Scientific Foundations: Sport Psychology Flashcards
What causes an anxious state of arousal? What 3 factors contribute to this state? (Pg. 158)
This lack of physical and psychological efficiency is typically initiated by uncertainty about a present or anticipated event
Three factors:
1: High degree of ego involvement (Athlete perceives a threat to self-esteem)
2: Perceived discrepancy between ability and demands (Athlete believes they are not able to meet the demands of a task despite having the skills)
3: Fear of consequences of failure (Athlete believes they will lose approval from teammates, family, and friends)
What is the processing of environmental and internal cues that comes from awareness referred to as? (pg. 163)
Attention
What is the ability to inhibit awareness of some stimuli to process others? (pg. 163)
Selective Attention
What are “Positive” and “Negative” methods of coaching? What are “Reinforcement” and “Punishment” methods of coaching? How do these methods interconnect? (Pg. 162-163)
1: Positive means there is a presentation of an act, object, or event while negative means the removal of something.
2: Reinforcement aims to encourage a behavior so that it can be repeated while punishment aims to discourage a behavior so that it will not be repeated
3: Positive reinforcement presents something, like praising an athlete or giving the athlete a trophy or reward.
Positive punishment presents something that is meant to discourage something, like making an athlete run sprints or adding extra pushups for every penalty given in a game.
Negative Reinforcement removes something in an effort to encourage a behavior, like letting athletes skip conditioning as a reward for winning a game.
Negative punishment takes away something in an effort to discourage a behavior, such as benching a player (removing them from the game), revoking privileges, or demoting a team captain.
What are task-irrelevant cues? How do they tie into selective attention? How might an opponent try to utilize task-irrelevant cues to throw off their opponent? (pg. 163)
1: Stimuli or distractions that are not related to the (irrelevant to) tasks at hand and can negatively impact performance
2: It ties into selective attention because an athlete may choose to pay attention to these cues selectively and then ignore important, competition/task-related cues
3: calling a time-out before a team kicks a field goal might get into the athlete’s head because they have more time for task-irrelevant cues to get into their head. Pointing out what an athlete is doing wrong rather than right can also accomplish this.
What is extrinsic motivation? What are some examples of extrinsic rewards? (Pg. 162)
1: Extrinsic motivation is a type of motivation that comes from outside an athlete (an external source).
2: Examples: Awards, trophies, praise from coaches and teammates, social approval, and fear of punishment
What are the 3 methods of fascilitating instruction? Describe each. What are the pro’s and con’s of these methods? (pg. 171)
1: Explicit instructions; Guided discovery; Discovery
2: - Explicit instructions: prescriptive information that gives athletes the “rules” for effectively executing the given task.
- Guided discovery: provides the athlete with instructions about the overall movement goal and important prompts/cues for task accomplishment without giving explicit details. Can be seen as a blend of discovery and explicit instructions.
- Discovery: little to no direction, which allows the athlete to explore methods to accomplish the task
3: Pros: Discovery and guided discovery have less attentional demands than explicit instructions and allow athletes to increase their focus on task-relevant cues related to task execution.
Explicit instruction can help the athlete learn proper mechanics more quickly
Cons: Discovery style can slow the learning process
explicit instructions can impair performance in a stressful environment elevate the focus on what the athlete is doing wrong and create overwhelm in their mind, leading to an anxious state. For example, it is not great to give detailed/explicit instructions right before a game or competitive event for these reasons.
Describe “Process”, “Outcome”, “Long-term”, and “Short-Term” goals (pg. 168-169)
Process Goals: Focus on the actions the athlete must engage in during performance to execute the skill well (What the athlete has control over). Focused on the “HOW” of performance with techniques, strategies, and processes that underpin successful execution.
Outcome Goals: Focused on the end result of a performance such as winning a game, achieving a personal best, or outperforming competitors (what the athlete has little to no control over). They are dependent on the performance of others in addition to the athlete’s own effort.
Short-term Goals: Objectives that are to be set in the near future, which are typically related to the current training or competition, and can be stepping stones toward long-term goals. They can be outcome or process-based.
Long-term Goals: Goals set for an extended period, typically several months or years in the future. Can be process or outcome-related. Usually broader and more ambitious than short-term goals. LT goals can help athletes understand why the small,e very day practice tasks and goals have meaning and purpose in the larger scale of things.
Describe “Variable Practice”, “Observational Practice”, “Random Practice” and “Repetitive Part Training”, an example of each, and their benefits. (Pg. 170-171).
Variable Practice: Practicing a skill under a variety of conditions and with different variations of the task, such as an athlete performing a series of jumps on a variety of different height boxes. May enhance the athlete’s ability to adapt to a variety of demands that may help with the variability encountered in an actual competition or performance environment.
Observational Practice: practice through observation of the task or skill to be performed (watching others). The coach may have a more advanced athlete demonstrate a movement for the others to see, or may demonstrate the movement themselves. Promotes learning through visual and cognitive processing, but does not involve active physical execution.
Random Practice: Practicing several different skills in a random order rather than repeating the same skill multiple times before moving to another. Promotes learning and retention of multiple skills by encouraging the athlete to constantly adjust and apply different strategies. Instead of just performing a squat depth jump, an athlete doing random practice might perform a depth jump with lateral movement, followed by a split squat jump and a side-to-side push-off with other movements in a random order.
Repetitive Part Training: Athletes only practice the first part of a movement in isolation, and then later subsequent tasks are added. With this use of simplification, athletes can master one portion of a movement or task by focusing on that part at one time. This might be seen as a weight lifter performing one part of the clean or a sprinter practicing the very start of their sprint off the blocks and how they push off the blocks rather than running the entire sprint.
What cognitive skill allows an athlete to create or recreate an experience in their mind? (pg. 166)
Imagery
Describe “Knowledge of Performance” (KP) and “Knowledge of Results” (KR). Give an example of each. (Pg. 171-172)
KP: Information about a movement pattern. Velocity-based training tools like a linear placement transducer can give feedback on velocity and bar path, or use a force plate to measure performance variables.
KR: provides information about the outcome of a performance, such as the score or result of a competition. It can be instrumental in shaping an athlete’s approach to training and competition by clarifying what was achieved.
Describe Motivation, Eustress, Distress, and Individual Zones of Optimal Functioning (IZOF). (Pg. 161)
Motivation: Intensity and the direction of an individual’s effort (what they are aiming for).
Eustress: Positive stress; perceived as beneficial or motivating to the individual.
Distress: Negative stress; perceived as harmful, overwhelming the athlete, or causing anxiety
Individual Zones of Optimal Functioning (IZOF): Individuals have unique optimal levels of arousal or emotional states in which their performance is best. Helps coaches tailor motivational strategies and stress management techniques to enhance motivation by ensuring that their level of arousal or emotional state is conducive to optimal performance.
Describe “Motive to Achieve Success” (MAS) and “Motive to Avoid Failure” (MAF). (Pg. 162).
MAS: Describes an individual’s inclination toward seeking success, taking on challenges, and striving for proficiency in their endeavors. People with MAS are motivated by potential achievement and the intrinsic satisfaction derived from mastering a task or skills, where challenging situations are opportunities to grow.
MAF: A desire to avoid situations that could lead to failure and the accompanying feelings of shame or embarrassment. Individuals with higher MAF than MAS may shy away from challenging situations.
What is systematic Desensitization? (Pg. 165-166)
When an athlete replaces a fear response with a relaxation response. This method is rooted in behavioral psychology and is designed to help individuals overcome phobias and anxiety. It involves a step-by-step exposure to the fear-inducing stimulus while practicing relaxation techniques to reduce the anxiety response. Begins with the least fearful scenario and progresses to more direct exposures, with the individual learning to maintain relaxation and control of anxiety at each step, systematically desensitising the individual to the source of the fear.
What is Autogenic Training? (Pg. 165)
A series of exercises designed to produce physical sensations in the body - generally warmth and heaviness - by self suggestion.
What is Drive Theory, also known as Hull’s Drive Theory? (Pg. 159)
A theory that suggests that as an individual arousal or state anxiety increases (drive), so does their performance. This was suggested when researchers first started examining the relationship between performance and arousal. This theory can work with simple tasks or skills (powerlifting, sprinting, etc), but typically as a task or sport becomes more complex, arousal can harm performance outcomes.
What is Arousal? (Pg. 157)
a blend of physiological and psychological activation in an individual and refers to the intensity of motivation at any given moment.
