Sport Psychology

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Sport Psychology

• An Introduction

2
History of North American Sport Psychology

• 1897 Norman Triplett studies social facilitation
  with cyclists.
• Coleman Roberts Griffith
• Father of North American sport psychology
• First sport psychology laboratory, University of
  Illinois, 1925
• Psychology of Coaching (1926)
• Psychology and Athletics (1928)
• Hired by Wrigley family

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History

• 1965 International Society for Sport Psychology
  (ISSP) founded in Rome.
• 1967 North American Society for the Psychology
  of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA )
  founded.
• 1985 APA approves the formation of the Division
  of Exercise and Sport Psychology (Division 47).
• 1986 The Association for the Advancement of
  Applied Sport Psychology (AAASP) holds first
  meeting.

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Sport Psychology Today

• Several college campuses have sport psychologists
  in their counseling centers or athletic
  departments.
• Coaching education for youth and high school
  sports often includes mandatory sport psychology
  training.
• Professional sports teams have sport
  psychologists on staff.
• 12 sport psychologists were credentialed to work
  with teams at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.

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• Chapter 1
• Motivation
• The Need to Achieve
• By John F. Eliot

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Motivation and Drive

• Norman Triplett
• First formal experiment in sport motivation, 1889
• Now referred to as social facilitation
• Biological determinism
• Freud Aggression, sex drive
• Environmental determinism
• B.F. Skinner Reinforcement theory

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Motivation

• The nature-nurture controversy
• Drive theory (nature) the search for
  traits
• Reinforcement theory (nurture)

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Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation

• Intrinsic motivation Participation is
  inherently pleasurable.
• Make a list of the intrinsic factors that
  influence your choice of physical
  activities.
• Extrinsic motivation Participation is rewarded.
• Make a list of the extrinsic factors that
  influence your choice of physical activities.

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Discussion Question

• Can extrinsic rewards decrease an athletes
  intrinsic motivation?

10
Self-Efficacy

• The belief or confidence that one will
  successfully perform a task.
• High self-confidence is a judgment that one is
  capable of performing a task
• at an elevated level,
• with certainty, and
• repeatedly over time.
• Self-efficacy increases motivation.

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Goal Orientation

• Task-mastery orientation Focus on improvement
  relative to ones own past performances.
• Ego orientation Focus on social comparisons
  and demonstrating superiority.

(continued)
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Goal Orientation (cont)

• Motivational climate The environmental factors
  that focus attention on either the task-mastery
  or ego aspects of sport participation.

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Attributions

• Internal vs. External
• I lost focus on that interception.
• The ref made a bad call.
• Stable vs. Unstable
• I am a poor leader.
• I made a bad decision then.
• Controllable vs. Uncontrollable
• I need to calm down.
• I need to beat this team.

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Characteristics of Attributions
Locus of causality Internal Effort An injury
Locus of causality External Field conditions Equipment
Stability Stable Your talent
Stability Unstable Weather Luck
Locus of control Controllable Your game plan Pregame meal
Locus of control Uncontrollable Referees calls Opponents mistakes
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Higher Performance Consciousness

• Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
• Study of artists
• Coined the term flow
• The conditions of flow
• A challenging activity that requires skills
• The merging of action and awareness
• Clear goals and feedback
• Concentration on the task at hand
• Loss of self-consciousness
• Transformation of time

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Motivation and Flow

• The flow experience appears similar to being in
  the zone.
• Experiencing flow is highly motivating.
• To maximize flow, coaches and athletes should
  strive to create a balanced, present-oriented,
  focused performance environment.

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Csikszentmihalyis Flow
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Building Motivation

• The role of the leader
• Know an athletes sources of internal motivation.
• Provide feedback and cues congruent with
  motivational orientation.
• Motivational strategies should foster
• autonomy,
• competence, and
• connectedness.

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Long-Term Motivational Strategies

• Push the edge.
• Experience success.
• Change your thinking.
• Get involved.
• Praise others.
• Vary training.
• Put yourself first.
• Find motivated peers.
• Think positively.
• Remember your dream.

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