2.2 Sports Psychology

Type A Personality Characteristics

Very competitive, strong desire to succeed, works fast, likes to be in control and prone to suffering from stress.

1 of 81

Type B Personality Characteristics

Non-competitive, unambitious, works more slowly, doesn't enjoy being in control, less prone to stress.

2 of 81

Stable Personality Trait

Someone who does not swing from one emotion to another, usually has constant emotional behaviour

3 of 81

Unstable (Neurotic) Personality Trait

Someone who is highly anxious and has unpredictable emotions

4 of 81

Extroversion

A person who seeks social situations and likes excitement but lacks concentration

5 of 81

Introversion

A person who does not seek social situations but likes peace and quiet and is good at concentrating

6 of 81

Personality

Patterns of thought and feelings and the ways in which we interact with others that make us unique

7 of 81

Anxiety

Negative emotional state which is closely associated with arousal.

8 of 81

Trait Theories of Personality

Traits are innate and thought to be stable. Highly consistent. Do not believe environment has any effect on personality. Behaviour is said to be consistent, attempts to predict behaviour.

9 of 81

Social Learning and Personality

Suggests rather than being born we learn our characteristics from other people, especially those we hold in high esteem. Behaviour changes depending on the environment and personality is learned by observing, modelling and imitating.

10 of 81

Interactionist Approach

This approach recognises trait theory and social learning theory both have a role in determining personality. Offers a realistic explanation of personality explaining how different behaviours are produced for different situations. Suggests we base behavio

11 of 81

Attitude

Predisposition to act in a particular way towards something or someone in a person's environment.

12 of 81

Factors affecting formation of attitude: Positive

Belief in benefits of exercise
Enjoyable experiences in sport
Being good at sport
Being excited by the challenge of sport
Using sport as a stress release
The influence of others

13 of 81

Factors affecting formation of attitude: Negative

Not believing in benefits of exercise
Bad past experiences
Lack of ability
Fear of taking part
Suffering stress when taking part
Influence of others where participation is not the norm

14 of 81

Components of attitude

According to the triadic model attitudes have three elements: Cognitive element - What we know and believe (Beliefs). Affective component - How we feel about the object (Emotions). Behavioural component - How we behave toward or intent to respond to the o

15 of 81

Motivation

Internal mechanisms and external stimuli which arouse and direct our behaviour

16 of 81

Types of motivation

Intrinsic - Drive from within (i.e feelings of fun, enjoyment and satisfaction).
Extrinsic - Motivation from an outside source, valuable motivator for the beginner but will eventually undermine intrinsic motivation

17 of 81

Arousal

Energised state or readiness for action that motivates us to behave in a particular way

18 of 81

Drive Theory

Linear relationship between performance and arousal. Quality of performance depends on how well skill has been learned. Dominant response most likely to emerge when arousal level increases. Behaviour = Habit*Drive

19 of 81

Inverted U theory

States arousal improves performance up to an optimal point. Past this performance begins to decline.

20 of 81

Catastrophe Theory

Like Inverted U, states as arousal increases quality of performance, if the arousal goes over the edge performance drops, instead of a drop being a smooth curve it plummets vertically. After this performance can increase but not to optimum level.

21 of 81

Somatic anxiety

Anxiety experienced physiologically, i.e sweating, muscle tension, nausea, loss of appetite, increased BP, adrenaline boost

22 of 81

Cognitive anxiety

Anxiety experiences by the mind, i.e indecision, confusion, negative thoughts, loss of concentration or confidence, irritability

23 of 81

Zone of Optimal Functioning

Important state of well-being. Emotional response facilitating best performance. Performers in this zone are: relaxed, confident, completely focused, find activity is effortless, have fun and are in control.

24 of 81

Aggression

Intent to harm or injure outside the rules of the game

25 of 81

Assertion

Forceful behaviour within the laws of an event

26 of 81

Instinct theory of aggression

Views aggression as being a natural response, innate and instinctive. Animalistic. Humans developed aggression as survival instinct

27 of 81

Frustration-Aggression hypothesis

Frustration will always lead to aggression. Any blocking of goals increases an individual's drive, thus increasing aggression and frustration. If success follows then aggression leads to catharsis

28 of 81

Social learning theory

Aggression is learned by observation. Imitation of this behaviour is reinforced by social acceptance.

29 of 81

Aggressive cue hypothesis

For aggression to occur certain stimuli must be present. These stimuli are cues for the performer which are subconsciously linked to aggression. Frustration causes anger and arousal and this creates a readiness for aggression.

30 of 81

Social facilitation

Positive influence on performance of others who may be watching or competing

31 of 81

Social inhibition

Negative influence on sports performance of others who may be watching or competing

32 of 81

Evaluation Apprehension

This states that performers can suffer not rather because people are watching but because they are evaluating the performance

33 of 81

Effects of social facilitation and inhibition on performance: Home v Away

Teams more often win at home, potentially due to nature of audience. Some research suggests it can be harder to win at home due to increased pressure

34 of 81

Effects of social facilitation and inhibition on performance: Personality (Extrovert v Introvert)

Type A personality perform worse in front of crowds then type B. Extroverts perform better than introverts in front of a crowd

35 of 81

Effects of social facilitation and inhibition on performance: Levels of experience (Beginners v Experts)

Previous experiences can help alleviate nerves and improve performance. However negative experiences can impact negatively. Elite performers do better due to dominant responses being correct.

36 of 81

Effects of social facilitation and inhibition on performance: Type of skill

Gross skills are helped by high arousal, and therefore an audience. Fine or complex skills are more desirable at lower levels of arousal so a crowd could inhibit performance

37 of 81

Effects of social facilitation and inhibition on performance: Other factors

Proximity of audience, i.e a close crowd can increase arousal and make the performer feel threatened.
Nature of audience - If hostile or noisy a performer may feel more anxious

38 of 81

Strategies to minimise social inhibition

Imagery techniques to 'shut out' audiences
Relaxation techniques
Training with audience present
Preparing to deal with negative reactions
Decreasing importance of an event
Remaining calm and focused

39 of 81

Group or team formation: Forming

High dependence on leader for guidance, group members are getting to know each other, very little agreement on aims, individual goals are unclear, team leader needs to give strong direction

40 of 81

Group or team formation: Storming

Group decisions are difficult, focus is clearer, team members are establishing themselves in the group, cliques form, need for environmental compromise, leader has a more advisory role

41 of 81

Group or team formation: Norming

Much more agreement and consensus of opinion, roles and responsibilities are accepted, decisions are made by group agreement, strong sense of commitment and unity, team members are social and friendly with each other, respect for leader and leadership is

42 of 81

Group or team formation: Performing

More strategies, a clear vision and aim, no interference from leader, focus on achieving goals, team is trusted to get on with job at hand, team is able to work and be personable, team members may ask for assistance from leader with interpersonal and pers

43 of 81

Group

Collection of people who both share similar goals and interact with one another

44 of 81

Team Cohesion - First dimension; Group Integration

How the individuals of the group feel about the group as a whole

45 of 81

Team Cohesion - Second dimension; Individual attraction to the group

How attracted the individuals are to the group

46 of 81

Steiner's model

Actual productivity = Potential productivity - Faulty processes

47 of 81

Different categories of faulty processes

Co-ordination problems: If timing and co-ordination of team members do not match, team strategies that depend on them will suffer
Motivational problems: If individuals are not motivated to the same extent, they will be 'pulling in different directions' an

48 of 81

Ringlemann effect

Occurs when individual performance decreases as group size increases.

49 of 81

Social Loafing

Individuals loosing motivation due to loss of identity when placed in a group. Individual efforts may not be recognised by those spectating

50 of 81

SMART goal setting

Specific - Goals must be clear
Measurable - Goals must be assessed
Achievable - Goals must be realistic to ability
Recorded - Goals must be recorded so progress can be monitored
Timed - Goals should be time phased

51 of 81

Different types of goals

Performance goals - i.e to achieve a certain time as doing 100m in under 10s
Outcome goals - i.e to win a race
Process-orientated - i.e to ensure front crawl arm technique is correct

52 of 81

Attribution

Perceived cause of a particular outcome. Outcome of event - Available information - Casual attribution - Expectancy + Affective response - Decision on subsequent participation

53 of 81

Process of attribution

Outcome of event - Available information - Casual attribution - Expectancy + Affective response - Decision on subsequent participation

54 of 81

Learned Helplessness

Belief failure is inevitable and the individual has no control over factors that cause failure. Low achievers often attribute failure to uncontrollable factors leading to this

55 of 81

Mastery Orientation

The view that an individual will be motivated by becoming an expert in skill development. An athlete who is mastery orientation will attribute failure to internal, controllable and unstable factors

56 of 81

Attribution retraining

Attributions should be encouraged to be controllable, unstable factors. More likely to result in mastery orientation

57 of 81

Sports Confidence

Belief or degree of certainty individuals possess about their ability to be successful in sport

58 of 81

Self-Esteem

Feeling of self-worth that determines how valuable and competent we feel

59 of 81

Self-efficacy

Confidence we have in specific situations

60 of 81

Bandura's theory of self-efficacy

Expectations of self-efficacy depend on four types of information; Performance accomplishments - Reminder of previous successes in related skill or situation. Vicarious experience - Watching others perform the skill in question. Verbal persuasion - Convin

61 of 81

Characteristics of effective leaders

Good communication skills
High motivation
Charisma
Clear goal or vision
Enthusiasm
Good knowledge/ability at the sport
Empathy

62 of 81

Leadership styles - Authoritarian

Task orientated, leader makes all the decisions and is very direct in their approach. Used when discipline is needed, with hostile groups, if the task is dangerous or if it is a novice performer

63 of 81

Leadership styles - Democratic

Person-orientated and takes into account team members ideas. Used when group members want to be involved in decision making, the situation is not dangerous and the task requires communication, with small teams or individuals, advanced performers and femal

64 of 81

Leadership styles - Laissez-faire

Leaders provides little support or input and lets team members do as they wish. Used with high level performers, with developing creativity for team members, when leader can fully trust member capabilities, when group is being assessed or if the leader is

65 of 81

Theories of leadership - Trait Theory

Leaders are born with these leadership qualities, these traits are stable and enduring and can be generalised across different situations.

Evaluation - Popular belief that 'great leaders are born not made'. People in sport tend to be quite specific in t

66 of 81

Theories of leadership - Social Learning Theory

Leadership characteristics can be learned from others. Behaviour of others is watched and copied.

Evaluation - High status models are more likely to be copied. This theory shows the importance of the social environment for adopting leadership qualities,

67 of 81

Theories of leadership - Interactionist Theory

Individual may have certain in-born traits but they are not evident unless a situation demands it.

Evaluation - This theory accounts for the fact people may not be leaders in everyday life but show leadership qualities in sports situations

68 of 81

Stress

Psychological state produced by perceived physiological and psychological forces acting on our sense of well-being

69 of 81

Causes of stress

Competition - Powerful stressor
Conflict - With other players or opposition
Frustration - With your own or team members performance
Climate - Excessively hot or cold

70 of 81

Cognitive stress management techniques - Mental rehearsal

Recalling experiences from memory or creating a mental picture of new experiences. Forming mental image of skill you are about to perform.

Evaluation - For a novice it can increase confidence and arousal levels, research has shown it can increase optimis

71 of 81

Cognitive stress management techniques - Positive self talk

Being positive about past performances, talking to yourself can increase confidence and performance.

Evaluation - Only of value if performers are experienced and of a high standard

72 of 81

Cognitive stress management techniques - Goal setting

Setting SMART goals can break tasks down and reduce anxiety. Can reduce and control stress.

Evaluation - Goals need to be clearly defined and decisions shared. Performers should be aware of outcome , performance and process goals

73 of 81

Cognitive stress management techniques - Negative though stopping

Instructions aimed at halting negativity

Evaluation - Individuals prone to learned helplessness may find stopping negative thought difficult

74 of 81

Cognitive stress management techniques - Rational thinking

Looks at logical and real aspects of a situation

Evaluation - Perception is key as it is the interpretation of the situation that dictates the level of stress the performer experiences

75 of 81

Cognitive stress management techniques - Mindfulness

Often involving meditation, with individual taking into account the present. Concerns environmental awareness and our relationships.

Evaluation - Can lead to peak flow experience of zone of optimal functioning 21

76 of 81

Cognitive stress management techniques - Imagery; External (seeing yourself from outside your body) Internal (seeing yourself from within)

Can improve concentration and develop confidence. Involves formation of mental pictures often unrelated to actual activity

Evaluation - Internal is more effective than external, to be effective you must: Practice in quiet environment, keep exercises shor

77 of 81

Somatic stress management techniques - Centring

Similar to mindfulness, concentration is shifted to centre of body. The mind recognises the body is responding to a stressful event, through centring the athlete will direct energy to the centre of the body to achieve a calm steady state.

Evaluation - Sk

78 of 81

Somatic stress management techniques - Progressive muscular relaxation

Have to be aware of tension in muscles then let it go. Gradually, muscle groups should be combined until the body can be relaxed on one command.

Evaluation - Takes longer than self directed relaxation but is thought to be more effective.

79 of 81

Somatic stress management techniques - Biofeedback

Performers taught to control muscular tension by relaxing specific muscles showing tension on a machine. Performer learns to identify tension without assistance.

Evaluation - Provides objective feedback about muscle activity, skin temp, heart rate and el

80 of 81

Somatic stress management techniques - Breathing control

Slow deep breaths ensure you get enough oxygen and feel more relaxed and in control. Can help take your mind off things.

Evaluation - Can be helpful as part of a routine

81 of 81

Get Revising

2.2 Sports Psychology

Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Back

Card 3

Front

Back

Card 4

Front

Back

Card 5

Front

Back

Comments

Similar Physical Education resources:

Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Back

Card 3

Front

Back

Card 4

Front

Back

Card 5

Front

Back

Comments

Related discussions on The Student Room

Similar Physical Education resources: