8. Sport Psychology

Sport Psychology

The study of how psychological factors affect performance in sports and exercise.

Ideal Performance State

A mental state characterized by the absence of fear, no thinking about performance, narrow focus, effortlessness, personal control, and distorted time perception.

Arousal

A blend of physiological and psychological activation in an individual; refers to the intensity of motivation at any given moment.

Anxiety

A negatively perceived emotional state that is a subcategory of arousal, involving cognitive and somatic components.

State Anxiety

The actual experience of apprehension and uncontrolled arousal in response to a situation.

Trait Anxiety

A personality characteristic representing a latent disposition to perceive situations as threatening.

Stress

A substantial imbalance between demands and response capabilities under conditions where failure has important consequences; can be positive (eustress) or negative (distress).

Drive Theory

A theory that states as an individual's arousal or state anxiety increases, so does performance.

Inverted-U Theory

Suggests that performance improves with increased arousal up to an optimal point, beyond which further arousal impairs performance.

Catastrophe Theory

Proposes that increases in physiological arousal combined with cognitive anxiety can lead to a sudden drop in performance.

Intrinsic Motivation

The desire to be competent and self-determining, driven by internal satisfaction.

Extrinsic Motivation

Motivation derived from external sources, such as rewards or social approval.

Goal Setting

The process of establishing objectives that guide an athlete's performance and training.

Relaxation Techniques

Methods such as diaphragmatic breathing and progressive muscular relaxation to control arousal and anxiety.

Self-efficacy

A situationally specific form of self-confidence concerning an individual's ability to perform a specific task.

Feedback

Information provided to an athlete regarding their performance, which can be intrinsic or augmented.

Selective Attention

The ability to inhibit awareness of some stimuli in order to process others effectively.

Cue Utilization

The effect of arousal levels on an athlete's ability to recognize task-relevant versus task-irrelevant cues.

Imagery

A cognitive psychological skill where athletes create a mental experience of an athletic performance using all senses.

Positive Reinforcement

Increasing the probability of a behavior by following it with a rewarding stimulus.

Negative Reinforcement

Increasing the probability of a behavior by removing an aversive stimulus.

Progressive-Muscular Relaxation (PMR)

A technique where alternate muscle tensing and relaxing phases are used to become aware of somatic tension.