Psychology Flashcards
Nurture
A learned pattern of behaviour acquired through reinforcement, imitation of the behaviour of others and general environmental influences.
Hollander (1967)
Psychological core -
This is the inner core of your personality. It can be described as the ‘the real’. It comprises your beliefs, values, attitudes, and self worth, all of which are relatively permanent and tend be resistant to change.
Eysencks’s personality dimension
Extrovert - sociable outgoing, talkative, active and optimistic
Introvert - quiet, passive, unsociable, reserved and careful
Stable - calm, even-tempered, reliable, controlled and logical
Neurotic - moody, anxious, touchy, restless and aggressive
Eysenck personality questionnaire
Claims:
- Extroverts more likely to play high action sports such as rugby and football
- Stable individuals were more likely to participate in sport compared to the general population
- Introverts would be drawn to individuals activities, such as running
- However unable to prove that a particular personality type is required to participate in particular sports or needed to reach elite standard
Cattell’s theory - 16 personality factors
Raymond cattell (1965) suggested that personality was based on stable traits.
Proposed that personality could be profiled into 16 categories which give a more accurate picture of people’s characteristics and behaviour patterns
Measured using the 16PF questionnaire, but accepted that responses may be different each time depending on motivation, mood and situational factors
Evaluation of trait theories
Too simplistic
They do not account for environmental or situational factors
They do not account for personality changing over time
They fail to allow for individuals actively shaping and understanding their own personality
They are not an accurate predictor of sport preference
They have limited value as a predictor of sporting success
Nature
Individuals are a product of the genes of their parents. A genetically inherited disposition.
Measurement of personality
Criticisms
- their validity may be questioned as there is no definition of personality
- their reliability may be questioned as the results may vary when the test is repeated
- participants responses may be affected by their mood, situation and attitude towards the test
- respondents may lie or not answer accurately as they may be tempted to give socially acceptable answers
- participants may not fully understand the questions as they may be ambiguous or be interpreted differently
Development of approach behaviour
Strategies:
- reducing punishment and negative feelings
- catering for all levels of ability
- setting appropriate outcome or task-orientated goals
- gradually increasing the task difficulty but ensuring challenging tasks are set
- providing positive childhood experiences
Profile of mood states
- the personality of a performer can change from moment to moment, but it has been suggested by Morgan (1979) that mood states are more useful in the identification of successful athletes
- successful performers should have higher score for vigour, while tension, depression, fatigue, and confusion scores should be lower. This is known as the ICEBERG profile.
- however it is possible to reach elite level without displaying the ICEBERG profile
Personality and sporting performance
Key factors:
- there is no clear link between personality type and success in sport
- there is no clear link between personality and choice of sport
- personality can be affected by the situation and environment
Theory of achievement motivation
1) need to achieve
- a sense of pride and satisfaction from competing
- perseverance
- quick completion of the task
- they welcome feedback
2) need to avoid failure
- attempt to avoid shame and humiliation
- worry about failure
- dislike personal feedback
- choose tasks which are very easy or very hard
