Sport Psychology chapter 17: concentration and self talk

What is concentration?

• ability to focus on what is most important in a given situation

• mental effort on sensory or mental events

If someone has poor concentration, do they have the ability to focus?

• no

What are the four components to concentration?

• focus on relevant cues (selective attention)

• maintain focus

• situational awareness

• shift focus when needed

What are the attentional strategies? 

• associative 

• dissociative 

Associative

• monitor body (HR, breathing, etc.)

• better at regulating and identifying task relevant cues

Dissociative

• not monitoring bodily functions

• distraction and tuning out

Are high level athletes capable of switching between associative and dissociative states?

• yes

Characteristics of associative state

• focus on task-relevant cues 

• enhance performance in skilled athletes (precision and feedback matter) 

• increase awareness of body and environment 

• supports flow and fine motor control 

• help with pacing, movement, technical execution 

characteristics of dissociative state?

• focus on anything other than the task

• distraction: music, scenery, daydreaming, external thoughts

• reduce awareness and bodily sensations

• enhances exercise adherence - reduces perceived exertion

When should dissociation be used in performance?

• use before performance to set the stage for flow

- reduce anxiety

- quiet internal chatter

- narrow attentional field

- promote present moment orientation

Why does dissociation during performance reduce the change of getting into flow?

Flow requires

• high task absorption

• situational awareness

• sensitivity to feedback

• fine-tuned perception and action

What allows for peak performance in elite athletes? 

• absorbed in present 

• mentally relaxed and focused

• awareness of body and surroundings

How do experts differ from novices when it comes to attentional processing?

• experts make faster decisions and better anticipate future events

Why do experts make quicker decisions and better assumptions of future events?

• attend more to movement patterns

• search more systematically for cues

• selectively attend to the structure inherent in sports

• are more skillful in predicting ball flight patterns

What are the theories of attention?

• Multiple pools theory

• Attentional Selectivity

Multiple pools theory 

• attention consist of multiple processing systems with distinct resources that can be allocated (moved over) flexibly 

• subconscious process 

Attentional Selectivity

• choosing the most relevant cues while filtering out the irrelevant

Characteristic of multiple pools theory 

• attention distributed across multiple processors in the nervous system 

• each processing pool has its own resources and limits 

• allocate attention flexibly across task depending on demands 

• emphasizes capacity distribution 

Characteristic of attentional selectivity

• performance depends on choosing right cues and ignoring irrelevant ones

• error occur when attention is too broad, narrow, or directed at wrong cues

• skill learning relies on improving cue detection, shifting focus, and filtering more efficiently

• emphasizes focus accuracy and cue selection

Which theory is more supported?

• multiple pools

• allows for subconscious processing

What are the old thoughts (theories) of attention?

• single channel theory

• variable allocation theory

single channel theory

• information is processed through a single and fixed capacity channel

• conscious attention

Variable allocation theory 

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

is attentional capacity centralized in the multiple pools theory?

• no

• it is distributed throughout nervous system

• body constantly processing even when not putting your attention on something

what is automaticity?

• athletes so good they don’t have to think about what they do

• results from extensive practice

• multiple pools

What are common attentional selectivity errors?

• being too broad in one’s focus

• being distracted from relevant information by irrelevant information

• inability to shift focus rapidly

What happens to focusing/attention as we learn a skill?

• conscious to unconscious

• better you get, less you think about it

What is controlled and automatic processing? 

• Controlled: conscious attention and awareness (what new learners experience) 

• Automatic: without conscious attention 

- skills become automatic with practice 

- as athletes become more proficient, they can shift to more automatic processing 

what is attentional alertness?

• response to increased arousal

How does attentional alertness affect attention?

• narrows attentional field causing a loss in sensitivity to peripheral cues

What is inattentional blindness?

• athlete fails to notice unexpected, but potentially important visual information because their attention is focused elsewhere

Broad vs. Narrow focus

• Broad: see several cues simultaneously: QB scanning field 

• Narrow: only one or two cues: Free throw focus on rim 

Internal vs. external focus

• Internal: inward thoughts and feelings: vs. learning a new skill

• external: outward attention: skill is well learned and automatic

What causes problems for internal focus?

• past/future events

• overanalyzes

• fatigue

• lack of motivation

What causes problems for external attention?

• distraction (trash talk)

• gamesmanship

• visual (scoreboard) 

• auditory 

Are fatigue and inadequate motivation internal distractors? 

• yes 

• concentration lost due to fatigue and reduces amount of processing resources 

• irrelevant thoughts, lack of focus

Is choking under pressure an attentional problem?

• yes

• as pressure increase, athletes puts increased focus on body control which thye typically don’t overthink

Why does choking under pressure become attention problem?

• loss of control, focus on body mechanics

• over analysis

• breaking down automated movements

• interventions: routines, imagery, process goals

What conditions lead to choking?

• important competition

• critical plays in a competition

• evaluation by coaches, peer, parents

Physical changes (high pressure situation) 

• increased muscle tension 

• increased breathing rate and HR

Attentional changes

• internal focus

• narrow focus

• reduced flexibility

Performance impairment

• timing and coordination

• muscle tightness and fatigue

• rushing

• inability to attend to task relevant cues

What is the conscious processing hypothesis?

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

Based on the conscious processing hypothesis, what happens to performance? 

• performance decreases only with increased focus on several task relevant cues 

What are the types of self talk?

• positive

• negative

• instructional

• used for motivation, action, effort, skill learning

What are categories of positive self-talk?

• psych up (power)

• confidence (I can make it)

• instruction (focus on technique)

• Anxiety control (calm down)

Categories of negative self-talk

• worry

• disengagement

• somatic fatigue

what is ironic processing? 

• trying not to perform a negative action inadvertently causes that event to occur

Why is self-talk used?

• motivation: initiating action, sustaining effort, instructional, skill acquisition, break bad habits

What are the 6 rules for effective self-talk?

• short and specific

• use present tense, 1st person

• construct positive phrases

• say your phrases with meaning and attention

• positive, meaningful, repeated

• be kind to yourself

How to improve self-talk

• thought stopping

• replace negative thoughts with task relevant positive talk

How to improve concentration 

• use simulations in practice 

• cue words and routines 

• nonjudgemental thinking 

• develop concentration plans 

• practice eye contact

• self-monitor 

• overlearn skills  

What exercises can help improve concentration?

• shift attention 

• park thoughts 

• maintain focus 

• search for cues 

• rehearse game concentration 

• distraction training