Chapter 1 – Introduction and research methods
Sport psychology Gill (2000): Sport and exercise psychology involves (1) the scientific study of (2) human behavior in (3)
sport and exercise, and (4) the practical application of that knowledge.
- All people in the sport setting
Sport psychology is a science in which the broad principles of psychology are applied, in a sport or
exercise setting, to enhance a person’s performance and maximize his or her potential.
Development
- Early years - 1897 – Norman Triplett: First study on sport psychology
- 1923 – Coleman Griffith: Father of sport psychology (first class, first laboratory, research, two
books)
- Dorothy Yates: first woman
- Formative years - 1950 to 1980: During this period, sport psychology changed from focusing largely on issues of
exercise physiology and motor learning to placing greater emphasis on how psychological factors
influence athletic skills and performance.
- Contemporary - More academic to more applied
- 1985 à different sporty psychology organizations (also board as part of Olympic committee)
- Importance is acknowledged
o Accreditation A process in which standards for a particular department or program are set and validated by an
independent peer review board to ensure that all students complete a standard set of coursework
and/or training
3 types of sport psychologists Kan ook in meerdere typen tegelijk gewerkt worden. Voor elk type volg je een andere weg.
1. Researchers - Asking questions, designing research studies
2. Teachers - At an undergraduate and graduate level
3. Consultants (also - Individual vs. with coaches/teams
therapists / clinical
psychologists)
Only licensed psychologists with a doctorate degree in clinical psychology who have also received
specific training in the field of sport and exercise psychology should technically be considered sport
psychologists.
, - Andere optie = sport psychology consultant
- Skills necessary Empathy, communication, and building rapport are all essential, as are particular interpersonal traits
such as approachability, openness, flexibility, trustworthiness, and friendliness. + expertise in strategies
for enhancing performance.
Failure Helping athletes who experience failure reduce their levels of negative emotions may improve their
ability to recover from a setback and renew their efforts.
When athletes watched their own poor performance, they showed more brain activation in parts of the
brain that are responsible for processing emotions than when they were watching another swimmer’s
race. They also showed less brain activity in parts of the brain that help people plan and carry out motor
movements, suggesting that some people respond to failure by effectively giving up.
Research methods All research in sport psychology begins with a question (hypothesis); researchers then take a number of
steps to answer that question.
- Descriptive methods Simply describe the association between two or more variables.
Survey, Qualitative, Naturalistic observation, Case studies/Focus groups, Archival research, Meta-
analysis
o Advantages - Easy to conduct & cost efficient
- Real world situations
o Disadvantages - Inaccurate / biased (because of self report – survey/focus groups)
- Observer may be biased (naturalistic observation)
- Generalization?
- Correlations, not predictions (causation)!
- Experimental methods Manipulating one or more independent variable + randomly assigning people to conditions
o Advantages - Great control over environement
- Internal validity
o Disadvantages - Practical / ethical concerns = limitation
o Quasi-experiment A research method that follows the basic format of an experiment but does not use random assignment
, - Improving quality of - Using diverse samples of athletes
research - Replicating studies with different populations à external validity
- Real world settings à ecological validity
- Importance To ensure that the findings actually apply to real-world sport settings. To evaluate whether particular
strategies and interventions are indeed associated with improved athletic performance and well-being.
Traveling East Greater size of sleep adventage (due to different time zones).
- Feeling more awake/active because they feel like they are still in an earlier time zone
Ethical standards 1. Competence
2. Integrity
3. Professional and scientific responsibility
4. Respect for people’s rights and dignity
5. Concern for other’s welfare
6. Social responsiblity
Diversity People who are working in the field of sport psychology therefore must become aware of how an
- Importance athlete’s distinct identity – including race/ ethnicity, gender, and/or sexual orientation— influences his
or her sport performance.
Chapter 2 – Personality
Personality
- Psychodynamic theory Most of personality is buried unconscious. The role of the unconscious in predicting behavior, and
of personality athletes’ unconscious can and does impact performance (Not commonly used in sport psychology, but
some principles of this perspective may be useful for athletes who are struggling with performance
issues.)
- Psychoanalytic theory Personality = 3 components: the id, the ego and the superego.
- Humanistic theory Describes people as basically good and as primed for growth and fulfillment (self-actualization), as long as
they are in an environment that provides support, love, and encouragement. (Not widely used in sport
psychology, but many of the general principles of this model are used in sport psychology.
- Self-determination theory
