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A Level PE > Section 6: Sports Psychology > Flashcards

Section 6: Sports Psychology Flashcards

1
Q

What is personality?

A

a unique psychological make-up of a person

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2
Q

What are the 3 theories of personality?

A
  • trait theory
  • social learning theory
  • interactionist perspective
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3
Q

What is trait theory?

A

a theory that suggests innate characteristics produce consistent behaviour

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4
Q

Give an example for trait theory

A

An extroverted basketballer will behave in a extroverted manner at training, group discussions and while playing

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5
Q

What are the problems with trait theory?

A
  • behaviour can’t always be predicted
  • doesn’t take into account personality change
  • doesn’t account for a change in situation
  • doesn’t consider that personalities can be formed by experience
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6
Q

What is the social learning approach?

A

a theory suggesting that behaviour is learned from significant others e.g. role models, parents, friends

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7
Q

How does social learning work? (4 words)

A

observe –> identify –> reinforce –> copy

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8
Q

When are we more likely to copy behaviour?

A
  • if it is seen to be successful and powerful
  • if it is consistently shown to us
  • witnessed live not through media
  • performed by people we hold in high esteem
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9
Q

What is the interactionist perspective?

A

a theory which combines trait and social learning theory to predict behaviour for a specific situation

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10
Q

State Lewin’s formula

A

B=f(PxE) behaviour is a function of personality and the environment

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11
Q

What is the Hollander approach to interactionist theory?

A

personality is made up of 3 components:

  1. The core
  2. Typical responses
  3. Role-related behaviour
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12
Q

Explain the 3 components of personality.

A
  1. The core is stable and solid, it isn’t likely to change. It represents the values and beliefs of an individual (e.g. belief in the benefits of team sports)
  2. Typical responses are the usual responses the player would make in a given situation
  3. Role-related behaviour implies that further changes to behaviour may be needed as the situation demands
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13
Q

How can a coach use interactionist theory to improve performance?

A
  1. predict potential aggressive behaviour and remove the player from the situation by subbing them, to avoid red cards or being sent off
  2. identify situations that cause inappropriate actions or a drop in performance and create similar situations in training so players learn to cope (e.g. a nervous player learning to cope with a crowd at training)
  3. change player behaviour by encouraging players to adapt to specific circumstances
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14
Q

Define attitude

A

a value aimed at an attitude object

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15
Q

How are attitudes formed?

A

associating with others and picking up on their views and values- called socialisation (learn from significant others)
more likely to repeat behaviour if it is repeated/reinforced and we begin to accept beliefs and attitudes- called familiarisation

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16
Q

What is the triadic model?

A

the 3 parts of an attitude: cognitive, affective, behavioural

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17
Q

What is the cognitive component?

A

a belief, e.g. the belief in the ability to win

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18
Q

Define the affective component

A

relates to feelings and interpretation e.g. enjoyment

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19
Q

Define the behavioural component

A

the actions of the performer

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20
Q

What are the 2 concepts used to change attitudes?

A
  • cognitive dissonance

- persuasive communication

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21
Q

Define cognitive dissonance

A

new information given to the performer to cause unease and motivate change

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22
Q

What is persuasion?

A

an effective communication to promote change

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23
Q

Name the key features needed for effective persuasive communication

A

communication needs to be:

  • relevant
  • important
  • understood
  • quality
  • think about timing of the communication
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24
Q

What does the giver of the persuasive communication need to be?

A
  • high status

- role model or expert

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25
Q

Define arousal

A

a level of activation, a degree of readiness to perform

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26
Q

What is the drive theory to explain arousal?

A

as arousal increases, so does performance P=f(DxH) (performance is a function of drive x habit)

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27
Q

What is the dominant response?

A

the stand-out response that the performer thinks is correct

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28
Q

Define the inverted-U theory

A

theory linking arousal and performance by stating that increased arousal improves performance to an optimal point at moderate levels of arousal

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29
Q

What is the catastrophe theory?

A

theory suggesting that increased arousal improves performance to an optimal point but there is a dramatic reduction in performance when arousal increases beyond optimal

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30
Q

Why does a dramatic reduction in performance occur?

A

combination of somatic and cognitive anxiety

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31
Q

Define cognitive and somatic anxiety

A 
cognitive= psychological anxiety e.g. loss of concentration + worries about performance
somatic= physiological anxiety e.g. increased HR and muscular tension
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32
Q

What is the zone of optimal functioning?

A

area of controlled arousal and high level performance

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33
Q

Define peak flow

A

the ultimate intrinsic experience felt by athletes from a positive mental attitude, with supreme confidence, focus and efficiency

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34
Q

State the factors affecting the peak flow experience

A
  1. poor mental prep and failure to reach optimal arousal levels
  2. environmental influences e.g. pressure from coach
  3. injury or fatigue during game
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35
Q

What is anxiety?

A

a state of nervousness and worry, a negative response to a threatening sporting situation

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36
Q

What is competitive trait anxiety?

A

a disposition to suffer from nervousness in most sporting situations

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37
Q

Define competitive state anxiety

A

a nervous response to a specific sporting situation

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38
Q

What are the 4 types of others that can be present during sport?

A
  1. audience
  2. co-actors
  3. competitors
  4. social reinforces
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39
Q

Define co-actors

A

those who are doing the same task but are not involved in direct competition e.g. jogger on the other side other road

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40
Q

Define competitive co-actors

A

those who are in direct competition e.g. runner in a 100m competitive race

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41
Q

What are social reinforcers?

A

those who have direct influence on the event e.g. coach

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42
Q

What role does the audience and co-actors play in sport?

A

they are passive as they do not exert a direct influence on the event but their presence causes arousal

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43
Q

What role does the competitors and social reinforces have in sport?

A

active because they are directly involved in the event and can give advice, cause distractions or offer encouragement

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44
Q

How will a beginner react to being watched?

A

experience anxiety and over-arousal and may not cope with the pressure, causing poor execution of skills or social inhibition

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45
Q

How will an expert react to being watched?

A

be able to cope with the demands of the crowd and be motivated/encouraged by support. skills performance can be enhances- social facilitation

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46
Q

Define social inhibition

A

the negative effect of the presence of others on performance

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47
Q

Define social facilitation

A

the positive effect of the presence of others on performance

48
Q

Define evaluation apprehension

A

the perceived fear of being judged

49
Q

Identify the strategies to prevent social inhibition

A
  1. Getting the players familiar with playing in front of a crowd
  2. Gradually introducing evaluation
  3. Improving focus and concentration
50
Q

Define aggression

A

intent to harm outside the rules; hostile behaviour

51
Q

Define assertion

A

well-motivated behaviour within the rules

52
Q

Characteristics of aggression

A
  • the intent to harm
  • outside the rules
  • reactive
  • out of control
  • deliberate and hostile
53
Q

Characteristics of assertion

A
  • controlled
  • well-motivated
  • generally within the rules
  • goal-directed
  • not intended to harm
54
Q

Define instrumental aggression

A

has an intent to harm but is within the rules

55
Q

What is instinct theory?

A

all players are born with an aggressive instinct so aggression is spontaneous and innate

56
Q

Characteristics of instinct theory

A
  • evolutionary, used to defend territory or when under threat
  • can surface as a reaction to a bad foul
  • catharsis can occur
57
Q

Define catharsis

A

cleansing the emotion; using sport as an outlet for aggression

58
Q

What are the problems with instinct theory?

A
  • not all aggressive acts are spontaneous, can be pre-intended or learned
  • some players increase aggression throughout the game
  • not all ancestors were aggressive
59
Q

What is the frustration-aggression hypothesis?

A

suggests that inevitable aggression occurs when goals are blocked and the performer becomes frustrated

60
Q

How can built up aggression be reduced?

A

if an aggressive act is initiated and a catharsis occurs

61
Q

Does all frustration lead to aggression?

A

no, some players are good at controlling emotions

62
Q

State the reasons players may react with aggression

A
  • losing
  • the player played poorly
  • poor play by team mate
  • high pressure game
  • being fouled
63
Q

Define the aggressive cue hypothesis

A

suggests that aggression is caused by a learned trigger

64
Q

According to the aggressive cue hypothesis what is the reason aggressive responses occur?

A

if certain learned cues are present to act as a stimulus for aggressive acts

65
Q

How is aggression learned?

A

through significant others e.g. coaches and fellow players

66
Q

Name some aggressive cues

A
  • sporting venues e.g. rivalry
  • sporting equipment e.g. thrown racquets
  • boxing gloves
  • main rival player/team
67
Q

Define social learning theory (in terms of aggression)

A

aggression is seen as a learned response and can be copied from others, particularly if the behaviour is reinforced

68
Q

What is the process Bandura suggested aggression is learned through?

A

observe—> identify—> reinforce—> copy

69
Q

In the social learning theory who is behaviour learned from?

A
  • significant others
  • people held in high esteem
  • team mates
  • coach
70
Q

What makes aggressive behaviour more likely to be copied?

A

if it is consistent, powerful, bright and live

71
Q

Explain the weaknesses of the frustration-aggression hypothesis using other psychological theories

A
  • not all frustration leads to aggression
  • not all aggression is the result of frustration
  • no allowance for the situation
  • aggressive-cue hypothesis suggests that aggression occurs when specific cues are present
  • instinct theory suggests aggression is innate
  • social learning theory suggests that aggression is learned from others
72
Q

Define motivation

A

a drive to succeed

73
Q

Define intrinsic motivation

A

motivation from within

74
Q

Define extrinsic motivation

A

motivation from an outside source

75
Q

Define tangible rewards

A

rewards that can be touched or held, physical

76
Q

Define intangible rewards

A

non-physical rewards

77
Q

What strategies and tactics are used to prevent aggression?

A
  • offering rewards and incentives early on
  • making the activity fun and enjoyable
  • pointing out the health benefits of doing the task
  • breaking the skill down into parts, to allow success on each part
  • pointing out role models
  • making the performer feel responsible for success
  • attributing success internally
  • setting achievable goals
  • using feedback
78
Q

What are the characteristics of a team?

A
  • a collective identity
  • interaction
  • communication
  • a shared goal or purpose
79
Q

State the stages of group formation

A
  1. forming
  2. storming
  3. norming
  4. performing
  5. mourning
80
Q

Define cohesion

A

the tendency for individuals to work together to achieve their goals, the forces that keep the group members on task

81
Q

What is co-action?

A

when others do the task at the same time but separately

82
Q

What’s interaction in terms of cohesion?

A

when a group works together to produce results but have different roles in the team

83
Q

Define task cohesion

A

individuals working together to achieve an end result

84
Q

Define social cohesion

A

individuals relating to each other to interact in the group

85
Q

How can a coach maintain intrinsic and extrinsic motives?

A
  • offering rewards and incentives early on e.g. player of the week
  • making the activity fun and enjoyable
  • pointing out heath benefits of the task
  • breaking skills down to allow success at each part
  • pointing out role models
  • making performer feel responsible for success by giving praise
  • attributing success internally
  • setting achievable goals or targets
  • using feedback to inspire and correct errors
86
Q

State the characteristics of a team

A
  • a collective identity
  • interaction
  • communication
  • shared goal or purpose
87
Q

State and describe the stages of group formation

A

1) Forming- group comes together, an assessment is made on the strengths of the individual compared to the strengths of others in the group
2) Storming- stage of potential conflict when individuals compete for positions, status or role
3) Norming- once conflicts are resolved, team starts to settle down and co-operate. group standards accepted and cohesion develops
4) Performing- all players now interactive and working together to achieve their goals. team members support each other and understand their role
5) Mourning- occurs when goals have been achieved and team may break up and disband and start again.

88
Q

Define goal setting

A

setting targets

89
Q

State the benefits of goal setting

A
  • increases motivation and makes sure performers keep on trying, players can become task persistent since they aim for a target that requires effort to reach- once player has succeeded, pride and satisfaction is experienced which increases intrinsic motivation
  • increases confidence-as performer experiences improvements in technique or results as the target is being reached
  • regulates and sustains effort
90
Q

Define an outcome goal

A

a goal set against the performance of others and based on a result

91
Q

Define a performance goal

A

when the athlete sets a goal to better their own performance rather than comparing to others e.g. achieving a personal best

92
Q

Define a process goal

A

based on improving technique

93
Q

What are the principles of effective goal setting and what do they mean?

A

SMARTER
Specific: goals should be clear and precise, should reflect a performer’s individual playing position or event
Measurable: goal must be quantifiable so progress can be assessed e.g. distances, times, number of passes
Achievable: performer must be able to reach their goal within the time frame
Realistic: goal must be within the performer’s reach to promote motivation and sustain effort, if it is too difficult it will cause anxiety
Time-bound: short-term and long-term goals clearly set to gauge progress
Evaluate: performer + coach gauge/evaluate whether the goal was reached and which methods were successful
Re-do: repeat efforts with goals that were not met, looking at the evaluation to make any adjustments to the goal

94
Q

Why do some sports psychologists think that it is difficult to predict behaviour in sport?

A

some are sceptical because there is no link between personality and performance, behaviour can change during the game and personality research can be invalid and unreliable

95
Q

What can cause an increase in arousal? (3)

A
  • level of competition e.g. major game or championship event
  • the effect of an audience (especially if not used to it or being watched by an expert)
  • frustrating circumstances e.g. not playing well, losing
96
Q

What factors will affect the optimal levels of arousal in the inverted-U theory?

A
  • experience of performer: experts can deal with higher arousal levels (dominant response correct)
  • personality: extroverts perform better at high levels, their reticular activating system (RAS) that controls and measures adrenaline levels suggests that they have naturally low levels of activation so can tolerate increases in arousal- introverts have naturally high levels of adrenaline so perform best at low arousal
  • task: gross skills, large muscles groups so more arousal as fine control not needed as with fine skills. complex skills-lower arousal as more information needing to be processed (high arousal levels reduces information processing ability)
97
Q

What are the experiences of the performer when they’re in the zone of optimal functioning?

A
  • things flow effortlessly
  • performer reaches a state of supreme confidence and remains calm under pressure
  • athlete feels in total control of their actions and totally focused on activity
98
Q

What can being in the zone of optimal functioning lead to?

A

the peak flow experience

99
Q

Name five features of the peak flow experience

A
  • effortless movement
  • total control
  • high confidence
  • low anxiety
  • extreme focus
100
Q

What is the link between state and trait anxiety?

A

an individual with high trait anxiety is more likely to experience high state anxiety when faced with a stressful situation (especially if felt that others are watching or evaluating performance)

101
Q

Give examples of cognitive anxiety

A

=psychological and refers to irrational thinking that may occur before or during performance

  • loss of concentration
  • believing they don’t have the ability to complete the task
  • nervousness
102
Q

Give examples of somatic anxiety

A

=physiological, the response of the body to the individual’s belief in their lack of ability to complete the task

  • increased HR
  • increased sweating
  • increased muscular tension
  • may even cause sickness
103
Q

What is the effect of somatic anxiety on performance?

A

increases in somatic anxiety can improve performance up to a point, after which further increases in somatic anxiety will impair performance- same as inverted U theory for arousal

104
Q

What is the effect of cognitive anxiety on performance?

A

the greater the cognitive anxiety, the worse the performance

105
Q

What is the relationship between cognitive and somatic anxieties in the lead up to a competition?

A
  • somatic anxiety tends to increase just before a competition and reduces when performance is underway
  • cognitive anxieties are present much earlier than somatic, can be at high levels a week before competition
106
Q

What are the 3 methods of measuring anxiety in sport?

A
  • self-report questionnaires
  • observation
  • physiological testing
107
Q

Define questionnaire

A

a set of questions to measure or assess something (like anxiety)

108
Q

What is the Sports Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT)?

A

a questionnaire used by sports psychologists to measure anxiety

109
Q

What are the advantages of questionnaires as a method of measuring anxiety?

A

-quick
-cheap
-efficient
so large numbers of players can be assessed quickly

110
Q

What are the disadvantages of self-report questionnaires?

A
  • players may not understand the question
  • players may give the socially desirable answer than the truth
  • answers may depend on mood state e.g. would be different after a win than a loss
  • questions inappropriate so biased results are given
  • responses can be influenced by time given, rushing to complete answers may lead to incorrect response
111
Q

What are the advantages of observations for measuring anxiety?

A

-true to life

112
Q

What are the disadvantages of observations for measuring anxiety?

A
  • subjective, based on observer’s opinion
  • time-consuming because the observer needs to know the player’s normal behaviour so they can note changes from the norm
  • player’s behaviour may change as a result of being watched or feel more uneasy, suffer some anxiety
113
Q

Define observation as a method of measuring anxiety

A

gaining a measure of anxiety simply by watching the performer

114
Q

What kind of physical responses to anxiety could be measured?

A
  • increased heart rate
  • increased level of sweating
  • increased rate of respiration
  • increased hormone secretion
115
Q

State the advantages of using physiological measures to measure anxiety

A
  • provides factual/objective data so that comparisons can easily be made
  • responses to anxiety could be measured in a game or training and information relayed directly to coach
116
Q

State the disadvantages of using physiological measures to measure anxiety

A
  • costly and training may be required for coaches to use the equipment
  • wearing the measuring device can restrict movement in sport
  • the fact the performer is aware they are being measured may cause additional stress and give a false reading

A Level PE (31 decks)

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