Week 4

Question 1

Sub 4 minute mile - how is this related to self belief?

Answer 1

For years it was thought impossible to run a sub 4 minute mile

May 1954 roger bannister ran 3min 59.4secs

46 days later, John Landy ran 1.5secs fast than bannister

Question 2

What is sport confidence?

Answer 2

Degree of uncertainty one possesses about the ability to be successful in sport

Question 3

What is self confidence?

Answer 3

Belief that one can perform successfully in competition

Question 4

What is self efficacy?

Answer 4

Belief that one can successfully organise and execute a course of action to reach a specific goal

Question 5

What is characteristic of performers who believe in themselves?

Answer 5

Set and achieve stretching goals 
Take and learn from criticism 
Establish a balanced perspective on strengths/weaknesses 
Tackle weaknesses head on 
Take risks

Question 6

Self belief is strongest when performers……

Answer 6

Build on holistic self esteem, worth and value
Are humble
Have no need to inform others of their achievements
Are rational
Takes positives from situations
See negative feedback as constructive

Question 7

When is self confidence most fragile in performers who appear to have strong self belief?

Answer 7

They tell you about their self belief and ability
Need to verbalise and externalise it
Their self belief is exposed and vulnerable

Question 8

When is self confidence most fragile in performers who are aware of their lack of self belief?

Answer 8

‘Waiting to be found out’
‘lucky’
Tend to be highly self conscious, self critical, and have negative perceptions what others think about them

Question 9

In banduras theory of self efficacy, what are efficacy expectations predicted by?

Answer 9

Performance accomplishments 
Vicarious experience 
Verbal persuasion 
Physiological states 
Emotional states 
Imagine experiences

Question 10

Bandura’s theory - summarise performance accomplishments

Answer 10

The most powerful predictor
Personal mastery experiences
Positive linear relationship (eg if you’ve taken 100 penalties in past, more likely to be confident if scored those 100 before compared to someone who hasn’t been successful before)

Question 11

Bandura’s theory - what influences the performance accomplishments positive linear relationship?

Answer 11

Perceived difficulty of task (eg if goal is smaller than what you’ve shot into in the past, less confident and vice versa)

Effort exerted (if ran 4.01 mile before but not fully exerted, will be fairly confident that could run a sub 4 min mile)

The amount of physical guidance received (different being successful with guidance, to then having to be successful without it)

Temporal patterning of success and failure (eg two players who have both taken 100 penalties in past and both scored 50 penalties, efficacy should be the same. But if one scored the first 50 and the other scored the second 50, the one who scored the second 50 is rob ably more efficacious as fresher in the memory)

Compliance can be a problem (don’t want to be over confident)

Question 12

Bandura’s theory - summarise vicarious experience

Answer 12

The information derived from observing and comparing yourself with others

Modelling can provide instructional and efficacy information

Should model those with relevant and / or slightly higher ability

Question 13

Bandura’s theory - when is vicarious experience particularly important?

Answer 13

When lacking personal experience in the task

When perceived similarities to the model

Question 14

Bandura’s theory - summarise verbal persuasion

Answer 14

Persuasive techniques used by self or others to manipulate behaviour:
Self talk
Evocative feedback
Others expectations

Question 15

Bandura’s theory - what are mediating factors in verbal persuasion?

Answer 15

Prestige 
Credibility 
Expertise 
Trustworthiness 
(Of the persuader)

Question 16

Bandura’s theory - summarise physiological states

Answer 16

Appraisal of ones physiological state or condition
Includes strength, pain, fitness, fatigue
Can enhance or compromise efficacy
Perceptions of physical adeptness and physical fitness are especially important

Question 17

Bandura’s theory - summarise emotional states

Answer 17

Appraisal of one’s emotional experiences and cognitive processes

Can be a positive evaluation that enhances efficacy or a negative one that compromises it

Question 18

Bandura’s theory - what is emotional states mediated by?

Answer 18

Selective recall of past success and failures

Question 19

Bandura’s theory - summarise imaginable experiences

Answer 19

Imagining ones self or others being successful

Mediated by ones efficacy in imagery ability

Question 20

What are some sport specific sources of efficacy?

Answer 20

Mastery 
Demonstration of ability 
Physical and mental preparation 
Self awareness
Trust

Question 21

Consequences of efficacy beliefs - cognitions

Answer 21

Choice (eg higher confidence more likely to choose to take penalty)

Attributions

Question 22

Consequences of efficacy beliefs - affect

Answer 22

Emotions
Mood

(Both generally better more positive if higher in confidence)

Question 23

Consequences of efficacy beliefs - behaviour

Answer 23

Effort (more likely to put in less effort if don’t expect to do well to protect self esteem)

Performance (generally improves if efficacy higher)

Question 24

What is Vealey’s revised model of sport confidence?

Answer 24

General conceptualisation of self confidence to predict behaviour across a wide range of sport situations

Focuses on it more globally than Bandura

Question 25

What are the four components of Vealey’s model?

Answer 25

Self confidence (trait to state continuum)

Organisational culture (do team mates make you feel good as opposed to dragging you down)

Athlete characteristics (personality)

Sources of self confidence

Question 26

What does Vealey’s model predict?

Answer 26

The organisational culture and athlete characteristics influence sources of sport confidence
Which in turn predict sport confidence levels
Which in turn predict athletes affect, behaviour and cognitions

Question 27

Athletes need to combat self doubt with strategies to enhance confidence. How can this be achieved?

Answer 27

Focus on recent performance accomplishments
Draw on own and others experiences
Manage self talk
Interpreted readiness to perform in a positive way

Question 28

Developing self confidence - what does it mean to focus on recent performance accomplishments?

Answer 28

Focus on recent accomplishments

Do you have medium and short term goals to boost your self confidence

Replay in your mind recent accomplishments

Question 29

Developing self confidence - what does it mean to draw on own and others experiences?

Answer 29

Identify the characteristics of anticipated pressure environments before you encounter them

Think about how role models and team mates have responded to similar situations

Try to simulate situations before you encounter them

Question 30

Developing self confidence - what does it mean to manage self talk?

Answer 30

Often so automatic that you don’t notice it or its effects

Negative - the worrier, the critic, the victim

Ways to encounter and use positive self talk - avoid negatives, use present tense, use personally credible sentiments

Question 31

What is meant by positive interpretation of readiness to perform?

Answer 31

The best performers interpret their pre performance mental and physical response as being facilitating to performance

Physical response = mobilisation
Mental response = importance and effort
Overall = I’m ready

Question 32

What is self handicapping?

Answer 32

Carefully orchestrated sabotage of the subconscious mind

‘Deschapelles coup’

Don’t prepare excuses for failure

Question 33

What is meant by positive illusions?

Answer 33

Performers having unrealistically favourable attitudes or beliefs that people have towards themselves or to people that are close to them

Question 34

What is the placebo effect?

Answer 34

A beneficial effect produced by a placebo which cannot be attributed to the properties of the placebo itself and must therefore be due to the performers belief in that placebo

E.g. pre performance rituals

Question 35

What is religiosity?

Answer 35

A belief or faith despite lack of empirical evidence

Question 36

What is meant by the term doublethink?

Answer 36

The acceptance of contrary opinions / beliefs at the same time

Performers can have setting self beliefs in their ability whilst being uncertain if they will achieve their goals