Key words - Glossary Flashcards
Adrenaline
A stress hormone that is released by the sympathetic nerves and cardiac nerve during exercise which causes an increase in heart rate.
Affective component of attitude
Relates to feelings and interpretation such as enjoyment.
Aggressive cue hypothesis
Aggression is caused by a learned trigger.
Agonist
The muscle that is responsible for the movement that is occuring.
Amateur
A person who plays sport for the love of it and receives no financial gain.
Angina
Chest pain that occurs when the blood supply through the coronary arteries to the muscles of the heart is restricted.
Antagonist
The muscle that works in opposition to the agonist to help produce a coordinated movement.
Area of support base
The larger the area the greater the stability.
Arousal
A level of activation, a degree of readiness to perform.
Arteriovenous difference
The difference between the oxygen content of the arterial blood arriving at the muscles and the venous blood leaving the muscles.
Articulating bones
Bones that meet and move at the joint.
Associative stage of learning
The second stage of learning as motor programmes are developed.
Atheroma
A fatty deposit found in the inner lining of an artery.
Atherosclerosis
This occurs when arteries harden and become clogged up by fatty deposits.
ATP-PC system
An energy system that provides quick bursts of energy and is used for high intensity exercise. It can only last for up to 10 seconds.
Autonomous stage of learning
The final stage of learning used by an expert.
Balanced diet
A diet containing a variety of foods from each of the food groups so that there is an adequate intake of nutrients.
Ballistic stretching
Involves performing a stretch with swinging or bouncing movements to push a body part even further.
Behavioural component of attitude
The actions of the performer.
Behaviourist theory
Explains how actions are linked to stimuli.
Bilateral transfer
When the learning of one skill is passed across the body from limb to limb.
Blood pressure
The force exerted by the blood against the blood vessel wall.
Bohr shift
When an increase in blood carbon dioxide and a decrease in pH results in a return of the affinity of haemoglobin for oxygen.
Bradycardia
A decrease in resting heart rate to below 60 beats a minute.
Buffering
The ability of the blood to compensate for the buildup of lactic acid or hydrogen ions to maintain the pH level.
Cardiac hypertrophy
The thickening of the muscular wall of the heart so it becomes bigger and stronger. It can also mean a larger ventricular cavity.
Carron’s antecedents
The factors that might influence cohesion.
Catharsis
Cleansing the emotions by using sport as an outlet for aggression.
Chaining
Linking the sub-routines or parts of a task when practising.
Channelling
The pushing of ethnic minorities into or away from certain sports or positions within a team.
Cilia
Microscopic, hair-like projections that help to sweep away fluids and particles.
Co-action
When others do the task at the same time but separately.
Cognitive anxiety
Psychological anxiety.
Cognitive component of attitude
A belief, such as the belief in the ability to win.
Cognitive dissonance
New information given to the performer to cause unease and motivate change.
Cognitive stage of learning
The first stage of learning used by a novice.
Cohesion
The tendency for individuals to work together to achieve their goals and the forces that keep the group members on task.
Commercialisation of sport
The process of trying to gain money from sporting activities.
Competition period
The performance period where skills and techniques are refined.
Competitive Sport Anxiety Inventory (CSAI)
A questionnaire used by sports psychologists to measure anxiety.
Concentric contraction
When a muscle shortens under tension.
Constructivism
Building up learning in the stages based on the current level of performance.
COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is the name for a collection of diseases such as emphysema.
County sport partnerships (CSPs)
National networks of local agencies working together to increase numbers in sport and physical activity.
Creatine
A compound the body makes that supplies energy for muscular contraction. It can also be used as a supplement to increase athletic performance.
Credulous approach
When the link between personality and behaviour is accepted.
Diffusion
The movement of gas molecules from an area of high concentration or partial pressure to an area of low concentration or partial pressure.
Disability
Physical, sensory or mental impairment which adversely affects performance.
Discrete skill
A skill that has a clear beginning and end.
Discrimination
The unfair treatment of a person or a minority group.
Distributed practice
Involves rest intervals between practice sessions.
Dominant response
The stand-out response that the performer thinks is correct.
Dorsi-flexion
Pulling the toes up to the shin.
Drive reduction
An end of task period when performance may get worse.
Eccentric contraction
When a muscle lengthens under tension or performs negative work and acts like a brake.
Effort
The force applied by the user of the lever system.
Equal opportunities
The right to access the same opportunities regardless of factors such as race, age, gender and ability.
Ethnic groups
People who have racial, religious or linguistic traits in common.
Evaluation apprehension
The perceived fear of being judged.
Externally paced skill
When a performer has no control over the start and the speed of the skill.
Extension
Increasing the angle between the bones of a joint.
Extrovert
A person with a loud, bright personality.
Feedback
Information to assist error correction.
First class lever
The fulcrum lies between the effort and the resistance.
Flexion
Decreasing the angle between the bones of a joint.
Foot racing
Historically a form of competitive running/walking involving feats of endurance.
Frontal plane
Divides the body into front and back halves.
Fulcrum
The pint about which a lever rotates.
Gender socialisation
The act of learning to conform to culturally defined gender roles through socialisation.
Glycaemic index
This ranks carbohydrates according to their effect on our blood glucose levels.
Glycogen
The stored form of glucose found in the muscles and the liver.
Golgi tendon organs
These are activated when there is a tension in a muscle.
Golden triangle
The relationship between sport, the media and business.
Haemoglobin
An iron containing pigment found in red blood cells which combines with oxygen to form oxyhaemoglobin.
Harvard step test
This involves stepping up and down on a bench to a set rhythm for five minutes. Recovery heart rates are then recorded.
Hyper-extension
Increasing the angle beyond 180 degrees between the bones of a joint.
Infographics
A graphic visual representation of information, data or knowledge intended to represent information quickly and clearly.
Insight learning
Using experience and understanding to solve problems relating to the whole skill.
Instinct theory
When aggression is spontaneous and innate.
Interaction
When a group works together to produce results.
Inter-psychological learning
Learning from others externally.
Internalisation
The learning of values and attitudes that are incorporated within yourself.
Intra-psychological learning
Learning from within after gaining external knowledge from others.
Isometric contraction
When a muscle is under tension but there is no visible movement.
Lewin’s formula
Behaviour is a function of personality and environment.
Longitudinal axis
Runs from the top to the bottom of the body.
Macrocycle
A period of training involving a long term performance goal.
Mental practice
Going over the skill in the mind without movement.
Mesocycle
Usually a 4 to 12 week period of training with a particular focus such as power.
Metabolic cart
A device which works by attaching headgear to a subject while they breathe a specific amount of oxygen over a period of time.
Microcycle
The description of a week or a few days of training sessions.
Motor neurons
Nerve cells which transmit the brain’s instructions as electrical impulses to the muscles.
Muscle spindles
These detect how far and how fast a muscle is being stretched and produce the stretch reflex.
Negative transfer
When the learning of one skill hinders the learning of another.
Operant conditioning
The use of reinforcement to ensure that correct responses are repeated.
Outcome goal
A goal set against the performance of others and based on result.
Parasympathetic system.
A part of the autonomic nervous system that decreases heart rate.
Peak flow experience
The ultimate intrinsic experience felt by athletes from a positive mental attitude, with supreme confidence, focus and efficiency.
Peaking
Planning and organising training so a performer is at their peak both physically and mentally, for a major competition.
Performance analysis (PA)
The provision of objective feedback to a performer who is trying to get a positive change in performance.
Periodisation
The division of the training year into specific sections for a specific purpose.
Plantar-flexion
Pointing the toes/pushing up on your toes.
Plateau
A period of no improvement in performance.
Positive transfer
When the learning of one skill helps the learning of another.
Professional
A person who plays sport for financial gain.
Progressive part practise
Practising the first part of a skill then adding parts gradually.
Purkinje fibres
Muscle fibres that conduct impulses in the walls of the ventricles.
Rating perceived exertion (RPE)
Giving an opinion as to how hard your body is working during exercise.
Rational recreation
The postindustrial development of sport.
Resistance
The weight to be moved by the lever system.
Retention
The ability to remember important information and recall it from memory system.
Ringelmann effect
When group performance decreases with group size.
Sagittal axis
Runs from the front to the back of the body.
Sagittal plane
Divides the body into right and left halves.
Sceptical approach
When the link between personality and behaviour is doubted.
Second class lever
The resistance is between the fulcrum and the effort.
Social action theory
A way of viewing socialisation, emphasising social action.
Social development
Learning by association with others.
Social learning theory
Learning by associating with others and copying behaviour.
Social loafing
Individual loss of motivation in a team player due to lack of performance identification when individual efforts are not recognised.
Somatic anxiety
Physiological anxiety.
Sponsorship
Companies paying for goods to be publicly displayed or advertised at sporting events.
Sports Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT)
A questionnaire used by sports psychologists to measure anxiety.
Stacking
The disproportionate concentration of ethnic minorities in a sports team.
Static stretching
When the muscle is held is a stationary position for 30 seconds or more.
Steady state
Where the athlete is able to meet the oxygen demand with the oxygen supply.
Stroke
A stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is cut off.
Stroke volume
The volume of blood pumped out by the heart ventricles in each contraction.
Sympathetic system
A part of the autonomic nervous system that speeds up heart rate.
Tapering
Reducing the volume and/or intensity of training prior to competition.
Tetanic contraction
A sustained muscle contraction caused by a series of fast repeating stimuli.
Third class lever
The effort is between the fulcrum and the resistance.
Tidal volume
Volume of air breathed in or out per breath.
Transvers axis
Runs from side to side across the body.
Transverse plane
Divides the body into upper and lower halves.
Triadic model
The three parts of an attitude: cognitive, affective and behavioural.
Vascular shunt mechanism
The redistribution of cardiac output.
Venous return
The return of blood back to the right side of the heart via the vena cava.
Video motion analysis
A technique used to get information about moving objects from a video.
Whole practise
Performing a skill in its entirety without breaking it into subroutines.
Whole part whole practise
Assessing a skill, identifying a weakness to practise, then putting the skill back together.
Zero transfer
When the learning of one skill has no impact on the learning of another.
