Sports Psychology Study Guide 1

What is Psychological Skills Training (PST)?

Systematic and consistent practice of psychological skills to improve sport performance and personal development.

Why is PST important?

Helps athletes manage mental demands, concentration, confidence, arousal, and motivation.

Effects of PST on performance

Improves concentration, confidence, motivation, emotional control, coping with pressure, and consistency.

Common psychological skills used in PST

Goal setting, imagery, self-talk, relaxation, concentration, confidence, motivation, stress management.

Why do people neglect PST?

Lack of time, lack of knowledge, believing skills are innate, expecting immediate results, prioritizing physical training.

Common myths about PST

Only for psychological problems, should come naturally, produces immediate results, only useful when struggling, replaces physical practice.

Three phases of a PST program

Education, acquisition, and practice.

Ultimate goal of PST

Self-regulation of thoughts, emotions, attention, and behaviors.

Who should conduct PST?

Qualified coaches for basic skills; sport psychology consultants for advanced training.

Steps for designing and implementing a PST program

Systematic approach, assess needs, determine objectives, design schedule, evaluate program.

Common problems when implementing PST

Lack of commitment, insufficient time, unrealistic expectations, inconsistent practice, poor communication.

What is arousal regulation?

Controlling activation levels so an athlete reaches a state appropriate for performance.

Techniques to reduce somatic anxiety

Diaphragmatic/deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, biofeedback.

What is diaphragmatic breathing?

Slow, deep breaths using the diaphragm to decrease physical tension and arousal.

What is Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)?

Systematically tensing and relaxing muscle groups to recognize and reduce tension.

What is biofeedback?

Information about physiological processes like heart rate to learn voluntary control.

Techniques to reduce cognitive anxiety

Relaxation response, autogenic training, cognitive restructuring.

What is the relaxation response?

Physiological state of decreased arousal produced deliberately through relaxation techniques.

What is autogenic training?

Self-statements creating sensations of heaviness, warmth, and calmness.

What is cognitive restructuring?

Replacing irrational, negative thoughts with realistic, productive thinking.

Multimodal anxiety-reduction techniques

Stress management training, stress inoculation training, hypnosis.

What is stress management training?

Combining techniques to help athletes identify stressors and manage responses.

What is stress inoculation training?

Preparing athletes for stress by teaching coping skills and gradual exposure.

What is hypnosis?

Focused attention and increased suggestibility to promote relaxation or modify thoughts.

What is the matching hypothesis?

Effectiveness depends on matching the anxiety-regulation technique to the athlete's specific anxiety type.

Signs of underarousal

Low energy, sluggishness, lack of motivation, boredom, slow reactions, difficulty concentrating.

Arousal-inducing techniques

Energizing self-talk, motivational imagery, upbeat music, increased physical activity.

What is imagery?

Using senses to create or recreate experiences in the mind without physical action.

Senses used during imagery

Sight, sound, touch/kinesthetic, smell, and taste.

When do athletes use imagery?

Before, during, and after competition, in practice, during injury recovery, and outside sport.

What do athletes image?

Skills, strategies, competition situations, opponents, successful outcomes, and emotions.

Two major perspectives of imagery

Internal imagery (own perspective) and external imagery (observer perspective).

Psychoneuromuscular theory of imagery

Imagery produces small neuromuscular activity preparing the nervous system for physical skill.

Symbolic learning theory

Imagery helps athletes understand and organize movement patterns and action sequences.

Psychological skills hypothesis

Imagery develops and strengthens psychological skills like confidence, attention, and motivation.

Triple code model

Explains imagery through the image, somatic response, and meaning attached to the image.

Common uses of imagery

Improving skills, preparing for competition, building confidence, controlling anxiety, recovering from injury.

Keys to effective imagery

Vivid, controllable, realistic, specific, positive, and practiced consistently.

How to develop an imagery program

Identify purpose, select images, develop realistic scenarios, incorporate multiple senses, practice regularly.

What is self-efficacy?

An individual's belief in their ability to successfully perform a specific task.

Difference between self-efficacy and self-confidence

Self-efficacy is task-specific; self-confidence is a broader belief in ability.

What is collective efficacy?

A group's shared belief in its ability to perform a task or achieve a goal.

Benefits of confidence

Improves effort, persistence, concentration, emotional control, and performance under pressure.

Relationship between confidence and performance

Generally positive relationship, but excessive confidence can negatively affect preparation.

Major sources of sport self-confidence

Mastery experiences, modeling, verbal persuasion, physical states, imagery, social support.

What is a mastery experience?

Confidence gained from successfully performing a task or overcoming a challenge.

Why are past accomplishments important?

They provide evidence that the athlete is capable of succeeding again.

What is verbal persuasion?

Using encouragement and feedback to strengthen an athlete's belief in their ability.

How athletes build self-confidence

Realistic goals, positive self-talk, imagery, thorough preparation, positive feedback, modeling.

Strategies for building self-confidence

Realistic goals, positive self-talk, imagery, focus on past successes, control arousal, performance accomplishments.

What is a goal?

An objective or desired result that an individual or group works toward achieving.

What are the '4 W's' of goal setting?

Identifying What, When, Where, and Who to make goals specific.

What is a subjective goal?

A goal based on personal judgment or quality that is hard to measure objectively.

What is an objective goal?

A goal measurable by specific times, scores, statistics, or results.

What is an outcome goal?

A goal focused on the final result of a competition, like winning.

What is a performance goal?

A goal focused on achieving a specific performance level independent of others.

What is a process goal?

A goal focused on specific actions or techniques required for successful execution.

Strength of outcome goals

Provide a clear, motivating target for what one ultimately wants to accomplish.

Weakness of outcome goals

Outcome depends on other people and factors outside the athlete's control.

Strength of performance goals

Focus on measurable standards more directly under the athlete's control.

Weakness of performance goals

Standards may still be affected by circumstances outside the athlete's control.

Strength of process goals

Focus directly on controllable actions and help maintain concentration.

Weakness of process goals

Too much focus can distract an athlete from the larger performance objective.

Where can goals be used?

Sport, physical training, academics, personal development, and relationships.

Why does goal setting work?

Directs attention, increases effort and persistence, encourages strategies, provides evaluation standards.

Principles for effective goal setting

Specific, measurable, challenging, time-oriented, written, controllable, and evaluated regularly.

Why should goals be challenging but realistic?

Require effort and encourage improvement without causing discouragement.

Why should goals be specific?

Clearly communicate what is being accomplished and make progress easier to evaluate.

Group goal-setting principles

Specific, measurable, accepted, challenging, monitored, and connected to individual/team objectives.

Common problems with goal setting

Unrealistic or vague goals, too many goals, focusing only on outcomes, failing to monitor.