Sports Psychology

Cognitive Stage

High errors, high attention, needs instruction.

Associative Stage

Refining movement, fewer errors, more consistent.

Autonomous Stage

Automatic, low attentional demand, high proficiency.

Blocked Practice

Practicing one skill repeatedly before moving to the next.

Random Practice

Mixing skills unpredictably.

Variable Practice

Practicing the same skill in different conditions.

Contextual Interference Effect

Harder practice (random) leads to better retention.

Knowledge of Performance (KP)

Feedback about technique or movement pattern.

Knowledge of Results (KR)

Feedback about the outcome of the movement.

Feedforward

Future-oriented guidance that expands possibilities.

Constrained Action Hypothesis

Conscious control disrupts automatic motor processes.

Explicit Processing Hypothesis

Choking occurs when skilled athletes revert to conscious control.

Central Governor Model

The brain regulates performance to protect the body.

Psychobiological Model

Endurance performance is limited by perception of effort.

Deliberate Practice

Effortful, feedback-rich, goal-directed practice.

10-Year Rule

It takes approximately 10 years or 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to reach expertise.

Open Skills

Performed in unpredictable environments (e.g., soccer dribbling).

Closed Skills

Performed in stable environments (e.g., free throw).

Discrete Skills

Clear start and end (e.g., pitch).

Serial Skills

A sequence of discrete skills (e.g., triple jump).

Continuous Skills

No clear start and end (e.g., cycling).

Law of Effect

Behaviors followed by satisfying consequences are strengthened.

Positive Reinforcement

Adding a reward to increase a behavior.

Negative Reinforcement

Removing an aversive stimulus to increase a behavior.

Punishment

Adding an aversive stimulus to decrease a behavior.

Response Cost

Removing a positive stimulus to decrease a behavior.

Ulysses Contract

A pre-commitment strategy to prevent future self-sabotage.

Outcome Goals

Focus on the desired result.

Performance Goals

Focus on achieving specific performance standards.

Process Goals

Focus on the methods or techniques used to achieve performance.

SMARTS Framework

Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic, Timely, Self-determined.

Self-Efficacy Theory

Confidence in one’s ability to perform a specific task.

Sources of Self-Efficacy

Performance accomplishments, vicarious experiences, verbal persuasion, physiological/emotional states.

Self-Determination Theory

Motivation depends on autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

Harmonious Passion

Flexible, healthy engagement in an activity.

Obsessive Passion

Rigid, guilt-driven engagement with a risk of burnout.

Thanotic Drive

Freud’s concept of a death instinct driving risky behavior.

Growth Mindset

Belief that ability is malleable and can improve with effort.

Fixed Mindset

Belief that ability is innate and unchangeable.

Achievement Goal Theory

Task vs. ego orientation determines how athletes define success.

Mastery Climate

Emphasizes effort, learning, and improvement.

Ego Climate

Emphasizes comparison, winning, and outperforming others.

Cohesion

A group’s tendency to stick together for task or social reasons.

Ringelmann Effect

Individual effort decreases as group size increases.

Social Loafing

Reduced effort when working in groups compared to alone.

Roles and Norms

Expected behaviors and shared standards for behavior.

Tuckman’s Stages of Group Development

Forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning.

Relative Age Effect (RAE)

Older athletes in an age cohort are overrepresented due to maturity advantages.

Developmental Model of Sport Participation (DMSP)

Sampling → specializing → investment years.

Flow

A state of complete absorption where action and awareness merge.

Conditions Creating Flow

Clear goals, immediate feedback, challenge-skill balance.

Paradox of Control

Athletes feel in control despite not consciously controlling actions.

PERMA Model

Positive emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, Accomplishment.

Psychological Safety

Feeling safe to take risks without fear of embarrassment.

Self-Actualization

Realizing one’s full potential.

Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

Alarm → resistance → exhaustion.

Types of Anxiety

State, trait, cognitive, somatic.

Drive Theory

Arousal increases dominant response strength.

Inverted-U Hypothesis

Moderate arousal leads to best performance.

Individual Zones of Optimal Functioning (IZOF)

Each athlete has a unique optimal anxiety zone.

Catastrophe Theory

High cognitive anxiety + high arousal leads to sudden performance collapse.

Cue Utilization Theory

High arousal leads to attentional narrowing.

Matching Hypothesis

Match anxiety type to relaxation strategy.

Somatic Relaxation Methods

Breathing techniques, progressive muscle relaxation (PMR).

Cognitive Relaxation Methods

Meditation, autogenic training.

Imagery

Using all senses to create or recreate experiences in the mind.

Imagery Perspectives

Internal (first-person) and external (third-person).

Ironic Effects Phenomenon

Trying not to think about something makes it more likely to occur.

Associative Attention

Monitoring bodily sensations.

Dissociative Attention

Distraction from bodily sensations.

Inattentional Blindness

Missing obvious cues due to focused attention elsewhere.

Cocktail Party Phenomenon

Ability to detect personally relevant stimuli in noisy environments.

Self-Talk

Internal dialogue that influences thoughts, emotions, and performance.

Types of Self-Talk

Motivational, instructional, positive, negative.

Stress-Injury Model

Stress leads to attentional disruption and muscle tension, increasing injury risk.

Types of Pain

Acute, chronic, benign, harmful, performance, injury.

Athletic Identity

Degree to which an athlete identifies with the athlete role.

Cognitive Appraisal Model

Injury response depends on how the athlete interprets the injury.

Phases of Rehabilitation

Injury/illness, rehabilitation & recovery, return to sport.

Secondary Gain

Unconscious prolonging of injury due to benefits.

Malingering

Conscious exaggeration of injury for external gain.

Dissociation Pain Strategy

Distraction from pain.

Association Pain Strategy

Focusing on sensations and acceptance.

Pygmalion Effect

Others’ high expectations lead to improved performance.

Galatea Effect

Self-expectations lead to improved performance.

Golem Effect

Low expectations lead to poor performance.

Expectation-Performance Process

Coach expectations influence athlete behavior and performance.

Nature vs. Nurture

Debate over genetic vs. environmental influences on behavior.