Sport Psychology: Personality Flashcards
What is the trait theory?
That we are born with an innate characteristics called trait. They are stable consistent and enduring
How do young performers tend to be?
They tend to be rash and reckless
How do experienced players tend to be?
They tend to be more calm and focused
What is the social learning approach?
It suggests behaviour is learned from significant others by socialisation
Who do we learn from?
We learn from people we hold in high esteem such as role models, friends, parents and even teachers
What does socialisation mean?
It means developing personality traits by associating and learning from others
What are the two types of socialisation?
Primary and secondary
Who is part of the primary socialisation?
Family
Who is part of the secondary socialisation?
Schools and media
What type of behaviour do we tend to copy?
We tend to copy behaviour that we see as successful, powerful and that is consistently shown to us. We copy when it is reinforced
What is vicarious learning?
Also known as observational learning, occurs when a person is motivated to learn by watching someone else work and be rewarded
What is the process of the social learning theory?
Observe -> Identify -> Reinforced -> Copy
What is the interactionist perspective?
A theory which combines traits and social learning to predict behaviour in a specific situation. This indicates that traits are adapted according to the situation
What is the formula for the interactionist perspective?
B=f(PxE)
What does the interactionist perspective suggest behaviour to be?
It suggests that behaviour is a function of personality and environment. This means that behaviour is adapted to the environment so changing the environment will change the behaviour. This would lead to a stable behaviour in certain situations
What is the Hollander approach to the interactionist theory?
It suggest that personality is made up of three features. These are: the core, typical responses and role related behaviour
What is the core of the performer?
Their values and beliefs 
What are the typical responses?
The use of inherent traits displayed to specific situations
What is the role related behaviour?
Suggest a performer may adapt or adopt a very specific role when the situation demands
What is a credulous approach?
It is when you believe the theories and you accept a link that personality can predict behaviour
What is a sceptical approach?
Is it when you don’t believe the theories and you doubt the link that personality can predict behaviour
Name three theories that attempt to explain how personality characteristics are formed (1 mark)
Trait theory
Social learning theory
Interactionist theory
Classify the three theories: trait theory, social learning theory and interactionist theory as to whether they represent the nature or nurture debate in sport (2 marks)
Nature is part of the trait theory
Nurture is part of the social learning and interactionist theory
What does the Hollander approach to the interactionist theory suggest about environments and behaviour?
Suggests that the more the environment has an influence on the individual the more likely the behaviour is to change of the individual
