Midterm #1 Flashcards
1
Q
What is performance?
A
Performing skills effectively at the right time
product: knowledge about current+past events combined with ability to produce required skills
2
Q
What is optimal performance?
A
optimal mindset despite competing stimuli (inner/outter stimuli)
3
Q
What is common among all domains of elite performance?
A
high level very similar across different domains beyond the skills (ex. self talk,
sleep)
4
Q
What is performance psychology?
A
Mental components of superior performance - Hays
◦ focus on EXCELLENCE (not happiness)
- attempts to describe, predict and optimize performance activities
- performance influenced by: skills, knowledge, info processing, memory, emotion and cognition -
Raab - Interplay between the individual and the environment must be considered
5
Q
What is Reciprocal Determinisim?
A
Must consider the relationship between: Personal, Environmental and Behavioural factors. (all influence performance)
* Performance = behavioural outcome that can influence and be influenced by E+P factors
6
Q
Describe the performance psychology model.
A
Right side (performance outcomes/outline)
* Left side (personal factors)
* Strategies/preparation.
◦ This model doesn’t lead directly to
performance, but it sets our perceptions of performance. ex. sports psychologists can’t influence performance but they can put athletes in a position to influence success
7
Q
What is Flow?
A
+ve and optimal psychological state attained with deep concentration on task+complete absorption - Csilszentmihalyi
* Performer say: they are “at one” with the activity
* Characteristics of flow: complete concentration, merging of action and awareness (one w/ activity),
less of self-consciousness, sense of control over performance, transformation of time.
8
Q
How does challenge and ability become a flow state?
A
Flow is the optimal performance zone the level of challenge and ability need to not exceed each other.
9
Q
What do researchers know about flow?
A
Harris - reliable evidence of relationship between performance and flow
(r=0.3, overlap - 9% (0.3x0.3))
◦ Directionality/Causality has not been established!
◦ when people are performing well, more likely to have flow. Not sure if performance or zone
comes first
10
Q
What is the Central Nervous System?
A
Central Nervous System (CNS) - composed of the spinal cord and brain
◦ saying “gotta keep going, define long term, brain saying no to PNS”
11
Q
What is the Peripheral Nervous System?
A
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) consists of the nervous that extend to all organs of the body
◦ saying “you are hot, quads feel bad, can’t breathe”
◦ PNS has sensory receptors to process environmental changes that communicate with the
CNS (decision making)
12
Q
What limits the greatest endurance athletes?
A
- endurance = struggle to continue against the mounting desire to stop - Marcon ◦ mental and physical
13
Q
How much should limitation #1 (need for nutrition) effect the human body?
A
Body needs: macro (protein carbs)**especially important and micro (vitamins, minerals) to function
◦ consuming carbs is known to delay fatigue and improve performances (3% improvement in cycling)
‣ occurs through maintenance of blood glucose and muscle glycogen
◦ But studies show mouth rinsing -> activates certain areas of the brain and modifyes motor
output.
14
Q
What is the central governor framework?
A
◦ Central Governor Framework: brain relaxes it’s safety margin when it knows (or is tricked)
more fuel is on the way. Limit is elastic!
15
Q
What do we know about macro nutrients?
A
◦ carbohydrates: metabolized->produce glucose, processed rapidly -> energy ◦ proteins: build, maintain, and repair body tissue.
◦ Fats: energy, absorb nutrients, main body temperature.
16
Q
What do we know about micro nutrients?
A
- Micro Nutrients
◦ requirement for cognitive performance (good delivery system (blood) for fuel, oxygen and
nutrients)
◦ improves blood supply to brain to improve cognitive+physical performance
◦ vitamin deficiency can impair communication with brain/other structures.
◦ speed+reliability of neural communication is dependent on micro nutrients
17
Q
How much should limitation #2 (need for water) effect the human body?
A
- body is 55-75% water, require 1-7 litres per day to function (increase with exercise)
- insufficient water consumption -> dehydration/salt loss
- mild dehydration 2% -> poorer physical, visuomotor, psychomotor and mental performance. (even
1% -> reduced concentration, memory, fatigue, increased anxiety) - However, drinking too much water can be more dangerous that not drinking enough during
endurance performance!
18
Q
How much should limitation #3 (muscle capacity) effect the human body?
A
Theoretically, our muscles have a finite ability to perform, but researchers have found the end point of our muscular capacity is fuzzy! ex. feats of strength, lifting a car off someone
* 2014 study - Israel Halperin. Tested maximal bicep curls, participants varied on how many they were told they would have to do (6, 12) but actual number was 12. In early trials 6 group produced more effet than 12. (people paced themselves event when they were told not to!)
19
Q
How much should limitation #4 (experience of pain) effect the human body?
A
Perception of pain and heat limits endurance performance, but it has very important evoluation roots.
◦ pain is multidimensional, it is: sensation (like vision), emotion (like anger) and a drive state
(hunger)
◦ pain tolerance is a trainable phenomena - the more you experience discomfort the better you
are at coping.
◦ Research: pain is subjective experience. BUT doing hard things makes doing other hard
things easier.
20
Q
How much should limitation #5 (need for oxygen) effect the human body?
A
- Urge to breath is a warning that grows the longer you go without oxygen (driven by presence of C02) - but the warning can be ignored to a certain extent
◦ Record of static apnea is 11:35 - Stephane Mifsud. Pain, slowing heart but barely an urge to breathe. We can get better at not needing to breathe as often!
21
Q
How much should limitation #6 (need for oxygen) effect the human body?
A
Heat exhaustion and heat stroke have been shown to have fatal consequences and have resulted in death
22
Q
How does rate of perceived exertion effect the human body?
A
- Central Governor Theory: Marcon and Noakes
◦ Effects how far/fast you are willing to go: Anything that moves the “Effort dial”
◦ RPE: subjective estimation of one’s effort (orignally 6-20 salce)
◦ meta-analysis indicate moderate relationships between RPE and physiological measurements,
RPE is related to persistence in a task, increase in RPE increases the likelihood of quitting.
◦ All physical issues known by the PNS relay through the CNS. CNS can be influenced by this
information but there are possibly other factors at play.
23
Q
How does sleep impact performance?
A
One night of sleep deprivation: brain activity, alertness and cognitive performance
◦ function of sleep: to restore and sustain normal waking brain activity and behaviour
‣ Sleep is an active process! Rejunivate, memory, emotions.
‣ Critical to well-being: performance and emotional.
* Sleep helps to adjust to physical, neurological, immunological and emotional stressors
experienced during the day.
* Poor sleep: increases depression and anxiety, decreases ability to cope with stresses
* dreaming sleep not as physically restorative as non-dreaming sleep as more similar to a waking
state.
* early stages of sleep -deep, slow wave - motor learning
later stages - REM - emotional side. Not enough sleep, this suffers!
24
Q
How do we fall asleep?
A
- Sleep drive - develops throughout day, way for body to balance wakefulness/sleepiness.
◦ Adenosine is an organic compound associated with sleep drive, Melatonin associated with
sleep onset. - During day body combats sleep drive with alerting signals. Eventually alerting signal decreases,
various factors can impact sleep drive.
25
What are factors that prevent sleep?
◦ Caffeine - promotes alertness. More caffeine = less sleep drive as it blocks the accumulation
of adenosine
◦ Alcohol - could help sleep onset but impairs sleep quality
◦ Nicotine - linked to lighter sleeping+insomnia.
◦ Naps
◦ Big Meals at night - can cause upset stomach and impede sleep
◦ Exposure to light - suppresses melatonin production
26
What are some factors that promote sleep?
◦ Physical Activity (during the day, not too close to bedtime, ideal time 2-6pm) - increases sleep
quality and duration.
◦ Bedtime Routine - predictable process, conditioned.
◦ Meditation - align physical and psychological drive toward sleep. Worries and frustration alert
the stress response, meditation puts mind at rest.
◦ Consistent wake up time - predictability!
◦ Sleep mindset - Unrealistic expecations, catastrophizing, hopelessness etc. need to be
challenged to help sleep onset.
**Mindsets are like filters that allow info we take in, what we are going to do/apply.
27
How can we adapt our sleep mindset?
We must adapt our mindset from stress making it less likely to fall asleep to appreciate laying
down, open/positive mindset.
* 1. Sleep is the most important thing, 2. Not worrying about sleep
◦ ex. I should be able to sleep well! --> lots of people struggle with sleep, with practice I will get better OR If I don't get sleep I will tank my presentation, I can get through it even if I'm tired let's just focus on relaxing.
28
What does our sleep environment be like?
keep it cool, keep it dark, keep it zen, keep unplugged, keep comfortable.
29
What is nature vs nurture?
Nature ( heredity and biology, set broad upper limits, high achievement genetically predetermined) vs Nurture (Learning and environment help to develop, maintain and change our behaviours/ performance, high achievement is about what you are exposured to)
30
Is intelligence nature, nurture or both?
* We have a set range of how good we can be: low (no practice/environmental factors) and high (best conditions).
◦ Genetics/Nature: 100% range determination ◦ Nurture: 100% for determining where you fall
in the range!
* Ericsson believed that with appropriate practice
you could move to a new range, find bound and
exceed it.
31
How does the brain respond to practice?
* Our brains are adaptable: desire for homeostasis (food, water, sleep, but also within the demands on the cell), cells respond to deliberate attempts to change it, stressed to build new connections, mylenation to meet demands.
◦ No new demands, homeostasis achieved, no more changes, no more growth. We need to push growth forward!
* Ex. West Berlin music academy, Ericsson was confused between the three levels of violinists. The main difference was practice! Low end avg. 2500hrs, medium 5000 hrs and upper 10,000 yrs. Ended up being +/- 8000 hrs! Not all practice is equalent!
32
What is the role of the neuron?
* We need to scaful learning so neurons can adapt, Then we insulate (Myelinate) those connections, without an increase in challenge no new changes will occur.
* Basic unit of the nervous system (includes, cell body, dendrites, axon, the terminal end buttons)
◦ Glia surround neurons to provide support and insulation (myelin sheath)
33
Explain the taxi cab example.
The Knowledge
* The knowledge is the test you have to pass to be a taxi driver in London. You have to do an interview and explain your knowledge about the streets, it takes 2-4 years to learn this knowledge.
This is your brain on practice
* The knowledge - 2 years of preparation to pass this grueling exam
* Hippocampus and taxi drivers success (larger, longer you drive the larger it gets)
* Your brain doesn't just get better at remembering, it gets bigger in response.
34
What does Ericsson believe about practice?
* Big on nurture, our brains are going to be what we teach them to be!
* people think expert performance is due to characteristics qualitatively different from those of
normal adults. But these different are not immutable! Usually this expert performance is due to a
life-long period of deliberate effort to improve performance in specific domain.
35
What are the three types of practice?
Practice - repeated exercise in or performance of an activity or skills to acquire/maintain
proficiency.
* Purposeful practice - breaking down the skill and organizing practice around specific aspects of
the skill
* Deliberate practice - purposeful and systematic. Requires focused attention and is completed with a specific goal in mind to improve performance.
36
What are some features of deliberate practice?
1. Must be hard work - take learner outside their comfort zone
2. Always focused.
3. Expert guidance, clear metrics of superior performance and the best practices
4. Measurement and reflection on those measurements. *Corrective feedback*
examples:
* Joe DiMaggio - was insulted when we was called a natural talen because he put in so much work
to be that good (baseball in the basement)
* US Navy Fighters - deliuberate practice with cameras.
◦ Study camera footage and change tactics based on fottage
◦ Had direct feedback, directive measures and repeated improvement ◦ Practice changes our brains
* Ricky Vaughn - 90s movie
37
What is so special about vision in baseball?
* Visual Acuity essential - Louis Rosenbaum found: average vision of MLB players was 20/11 vision
* Epstein found that on average MLB players had better visions than minor leagers, college, general
pop. **Need better than average vision in the MLB**
38
How is practicing skills not enough?
in controlled environment it doesn't necessitate elite performance.
* **Executing at the right place and the right time is paramount*
* French military Health Service Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) program
◦ TCCC adds more pressure to be similar to what they are actually gonna do. ◦ Performing skills in "real" simulated environments
◦ key: developing habitual response to environmental stimuli
* Practicing: repeating actions in a constantly advanced manner (refine skills)
* Preparation: anticipating the key environmental factors to execute under those demands.
39
What are habits?
* The learning of sequences of actions that become automatic to specific situation. (Could be
functional for certain needs or obtain certain goods)
◦ The more often we perform a skill - more likely it will become automatic
◦ Utilmately ingrained actions (habits) have the greatest influence vs intentions (what you want
to do)
◦ Preparation+practice = foundations of automatic responses
◦ Consequences of the actions also serve to strengthen or weaken habit execution
* Takeaway: under pressure the best learned response takes over! Doing the "new thing" under pressure is to . hard, we need deliberate continous work to begin showing new things in performance.
40
How can we change habitual responses?
* Once developed, habitual responses can be difficult to change
* Antecedent and Consequence Based Interventions
41
What is the ABC model?
* As a therapist/athlete coach you can only control the events before and after the event.
Antecedents - events that occur or are present before the person before the behaviour
Behaviour - the response to the antecedent
Consequences - events that occur after and as a result of the behaviour
* behaviours can be unhelpful/negative (ie. breaking a racket) but they have positive consequences
and that's why we do it. People loss their temper because of temporary relief/reduction of stress/ ◦ Strategy: React, Reset (2 breaths), Refocus
42
How do we maintain antecedents?
* Two categories:
◦ Prerequisites: are essential for executing the behaviour and may include knowledge, ability,
means etc.
◦ Stimulus control: involves cues or conditions that "set the stage" for the behaviour to occur
‣ Prompts: cues to perform a behaviour
‣ Setting Events: Environmental conditions that elicit a behaviour. Broader and more
complex than prompts.
43
How do we maintain consequences?
* Determine if the behaviour will occur again: Favourable (rewarded, immediate, what happens to self) vs unfavourable consequences (unrewarded, delayed)
* Expectations of Consequences: greatly influences whether a person will perform the action in the future. The expectations becomes an antecedent of future behaviour.
44
What are the four types of stress?
* The four types of stress: Frustration, Change, Conflict, Pressure
45
Why should we understand pressure?
* effective performance under pressure (expectation to perform) = consistent execution of complex motor skills in near perfect manner (singer)
* Also characterized by an "optimal mindset" to keep focus despite competing stimuli
* Ability to perform under pressure is sought after in many domains (art, sport, medicine, military)
* **It's a must in elite performance.
46
What is psychological pressure?
* When the situation is critical to success we feel more pressure
* performance pressure = aspect of a situation w/ an importance of doing well on a particular occasion (Baumeister)
◦ typicaly involves performers who care deeper and this performance is instruental to goal attainment.
◦ Pressure -> 1. Critical Moment, 2. You care deeply about the result
* Good mindset: I get to, I want to, Not good: I have to, I need to.
47
What is perceived pressure?
* Perceived pressure: worries, difficulty balancing performance and non-performance commitments, dealing with
expecataions
48
Example the soccer example in class about pressure?
**In class example: soccer penalty kick -> shooter (80% scoring, feels more pressure because they are supposed to score) and goalie 20%
◦ Kickcing to tie 65% successful **I have to make it, feels more pressure
◦ Kicking to win 90% successful **Gain focused mindset
49
What are the negative responses to pressure?
◦ Cognitive anxiety: negative expectations about themselves, situation and potential consequences. When unchecked can be detrimental to performance, but you still can have success.
◦ Somatic anxiety: the physiological arousal components of pressure including a rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, upset stomach, and tense muscles.
50
What is the cue utilization theory?
* If arousal is not high enough then we can distracted by irrelevant information, with really high arousal you start to miss cues.
51
What is pressures impact on performance?
* Choking - "damaging effect" incluidng: under-achievement, diminished enjoyment, reduced well- being, and a less positive self-identity.
* Choking response - related to elevated experiences with cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety and arousal.
52
What is choking?
* critical deterioration in skill execution -> substandard performance that is caused by elevated anxiety under pressure at a time when successful outcome is normally attainable (Mesagno & Mullane-Grant 2010)
* Acute+considerable decrease in skill execution that is usually attainable, results under increased anxiety under perceived pressure (M+M 2013) --> evolution "self expected pressure"
53
What is the difference between Choking vs under performance
* 1. Magnitude of decrease (choking is worse)
* 2. negative cognitive appraisal of anxiety
* 3. perceive lack of control
* 4. self-presented concerns through experiencing emotionally painful event. (how will this make me
look etc.)
◦ suggested to be response when individual performs more poorly than expected level in
response to high-pressure situation (Beilock and Gray)
54
Why does choking occur?
* performer is distracted form important tasks. Specific internal distraction: self-doubt, fear of failure, and negavtive evaluation. (even worse when not prepared for it!)
* Pressure can also make it harder for performers who can't focus too much, disrupts the smooth automatic execution. (Beilock and Carr)
55
What are the two major theories for why choking occurs?
1. Explicit monitoring hypothesis: pressure induces performer to consciously monitor and control mouvements that normall are executed without conscious control
2. Distraction hypothessis: pressure induces worry that consumes working memory and performance suffers. Tasks that rely on working memory suffer more!
56
What is coping?
* Lazarus and Folkman - defined coping as "constantly changing congnitive and beahvoural efforts to manage specific external and/or internal demands that exceed resources of the person"
57
What are the two major types of coping?
◦ 1. Problem-focused coping: cognitive/behaviour efforts to change problem. ex. problem
solving or increasing effort.
◦ 2. Emotional focused coping: used to regulate emtoins ex. withdrawal, wishful thinking, denial,
venting of emotion
58
What do we know about hope and performance?
* When you have things you can hope for, you can increase your commitment. Hope is not a strategy but it is a cause for one! Hope informs the coping that we do!
59
What do we know about coping resources?
* wide variety of behaviours or social networks that aid the individual in dealing with the problems, joys and stresses in life
* Good sleep, fitness, nutrition, time management etc. are good coping skills
* different tasks and demands require different resources and skills
60
What are some strategies for coping with pressure?
* emotion regulation
◦ cognitive reappraisal (only works with practice): involves reinterpreting the emotion-invoking stimulus in a way that alters its emotional impact. "no pain, no gain", "pressure is a privilege"
◦ Distraction: neutral thoughts/memories that are unrelated (could include music) I'll advised but can work in a pinch
* avoidance coping
◦ only effective when the best available option is to distract oneself from the acute nature of the
task at hand. -> makes problem worse in the long run. ex. procrastination
61
What is pressure acilimatization training?
* adapting to increase pressure by training w/additional anxiety
* key: rehearse the requisite arousal management in real life to become accustumed with pressure/
activation and still make good decisions+manage anxiety.
* Positive impacts seens in basketball players, dart throwers and police officers.
* ex. everest, go up and come back down, systemic way.
62
How did the special forces group use hybridized training?
Special forces group 7
* mission: organize, train, equip and prepared forces for deployment to conduct military operations.
* Hybridized training "pressure acclimatization"
◦ combination of physical and mental tasks
◦ during workout would have to complete cognitive tasks.
◦ mental skills are taught to manage arousal levels and enhance performance
◦ goal is to practice performing cognitive tasks under pressure to get better at managing it.
63
What do we know about pre-performance routines?
Pre-performance Routines - adaptive strategy
* sequence of task-relevant thoughts and actions done prior to performance.
* involves mental, physical and sport specific preparation
* benefits: focus, habitual reaction, attention away from irrelevant thoughts, boosts recall, prevents
explicit monitoring, anxiety reduction, evaluating performance conditions.
64
How do we modify pre-performance routines?
‣ 1. Understanding the task requirements
‣ 2. video performance
‣ 3. clarifying meaning of existing behaviours
‣ 4. Develop a function and a focus for each behavioural compoennts
‣ 5. construct the new routine
‣ 6. practice using the new routine
65
What are superstitions?
collection of unreasonable beliefs about the cause and effect. That certain actions without casual relationship will cause future events.
* sport: repetivitive, formal, sequential and distinct from performance that athletes believe to be
powerful in controlling luck"
* Routines - do real stuff, superstitions - feel like they do
* ex. rituals, lucky charms, clothing, saying
66
Why do we engage in superstitions?
* provides a sense of calm in times of uncertainty
* way to manage pressues and anxiety
* creates feelings of control and confidence.
67
Who is most likely to engage in superstitions?
* locus of control - external (more likely to be supertitious) vs internal
* skill - more skill, more superstition
* task difficulty - more difficult, more superstitious
* Importance of Outcome - more imporatnce, more superstition
* degree of control - ie. basketball vs hockeu
* position played
* team sports > individual sports
* General demographics are largely unlikely
68
What do we know about supersitions in unviersity students?
* superstitions SOMETIMES predicated on a fear of faliure or under performance
* Daniel+Cherly U of manitoba study
◦ 20-33% of student use "magic" for good luck. object/rituals
69
Do supersitions really work?
They work!
* Golf study - participants are told they were given a "lucky ball" do better!
* anagram - participants with lucky charm were more likely to perseve
* participatns set higher goals+more confident with lucky charm
* throwing salt - lower anxiety
70
What is the difference between a pre-performance routine and a superstition?
* PP routine
◦ Intented to prepare physically+mentally
◦ determined by expert
◦ predictable and demonstrable impact on performance ◦ controlled by the individual
◦ no distress if element is missed
Supertition
◦ Intented to exert control over feelings of uncertainty ◦ typically developed by the individual performer
◦ no evidence
◦ controls the individual
◦ if omitted, leads to distress.
71
What is decision making under pressure?
* high performance is not just executing proficint movements, it's making the right action under pressure
◦ influenced by: characteristics (is the person decisive), experiences (have their made the decision before), and knowledge (do they have the right info to make it?)
* effective decision making: cognitive knowledge is high+motor skill response is executed
72
What is the relationship between performer skill and ability to anticpate?
* basketball study - different level participants had to gues if shot was going in ◦ no differences when the ball was close to the hoop.
◦ significant different was earlier in the shot. Experienced players did better.
‣ could predict better even once the ball had left their hand
‣ Elite performers are steps ahead because of the "forward model"
* they are better able to predict because of their experience!
73
What is decision making?
* commiting to a particular course of action
* process that exists between perceptual and executaion aspects of performance. effect DM needs
perceptual information with knowledge via previous experiences (masters et all)
there is intuitive and then
* Other aspect: tactical and stategy choices. Needs to be rec ognitiion that the majority of decisions
in performance settings are dynamic and take place in read time.
74
What is intuitive decision making?
◦ Inuitive decision making - involuntary. Based on prior learning and experiences. (trusting your
gut). It's reactive, effortless, speedy, non conscipously controleld, triggered automatically. and
highly sensitve to action contexts.
75
What is the classic DM theory?
* process: clear problem identification, range of soltions, critical evaluation, and selection
* Decisions made prior to performance/less time pressure
* CDM - can't explain ill structured problems, dynamic environments, ill-defined or competing goals, time stress.
76
What is naturalistic decision making?
* Decision under pressure, governed by goal driven heuristics - selectign first solution they think will be successful
* better for time pressure!
* made by: holistic evaluation, pattern recognition, satisfying criterion, combo of intuition and
analytics.
* Best for time pressure and poorly defined goals!
77
What factors influence decision making?
* The environment - context impacts ability to make effective descions
* Time pressure - reduces flexbility the less time you have.
◦ hampers ability to generate alternative hypothesis and testing strategies.
78
What did the time pressured military decisions study determine?
* Israeli air force top/mid level dispatch commanders.
* Varied time and info amounts
* More information was better for both levels with no time pressure
* But under significant time pressure only the top commanders improved their performanmce when
presented with complete information.
79
What test determined the relationship between social anxiety, stress and decision making?
* Pumping balloon test "Balloon analogue Risk Task"
* 2 groups (high and low social anxiety)
* Participants told they would have to give a speech
* Those with high social anxiety took fewer risks and more time to make decisions than their low
anxiety peers.
80
What was learnt in the "Decision Making in Elite Beach Volleyball" study?
* focus on international volleyball defence decision making
* found decisions are made based on" opponent specifics, external context, situational context,
opponents movements, intuition, gaze strategy (task relevant info)
81
What is the role of use of video in performance?
* important way to develop perceptual cues and knowledge about opposition and tactics
* can be used with organized trainning to build awareness and anticipation
* imagery use to improve anticipation and decision making.
82
What was learnt in the aussie football test?
Expertise differences in a video decision-making task: speed influences performance. (Aussie foot ball)
* 3 levels - elite, sub elite and novice participants
* shown video and asked to make pass decisions at different speeds
* and which clip felt game like
* elite group out performed on speeded video
* elite and sub elite said that 1.25 an 1.5 felt most game like
