Chapter 9
Sports Psychology
Jeffry Mathis & Minerva Duke-Caruso
Student Learning Objectives
In this chapter we will:
 Discuss what sport psychologists do.
 Explain how sport psychology fits within
Kinesiology.
 Describe how sport psychology evolved
within the field of Kinesiology.
Student Learning Objectives



Help you understand how sport psychology
professionals engage in research and
practice.
Discuss what research tells us about
personality, motivation, energy management,
and group processes.
Explain how intervention techniques are used
to enhance participation in physical activity.
What IS sport psychology?

A

B

C

Science?
What Does a Sport
Psychologist DO?

Social-psychological factors that
influence behavior and performance:




Why are some individuals motivated to
exercise and others not?
Why do some athletes “choke” and others
do not?
Why do children drop out of youth sport
programs?
Is it better to exercise alone or in a group?
What Does a Sport
Psychologist DO?

Psychological effects derived from
participation:
What Does a Sport
Psychologist DO?

Enhance experience for participants
(ASP):
Where did sport psychology
come from?

When did it start?

Body and mind
Where did sport psychology
come from?

A brief North American history:

Norman Triplett 1898

Coleman Griffith 1919-1938

Bruce Ogilvie & Tom Tutko
Research Methods
Personality
Sports Builds Character


Does it really?
Sports – The W
Sports Builds Character

Sports –

“Sport doesn’t build character, people
do.” (Vealey, R.S. 2009)
Motivation

External

Internal
Competence Motivation
Theory
Competence Motivation
Theory
No Enjoyment
Perceived Incompetence
Fewer
Mastery Attempts
More
Enjoyment
Perceived Competence
Developing Intrinsic Motivation

Intrinsically motivated towards competence
Group Membership


Team Cohesion / Team “chemistry”
Teams with good cohesion perform
better.

Right?
Cohesion Causes
Cohesion Causes
Cohesion Causes
Cohesion Causes

Team Factors
Mental Training
Visualization
Thinking Skills

Self Talk



Positive
Negative
Body focus


Association
Disassociation
Behavioral Strategies

Goal Setting

SMART





Specific
Measurable
Action-oriented
Realistic
Time sensitive
AAAAAGGH!!!

Stress, Anxiety, and Arousal
What’s the diff?

Stress – (Selye 1983)

Anxiety –

Arousal –
Stress

Stress –

Perception

Eustress
Distress
Both?

Coping


Anxiety


Anxiety –
Multidimensional

Trait Anxiety

State Anxiety

Cognitive Anxiety

Somatic Anxiety
Arousal

Arousal –
Research

What is the relationship between
arousal and athletic performance?
Drive Theory

Inverted U theory

Research

How do we measure arousal?

Yerkes & Dodson

0
50
100
150
200
250
Bzzt
Bzzzzt!
Yerkes Dodson

What does it mean?
Catastrophe Theory

Multidimensional