psych exam 4 (Ch.16, 17, and 20)

attention

the concentration of mental effort on sensory or mental events

concentration

the mental effort placed on sensory or mental events (person’s ability to exert deliberate mental effort on what is most important in a given situation)

external broad

used to rapidly assess a situation (football quarterback assess the positioning of the defensive backs)

external narrow

used to focus exclusively on one or two external cues (the ball)

internal broad

used to analyze and plan (developing a game plan or strategy)

internal narrow

used to mentally rehearse an upcoming performance or control an emotional state (mentally rehearsing golf putting or taking a breath to relax)

four components of concentration

• focusing on relevant environment cues

• maintaining attentional focus

• situation awareness

• shifting attentional focus when necessary

selective attention

selecting what cue to attend to and disregard

situation awareness

the ability to understand what is going on around oneself (to size up a situation)

external focus of attention is beneficial for what kind of tasks?

focus on balance, accuracy, speed and endurance, maximum force production

external focus results in increase in

performance outcomes, movement efficiency and movement kinematics

associative attentional strategy

monitoring bodily functions and feelings such as heart rate, breathing, and muscle tension

• internal sensory monitoring (muscle soreness, breathing, fatigue, thirst)

• active self-regulation (technique, cadence, strategy)

dissociative attentional strategy

not monitoring bodily functions; distraction and turning out

associative strategies are generally correlated with

faster running performances

dissociation does not increase the probability of injury but it can

decrease fatigue and monotony

dissociation should be used by people who want to

increase adherence to exercise

maintaining focus can be difficult because on average, people engage in about

4,000 distinct thoughts in a 16-hour day

situational awareness

the ability that allows players to size up game situations, opponents, and competitions to make appropriate decisions based on the situation, often under acute pressure and time demands

expert novice differences in attentional processing

• experts attend more to advance information (faster decisions and anticipate actions)

• experts attend more to movement patterns

• experts search more systematically for cues

• experts selectively attend to the structure of sport

• experts predicting flight patterns

attentional flexibility

the ability to alter the scope and focus of attention as demanded by the situation

information-processing based theories

single-channel theory, variable-allocation theory, multiple-resource pool

single-channel theory

information is processed through a single and fixed capacity channel

variable allocation theory

individuals are flexible and can choose where to focus their attention, allocating it on more than one task at a time

multiple resource pool

attention is distributed throughout the nervous system, and each microprocessor has its own unique capabilities and resource-performance relationship (most accepted view today)

explaining attentional focus: three processes

attentional selectivity, attentional capacity, attentional alertness

attentional selectivity

letting some information into the processing system while other information is screened or ignored, akin to using a searchlight to focus on certain things

common attentional selectivity errors

• being too broad in one’s focus

• being distracted from relevant information by irrelevant information

• inability to shift focus rapidly enough among all relevant cues

attention is limited in the

amount of information that can be processed at one time

controlled processing

mental processing that involves conscious attention and awareness of what you are doing when you perform a sport skill

automatic processing

mental processing without conscious attention

elite athlete peak performance is associated with

• being absorbed in the present and having no thoughts about past or future

• being mentally relaxed and having a high degree of concentration and control

• being in a state of extraordinary awareness of both the body and external environment

automatic processing is _______ than controlled processing

less restrictive

attentional capacity is compromised (ego depleted) by having to perform

the cognitive secondary task before the primary task, demonstrating our limited processing capacity

increasing in emotional arousal _____ the attentional field

narrow

athletes need to focus on

relevant cues in the environment and eliminate distractions

types of attentional focus

broad attentional focus, narrow attentional focus, external attentional focus, internal attentional focus

recognizing attentional problems: internal distracters

• attending to past events

• attending to future events

• choking under pressure

• overanalysis of body mechanics

• fatigue

• inadequate motivation

choking

an attentional process that leads to impaired performance and the inability to retain control over performance without outside assistance

choking is characterized by performers’ exhibiting

conscious step-by-step execution of skills and a breakdown of automated movement patterns

conscious processing hypothesis

choking occurs when skilled performers focus too much of their conscious attention to the task, much as they would do if they were novice at the task

once a skill is learned well,

an overemphasis on body mechanics is detrimental to performance

interventions to help alleviate choking under pressure

• imagery builds athlete confidence

• preshot routines keep athletes task focused and relaxed

• secondary task focus helps athletes focus on one task relevant cue

• exposure to stressful situations allows athletes to feel more comfortable

process approach to managing pressure and choking

• before com: MAPP it (mental and physical preparation)

• during: ACT (accept, center, trust)

• After comp: GIRD Yourself (growth mindset, identify, resolve, defuse)

mindfulness

the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment and nonjudgementally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment

mindfulness differs from relaxation responses because mindfulness is

consciously attend to specific thoughts and feelings that arise awareness and observe them nonjudgmentally which meditation focuses on clearing the mind

recognizing attentional problems: external distractors

• stimuli from the environment that divert people’s attention from cues relevant to their performance

• visual distractors (spectator)

• auditory distracters (plane flying over)

self talk is any statement or thought about self

• appropriate self-talk helps one focus on the present and keeps one’s mind from wandering

• type positive (motivational)

• instructional

• negative

• spontaneous

• goal directed

components of self-talk

categories of positive self talk, categories of negative self talk, neutral self talk category

categories of positive self talk

psych up, confidence, instruction, anxiety control

categories of negative self-talk

worry, disengagement, somatic fatigue

neutral self-talk category

irrelevant thoughts

how self talk works

event, self talk, response

ironic processing occurs during negative self talk

trying not to perform a negative actions inadvertently causes that event to occur

uses of self talk

motivational, initiating action, sustaining effort, instructional, skill acquisition, breaking bad habits

techniques for improving self-talk

• thought stopping

  • identify negative thought —> stop thoughts —> focus on task relevant thoughts

• changing negative self-talk to positive self talk

• combining self talk with self feedback

six rules for creating effective self talk

• keep phrases short and specific

• use the first person and present tense

• construct positive phrases

• say your phrases with meaning and attention

• speak kindly to yourself

• repeat phrases often

the 5 Ps of self talk

personalized, practiced, purpose, positive phrasing, position

personalized component of self talk

the person should individually shape the content of self talk so it has special meaning

practiced component of self talk

self talk should be practiced before implementing it in competitive situations - gaining familiarity with and clarity on how and when to use self talk is importantt for its effectiveness

purpose component of self talk

knowing what needs to be accomplished will facilitate superior interventions and help determine the nature of the statements employed based on the nature of the task

positive phrasing of self talk

self talk should be positive, telling the individual what to do or providing motivation to continue or both, especially in adverse situations

position of self talk

tailor the self talk to the person’s current situation (find our what they believe in)

Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT)

proses that it is individuals’ beliefs about adversity that determine whether their emotional and behavioral reactions are adaptive or maladaptive

irrational beliefs lead to

dysfunctional emotions (anxiety, depression)

test of attention and interpersonal style (TAIS)

general trait measure sport specific measures, effective attenders can attend to several stimuli without getting overloaded and can narrow attentional focus without leaving out important information

psychophysiological and neurological measured include

• EEG (brain activity) elite shooters can voluntarily reduce cognitive activity and enhance performance

• neurological heart rate measures

  • elite shooters have cardiac decelerations just before performance

during peak performance states athletes minds are so focused that there is

no difference between what they are thinking and what they are doing

improving concentration: on site techniques

• use simulations in practice

• use cue words to focus

• employ nonjudgmental thinking

• establish routines

• develop competition plans

• overlearn skills

five step approach to developing preperformance routines

• recording performance on video (both competition and practice)

• clarifying behavior meaning

• developing focus and function for each behavioral component

• routine construction and agreement

• practice

exercise for improving concentration

• learning to shift attention

• learning to maintain focus

• searching for relevant cues

subjective goals

general statements of intent such as having fun or doing you best

objective goals

(scientific definition) attaining a specific standard of proficiency on a task, usually in a specified time

outcome goals

focusing on a competitive result of an event (beating someone)

performance goals

focusing on achieving standard performance or objectives independently of other competitors- usually making comparisons with one’s own previous performance

process goals

focusing on the actions an individual must engage in during performance to execute or perform well

what is the key to outcome, performance, and process goals all play roles in behavior change

know where to focus each goal

don’t focus all your attention on

outcome goals

what kinds of a goals should you use

all three types of goals

outcome goals can facilitate short term motivation but

often lead to anxiety before and during competition

what kinds of goals are more precise than outcome goals and less dependent on behavior of others

performance and process goals

when are performance and process goals are particularly useful

before or during competition (on rare occasions)

when you focus too mush on a specific performance goals, it can

create anxiety

what kinds of goals are not the focus of sport and exercise psychology research, but are useful

subjective goals

what kind of attention has been paid to subjective goals in literature on personal productivity and applied business management

considerable attention

how should you identify and clarify personal values and priorities via subjective goals

link subjective goals to specific objective goals

effectiveness of goal setting

• research in business and general psychology was shown that goal setting works extremely well in enhancing performance

• has been demonstrated in 20 countries in studies with more than 40,000 participants using over 90 task

what kind of statistical review show that goal setting works to enhance performance and physical activity behavior

meta analysis

top three goals for athletes

improving performance, winning, enjoyment

athlete prefer what types of goals

moderately difficult, difficult, very difficult

major goal barriers for college athletes

lack of time, stress, fatigue, academic pressure, social relationships

major goal barriers for olympians

lack of confidence, lack of goal feedback, too many goals or conflicting goals, lack of time, work commitments, and family and personal relationships

______ set goals more often and find them more effective than ____ do

women, men

athletes do not systematically

write down goals

athletes set goals to

provide direction and help them stay focused

who does coaches set goals for

competition, practice (individual and team), personal coaching related goals

the main reason for setting goals was to provide

purpose and direction, followed by player improvement, fostering team cohesion (team goals)

goal barriers were seen as

physical (injury), psychological (lack of confidence), and external (parental over-involvement)

the most important aspect of goal commitment was

personal enjoyment

the only disadvantage to goal setting was seen when

goals were set too high and produced consistent failure

coaches set both short and long term goals but focused more on

short term goals that provided feedback on progression toward meeting the long term goals