Sport and exercise psychology

Question 1

What is sport and exercise psychology?

Answer 1

Scientific study of people’s behaviours, mental processes and well-being in sport and exercise contexts, practically applying that knowledge

Question 2

What is the difference between applied sport and applied exercise psychologists?

Answer 2

EXERCISE - work with public to increase motivation and participation in exercise, encouraging a healthy lifestyle with psychosocial benefits exercise can offer
SPORT - work with athletes to help them deal psychologically with the demands of the sport and to improve their personal development and performance

Question 3

What is the difference between exercise and physical activity?

Answer 3

Exercise = structured physical activity with a specific objective of improving/maintaining physical fitness/health
Physical activity = any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that results in energy expenditure

Question 4

Within exercise psychology, what are the key barriers to physical activity that people report?

Answer 4

PHYSICAL - injury/bad health, overweight, age
EMOTIONAL - “not the sporty type”, fear, embarassment
MOTIVATIONAL - laziness, no energy, don’t enjoy exercising
TIME - perceived lack of time, work, childcare
AVAILABILITY - proximity, affordability, lack of knowledge/equipment

Question 5

How are children growing up in recent decades?

Answer 5

With very blasé attitudes towards health, sport and physical activity i.e. towards healthy living in general
Two thirds of children are expected to be obese by 2050, so it is more important than ever to encourage physical activity habits during childhood - attitudes about physical activity are established during childhood and also self-confidence in ability to maintain such a lifestyle

Question 6

How is BMI calculated?

Answer 6

Weight in kg over (height in metres)squared

<18.5 is underweight, anything above 24.9 is overweight

Question 7

How can we successfully achieve greater engagement of children in physical activity?

Answer 7

Collaboration between exercise and health psychologists, nutritionists, media and the government to emphasise benefits of exercise

Question 8

What are the physical benefits of exercise?

Answer 8

Reduces risk of developing health problems such as obesity, CHD, stroke, osteoporosis, high BP, sleep disorders and certain cancers
Also increases efficiency of immune functioning

Question 9

What are the 5 main psychological benefits of exercise?

Answer 9

Enhanced positive emotion - endorphins, serotonin and dopamine release –> feel good effects and energy for several hours afterwards
Reduced anxiety
Reduced depression and stress - moderate exercise has been shown to help depression e.g. biking or dancing or even gardening; exercise classes are twice as good because also enhance feeling of social support
Enhanced body image, SELF-ESTEEM and self-perception - particularly where a program has been adhered to for a sustained period self-confidence and esteem are greatly improved; sense of accomplishment in achieving targets is key
Improved general cognitive functioning and feeling of control

Question 10

What is the GP referral scheme

Answer 10

Intervention to help GP patients manage medical conditions more effectively in conjunction with other forms of treatment
Gradual program, operating on levels of the home or community, schools, workplaces etc, and includes exercise classes
Eligible conditions include obesity, hypertension, neurological conditions, cancer and stroke

Question 11

What is moodzone?

Answer 11

An NHS initiative to emphasise on a societal level how physical activity can aid mental wellbeing, providing advice and guidance for how to become more active and how this can boost mental health

Question 12

What are the 3 primary roles of applied exercise psychologists?

Answer 12

Advising public on physical and psych benefits of exercise, motivating them to take up exercise, maintain it and adhere to a programme
Advising people in poor physical/mental health who could benefit from the effects of physical activity
Explore people’s goals, concerns, physical limitations and barriers to exercise and devise, implement, support and evaluate an exercise programme for them based on specific needs e.g. a workplace exercise programme

Question 13

What academic work do applied exercise psychologists do?

Answer 13

Research –> theoretical models developed to explain behaviour –> tested, refined and applied in public health interventions designed to encourage adoption of physical activity

Question 14

What are 4 such theoretical models of behaviour?

Answer 14

1) Health belief model - two factors predict likelihood of person adopting health-related behaviours: perception of severity of potential illness, and costs of adopting the behaviour weighed against benefits
2) Theory of planned behaviour - strongest predictors of actual behaviours are intentions, which are influenced by attitude towards a behaviour and subjective norm of a behaviour (beliefs and opinions of others, and person’s motivation to comply)
3) Transtheoretical model - recognises that people don’t simply go from completely sedentary to adopting recommended levels of activity in a single step; there are stages to the process including pre-contemplation, contemplation (at which point they can see the benefit of changing behaviour and have serious intentions), preparation, action and maintenance
4) Self-determination theory - people who are intrinsically self-motivated are seeking to be competent and self-determining in their quest to remain healthy

Question 15

What 4 factors do all sports map onto?

Answer 15

Physical - different physical fitness characteristics
Technical - requisite skills for performance in the sport
Tactical - experts have the ability to “do the right thing at the right time”
Mental - psychological factors that allow expression of all 3 of the above, allowing performer to maximise performance potential

Question 16

What do sports psychologists have to identify?

Answer 16

Characteristics of those performers who consistently perform at/close to their physical, tactical and technical potential in order to design interventions that can be incorporated into “mental training” aimed at developing right attitudes for optimal performance

Question 17

What does sport psychology link to?

Answer 17

Organisational, occupational, and also counselling psychology - helps in understanding and addressing performance-related issues such as poor team dynamics, confidence and performance anxiety

Question 18

What is the focus of a sports psychologist’s work?

Answer 18

How psychological factors can affect both physical and mental athletic performance e.g. how does anxiety affect concentration and skill execution, how does self-confidence influence ability to learn new skills and compete effectively, how can sport enhance life skills, how does coaching style influence athletes, factors such as self-handicapping, fear of failure and perfectionism affecting performance and motivation

Question 19

What are some key topics under the research topic of skill acquisition and motor control?

Answer 19

Defining and assessing skill
How skilled movement is controlled
Practice
Feedback
Expertise

Question 20

What topics come under “youth sport”?

Answer 20

Optimal learning periods
Readiness to compete
Talent identification
Coach influence
Motivation and drop-out
Moral development

Question 21

What are key psychological skills areas of research?

Answer 21

Mental prep for performance
Goal setting
Self regulation
Confidence
Stress management

Question 22

What are 3 other key areas of sports psychology research

Answer 22

Counselling/clinical issues - coping, injury and rehab, eating disorders, drug abuse
Group and team dynamics - cohesion, leadership, audience effects on performance
Evaluation - psychometric test construction, talent identification and development

Question 23

What are 5 key roles of applied sports psychologists?

Answer 23

Using psychological assessment techniques to assess athletes
Develop tailored programs to improve athletic performance e.g. work on overcoming obstacles
Advise on improving communication e.g. between athletes and coaches, general team cohesion
Crisis intervention services
Consultation and programme development services for coaches, trainers and others working with athletes
Education workshops e.g. performance analysis, psych skills training etc

Question 24

What does psychological skills training involve?

Answer 24

Mental techniques to enhance performance, cope with pressure, overcome setbacks etc - techniques include:
Anxiety control - relaxation, self-talk for pre-competition anxiety
Mental imagery - visualisation of success
Concentration and attention (focus) - if mind tends to wander during competitions
Self-confidence - if athlete becomes frustrated with their performance and puts themselves down
Goal setting - to enhance motivation

Question 25

What are some of the different settings in which sports psychologists can now work?

Answer 25

Private consultants for sports academies/clubs
Full time “in house” psychologists for sports teams or sport national governing bodies
Combine consultancy with academic positions (research and teaching)
Services in non-sport areas such as business helping them to compete and perform at high level

Question 26

What was the staged model proposed by Steve Bull for how sports psychologists go about working with sports teams and athletes?

Answer 26

Build rapport, trust and respect - non-judgemental and solution-focused
Assess athlete needs, including mental training needs - can use performance profiling
Design programme of interventions and mental skills training, prioritising areas of development most important for enhancing performance
Ongoing monitoring and adjustment, identifying what has been effective and monitoring adherence - frequent contact necessary, especially when athlete learning a new skill
Evaluation, withdrawal and maintenance of contact

Question 27

What are the main intervention techniques sports psychologists could use to enhance performance?

Answer 27

Goal setting and motivation - distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, reinforcement culture of sport e.g. trophies undermines intrinsic to an extent so that needs to be strengthened to avoid motivational crises when maybe they don’t get as many trophies
Developing and maintaining effective attention
Managing stress - balance between helpful level of arousal and cognitive anxiety that can lead to distraction
Building self-confidence - self talk and cognitive restructuring
Developing mental rehearsal and imagery - aid skill acquisition and mental readiness in performance; injured athletes can actually use this technique to maintain skills they cant physically practise

Question 28

How can intrinsic motivation and sense of volitional control be strengthened?

Answer 28

Goals can be broken down:
Outcome goals = winning
Performance goals = race time
Process goals = day-to-day behaviours that make achievement of the other goals more likely, specific behaviours under athlete’s control

Question 29

What is the 4 step approach to developing and maintaining effective attention?

Answer 29

Specific process goals
Using performance routines (develop from simulation training i.e. training mimicking actual performance in as many ways as possible)
Using trigger words e.g. gymnast saying tuck when doing a somersault
Mental rehearsal