Sport Psychology

Question 1

Mental Skills

Answer 1

(scams)
- stress management
- concentration
- arousal
- motivation
- self confidence

Question 2

Mental skill strategies

Answer 2

(grips)
- goal setting
- relaxation
- imagery
- performance routines
- self talk

Question 3

Stress management

Answer 3

occurs when there is an imbalance between the demands of the task and the ability level of the performer to respond in a situation where failure has consequences.

Question 4

Concentration

Answer 4

the ability to focus on a task at hand whilst ignoring irrelevant cues or distractions.

Question 5

Arousal

Answer 5

the degree of stimulation or alertness present in a performer about to perform a skilled task.

Question 6

Motivation

Answer 6

the direction of intensity of effort by a performer towards a given task.

Question 7

Self-confidence

Answer 7

the belief that a performer has in their own ability to successfully perform a desired skill or behaviour.

Question 8

Goal setting

Answer 8

the process of deciding on something you want to achieve, planning the steps to follow to reach the goal, and then working towards to achieve the goal.

Question 9

Relaxation techniques

Answer 9

an activity undertaken to reduce tension and the effects of physical and mental stress.

Question 10

Imagery

Answer 10

the recreation in the mind using as many senses as possible of a past successful performance or skill.

Question 11

Performance-routines

Answer 11

a ritual a performer follows in the preparation, during or after the execution of a task.

Question 12

Self talk

Answer 12

talking to / thinking to yourself positively before, during or after performance.

Question 13

Group cohesion

Answer 13

the term used to describe the extent to which a group stays together and united in the pursuit of common goals and objectives.

Question 14

Task cohesion

Answer 14

how committed are the team members to achieving their predetermined common performance goal.

Question 15

Social cohesion

Answer 15

the degree to which team members like each other and enjoy being together.

Question 16

Ways of measuring group cohesion:

Answer 16

1. questionnaires/self reports
2. sociograms
3. observation

Question 17

Sociograms

Answer 17

a diagram which shows the inter-relationship between individuals in a team. often used to represent the answers to a questionnaire presented to the playing group.

Question 18

Observation

Answer 18

a coach can use a checklist to observe how players in there group relate to each other, who they mix with, who they avoid, who they interact with.

Question 19

Factors effecting team cohesion (carron’s model)

Answer 19

1. personal factors
2. environmental factors
3. leadership factors
4. team factors

Question 20

Personal factors

Answer 20

refer to the individual characteristics of group members, such as their motives for participating.

Question 21

(personal factors) 3 Main reasons players participate:

Answer 21

1. task motivation - associated with task cohesion and being apart of a successful team. a player with high task motivation will increase task cohesion.
2. affiliation motivation - associated with the social cohesion and desire to be apart of a group. a player with high affiliation motivation will increase social cohesion.
3. self-motivation - associated with a desire to obtain personal satisfaction through improving personal performance.

Question 22

Environmental factors

Answer 22

refers to the normative forces which bring and hold a group together. EG:
- contracts
- family/significant other expectations
- father/son rule
- age (under 16 team)
- school team
- geographical limitations (play for your local district / town / suburb)

Question 23

Leadership factors

Answer 23

refers to the leadership style and how this affects the dynamics of the group.
- requires appropriate leadership styles
- leaders must display appropriate behaviour
- compatibility between leaders and players is essential

Question 24

Team factors

Answer 24

relates to the characteristics of the team including team stability, prior successes and failures.

Question 25

Team factors include:

Answer 25

• team stability - maintaining the same playing group over a long period of time
• prior successes and failures increase cohesion
• having common goals within the team increase cohesion
• high team norms for productivity
• develop a team sense of identity

Question 26

Three levels of communication / interaction for team factors

Answer 26

co-acting activities, mixed activities, interacting activities

Question 27

Co-acting activities

Answer 27

little to no communication between the players and results are determined by tallying individual scores, eg- team surfing, golf, darts, swimming carnival

Question 28

Mixed activities

Answer 28

have a combination of co-acting and interacting activities

example - cricket: only communication on the batting team is between the two players currently batting (other 9 players do not interact)

Question 29

Interacting activities

Answer 29

require a high level of communication between team members if the team is to achieve its goal.
EG:
- ball games such as hockey, netball, rugby + football are interactive as all players are required to communicate continuously if optimum performance is to be achieved
- high levels of communication required

Question 30

Developing task cohesion

Answer 30

• communicating clearly and regularly so all members know their roles and responsibilities
• having clear and understood expectations
• set challenging but realistic goals for the team as a whole + for individual players

Question 31

Developing social cohesion

Answer 31

• encouraging social interaction away from the sport (bbqs/paintballing)
• maintain open and honest communication
• resolve conflicts quickly
• team building activities (pre-season camps)
• develop trust and respect within the group

Question 32

Benefits of cohesion

Answer 32

• communication and motivation within the group is extensive
• increased feeling of group as a whole rather than individuals
• players work together to achieve team goals ahead of personal goals
• players enjoy each others successes

Question 33

Barriers to group cohesion

Answer 33

• personality clashes between members
• frequent changes to the group
• disagreement on group objectives
• lack of communication

Question 34

Social loafing

Answer 34

the tendency of individuals to lessen their effort when they are part of a group. the larger the group, the greater the likelihood of social loafing. social loafing occurs as a result of a decrease in individual motivation.

Question 35

Social loafing occurs under the following conditions:

Answer 35

an individual perceives other athletes to be working at a lower intensity which then gives them an excuse to put less effort in themselves

believe that their efforts won’t make a difference to the team and desired outcome will still be reached

when individual effort cannot be determined

task is perceived to be meaningless

Question 36

Players who are social loafing display these traits:

Answer 36

decreased effort at training

arrives late/ leaves early from training

misses training

player does not fulfil their designated role in the team

expects teammates to cover their mistakes

does not help with set up for training

decreased form