Children and Sport Psychology

Flashcards covering the psychology of youth sports, including participation motives, dropout rates, coaching strategies, and the impact of peer and parental relationships.

According to the lecture, approximately how many children are involved in youth sports in the United States?

An estimated $44$ million children.

At what age does sport participation typically peak for children?

Around age $12$, specifically between the ages of $10$ and $13$ years.

What is the youth sports systems model developed by Dorsch and colleagues (2021)?

A model that views youth sports as a dynamic arrangement of factors that interact in reciprocating ways to influence sport experiences and outcomes for all parties involved.

What is identified as the #1 reason why children participate in youth sports?

Fun.

According to participation statistics, how many children out of every 10 who begin a sport season will quit before the next season?

$3$ or $4$ children.

What is the major reason cited by children for withdrawing or discontinuing sport participation?

They have other things to do.

What is the difference between a sport-specific dropout and a sport-general dropout?

Sport-specific dropouts withdraw from a particular program but enter other sports, while sport-general dropouts withdraw from all sport participation entirely.

What are the five action steps recommended by the U.S. National Youth Sport Strategy?

1. Promote physical literacy; 2. Encourage sport sampling; 3. Recruit coaches reflecting community demographics; 4. Promote benefits and maximize opportunities; 5. Offer developmentally appropriate, safe, inclusive, and accessible programs.

How does perceived motor competence relate to peer acceptance in youth sports?

Both perceived and actual motor competence are related to peer acceptance, particularly for boys.

What percentage of young athletes are estimated to be under excessive stress?

Less than $10\%$, though state anxiety affects approximately $2.5$ million children in specific situations.

In terms of situational sources of stress, how do individual sports compare to team sports for children?

Children in individual sports experience more state anxiety than children in team sports.

According to research by Smith, Smoll, and Curtis (1979), how does a positive approach to coaching affect dropout rates?

Trained coaches saw a dropout rate of only $5\%$ compared to $26\%$ for untrained coaches.

What are the four components of transformational leader behaviors in coaching?

Idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual simulation, and individualization.

What is the 'sandwich' approach in effective coaching?

A method used to correct errors by placing the correction between two positive statements.

What characterizes the 'professionalization' of children’s sports?

A shift from physical, social, and psychological development toward extrinsic goals such as winning, rankings, fame, and college scholarships.

What is 'Myth 5' regarding the professionalization of children's sports?

Early single-sport specialization is essential.