Unit 1 & 2 - Sports Psychology Flashcards

Flashcards covering the vocabulary and core concepts from the Sports Psychology Unit 1 & 2 lecture notes, including PST, motivation, stress management, concentration theories like Nideffer's Model, and goal-setting strategies.

Sports Psychology

The study focused on the influence of mental factors on sports performance, investigating how thoughts and emotions impact athletic success.

Psychological Skills Training (PST)

Practicing mental skills regularly to enhance physical performance and build mental resilience in athlets.

Mental Toughness

The ability to maintain focus, recover from setbacks, handle pressure, and persist through challenges.

Education Phase

The initial stage of PST where athletes learn about psychological skills and their benefits for performance.

Acquisition Phase

The stage of PST where athletes identify specific psychological skills beneficial for their performance.

Practice Phase

The final PST stage where athletes consistently practice mental skills until they become automatic responses.

Optimal Performance Components

Key factors that include Tactical Skills, Psychological Skills, Physiological Preparation, and Technical Skills; deficiencies in any area can hinder performance.

Motivation

The level of effort and direction a performer invests towards achieving specific tasks in sports.

Extrinsic Motivation

Motivations driven by external rewards like money, recognition, and winning.

Intrinsic Motivation

Motivations driven by internal satisfaction, such as enjoyment and personal challenge.

Self-Determination Theory (SDT)

A framework explaining motivation through the lens of three core psychological needs: Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness.

Autonomy

The essential need in SDT for self-driven decision-making and behavior regulation.

Competence

The need to feel capable and effective in achieving desired outcomes.

Relatedness

The need to establish a connection or sense of belonging within a community.

Amotivation

A lack of motivation resulting from unmet core needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

Self-Confidence

A performer's belief in their abilities to successfully execute a skill.

Self-Efficacy

The belief in one's ability to succeed in specific situations, influenced by past experiences.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

The phenomenon where expectations influence outcomes, leading to either successes or failures based on confidence levels.

Stress Management

Strategies used to balance task demands with a performer’s capabilities, especially in high-pressure scenarios.

Eustress

Positive stress that enhances performance, often associated with anticipating challenging events.

Distress

Negative stress that can hinder performance by creating feelings of overwhelm and threat.

The Stress Process

A four-step cycle involving situation demands, perception of those demands, physical and mental responses, and performance outcomes.

Flight or Fight Response

The body's physiological reaction to stress, preparing either for confrontation or avoidance.

Concentration

The capacity to focus solely on a task while disregarding distractions.

Selective Attention

The process of focusing on relevant cues while ignoring non-essential distractions.

Shiftable Attention

The ability to alter focus between broad and narrow viewpoints during performance.

Maintaining Attention

The capacity to sustain concentration over the duration of an activity, influenced by sport type.

Situation Awareness

Understanding the context of a game, teammates' positions, and decision-making based on that understanding.

Nideffer’s Model of Attention

A framework mapping attentional focus on two dimensions: Direction (Internal vs. External) and Width (Broad vs. Narrow).

Broad-External Attention

Focus used to assess multiple external cues and environmental factors rapidly.

Narrow-Internal Attention

Concentration on specific thoughts or visualized scenarios, often for mental rehearsal.

Narrow-External Attention

The ability to focus on one or two external cues, such as a target or the ball.

Broad-Internal Attention

Attention directed at internal thoughts for analysis and strategic planning.

Arousal

The level of alertness and readiness a performer has before engaging in a task.

Inverted U Hypothesis

A theory suggesting an optimal level of arousal for peak performance, represented by a curvilinear relationship.

The Zone (Flow State)

A mental state where performers experience peak performance, with focused concentration and control.

Anxiety

A psychological response marked by fear or tension, encompassing cognitive and physical symptoms.

State Anxiety

An immediate emotional response characterized by fluctuating fear and tension during performances.

Trait Anxiety

A stable personality trait that influences how individuals perceive situations as threats or challenges.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)

A method for reducing stress by systematically tensing and relaxing muscle groups.

Biofeedback

A technique using electronic tools to give feedback on bodily functions to help manage stress responses.

Stress Inoculation Training (SIT)

Training that involves exposing athletes to manageable stress to build resilience.

Autogenic Training

A self-relaxation technique involving mental exercises aimed at inducing physical relaxation.

Outcome Goals

Goals focused on the end results, such as winning, which can be influenced by others’ performances.

Performance Goals

Goals focused on personal performance metrics, independent of competitors, like improving a free throw percentage.

Process Goals

Goals emphasizing specific actions to achieve performance goals during competition.

SMARTER Principle

A guideline for effective goal setting: Specific, Measurable, Accepted, Realistic, Time Phased, Exciting, and Reviewed.