of information we are able to concentrate on)
2. Attentional Selectivity (ability to focus on relevant information and shift between focus on different information)
3. Attentional Alertness (how attentive we must be to the information we have)

Question 9

What is Arousal?

Answer 9

Blend of physiological and psychological activation.

Question 10

What is Anxiety?

Answer 10

Feelings of worry, apprehension, nervousness, or activation or arousal of the body.

2 types, State and Trait.

Question 11

What is Emotion?

Answer 11

The psychophysiological reaction to stimuli in ones environment.

*The way individuals perceived a situation will activate specific emotions, that can either facilitate or debilitate their performance.

Question 12

What is Mindfulness?

Answer 12

The awareness that emerges from paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally to the unfolding experience moment-by-moment.

It can be a state or mode, a disposition or trait, a skill, or a practice.

Question 13

What is Need Achievement Theory?

Answer 13

This interactional view of motivation considers that motivation is predicted by both individual and situational factors, including personality factors, situational factors (probability and incentive value of success), resultant tendencies (seeking success or avoiding failure), emotional reactions (pride or shame), and achievement-related behaviors (e.g., degree of risk-taking and performance results).

Atkinson (1974)
McClelland (1961)

Question 14

What is Attribution Theory?

Answer 14

This theory explains one’s motivation to experience success and avoid failure through three categories: stability (the cause of the behavior is stable or unstable and can change over time), locus of causality (the cause of the behavior is internal, such as one’s effort, or external, such as luck or a teammate’s performance), and locus of control (the cause of the behavior is controllable or outside of one’s control).

Heider (1958)
Weiner (1985, 1986)

Question 15

What is Achievement Goal Theory?

Answer 15

This theory conceptualizes motivation based on three factors: achievement goals (aims toward an achievable goal), perceived ability (self-assessment of one’s competence), and achievement behavior (drive for high competence in a specific domain).

Duda & Hall (2001)
Dweck (1986)
Nicholls (1984)

Question 16

What is Self-Determination Theory?

Answer 16

This theory describes motivation as a desire to fulfill three basic human needs: competence, autonomy, and relatedness. The degree to which these needs are fulfilled manifests into various types of motivation (including intrinsic, extrinsic, and amotivation) that exist along the motivation continuum. Self-determination theory explains why people approach and avoid situations in which their performance will be evaluated, hold certain expectations for success, place differing values on the activity they are performing, and strive for the fulfillment of basic human needs.

Deci & Ryan (1985, 2002)

Question 17

What are Gould and Weinberg’s 5 guidelines for building motivation?

Answer 17

1. Consider both situations and traits
2. Identify multiple motives
3. Change the environment
4. Involve leaders
5. Modify Behavior

Question 18

What are 9 sources of self-confidence?

Answer 18

1. Achievement
2. Preparedness
3. Self-Regulation
4. Modeling
5. Feedback and Encouragement
6. Coach Leadership
7. Environmental Comfort
8. Physical self-presentation
9. Situational Favorableness

Question 19

What are 6 different types of goals that can be set?

Answer 19

1. Outcome
2. Process
3. Performance
4. Daily
5. Short-Term
6. Long-Term

Question 20

What is Imagery?

Answer 20

The systematic use of one’s senses—including visual, auditory, olfactory, and kinesthetic senses (Vealey & Greenleaf, 2010)—to create or re-create an event in one’s mind.

Question 21

What are the two most important factors in Imagery/Visualization?

Answer 21

1. Controllability
2. Vividness