“Sport Psychology Goes to the Movies”
ESS 220 – Psychology of Sport
Syllabus - Fall 2011 (Updated 10.13.11)
Lecturer: Tim Bacon, M.A., Canadian Mental Training Registry
E-mail: tbacon@smith.edu Tel: 413-585-2715
Office: Ainsworth 110 (Squash Court Gallery, Main Floor, Ainsworth Gym)
Office Hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays 2:30-3:30 (and by appointment).
Course Website: http://ess220.wordpress.com/
Overview
Basic concepts and models of sport psychology will be examined through the analysis of popular film. Each week, after a brief
introduction to the unit’s topic, students will view a film, and demonstrate their ability to critically analyze and apply the
concepts under study by writing a short paper or presenting orally. The four areas of sport psychology covered are
psychological skills training, group processes (cohesion & leadership), and motivation.
Evaluation
Grading is based on the pedagogical principles of Smith Design for Learning, Bloom’s Taxonomy of Knowledge and the Learning
Pyramid:

Three of the student analyses will be in the form of a 5-6 page, double-spaced paper using APA style (predominant style
used in Sport Psychology Journals). The first paper on the film “Ping Pong” (10%) is mandatory, and students have the
choice of topics/film for two papers, each worth 15%.

One of the analyses will be a 30-minute presentation on an assigned film/topic (20 %)

Student’s ability to apply the psychological skills training component will be evaluated by designing and carrying out a
psychological skills training program that targets their own performance in their chosen activity. The submitted report on
the program will be worth 20%. Due

There will be a final 50-question multiple choice and short answer test in the last class worth 20% - the bank of questions
from which the test items will be drawn will be posted on Dec. 6.

There will be a short, 5-6 question multiple choice test on every topic for those choosing not to write a paper on that
topic. The result will not be entered into your final grade but you must “pass” (60%) each test (retake different versions
until you do pass).
Schedule of Classes and Topics
Dates
Theme
1
Thurs.
Sept. 8
Introduction & Overview
2
Tues.
Sept. 13
Flow, Achievement Goal
Theory, “Cultural” Sport
Psychology
3
Wed. Sept.
14 8-11pm.
Sport Psychology Goes to
the Movies: Analyzing Film
“Psychologically”
Film &
Presenters
Table Tennis
Lesson: 8:008:30
Film Analysis:
8:30-11:00
Text (pp.)
Readings
MTP
Portfolio
Motivation: 51-55
Personality: 29-33
Achievement: 65-67
Competitiveness: 105109
Children: 516-520
1. Kozuma, Y. (2009).
Samurai & science:
Sport psychology in
Japan. In R.J.
Schinke, & S.J.
Hanrahan (Eds.).
Cultural Sport
Psychology (pp. 205217). Champaign, IL:
Human Kinetics.
2. Harwood, C., &
Biddle, S. (2002).
The application of
achievement goal
theory in youth
sport. In I.M.
Cockerill (Ed.)
Solutions in sport
psychology (pp. 5873). International
Thomson Business.
TEOSQ
PMCSQ
FSS-2
Evaluation/
Notes:
Meet at the
squash courts
in
“comfortable”
clothing and
non-marking
sport shoes.
4
Thurs.
Sept. 15
How to write a Psychology
Paper, APA Style
Essentials,
0
Tues. Sept.
20
No class – Tim at AASP
Conference
5
Thurs.
Sept. 22
AASP web
class
No “formal” class.
Virtually “Attend”
conference through social
media”.
6
Tues. Sept.
27
7
Thurs.
Sept. 29
Tues. Oct.
4
Introduction to
Psychological Skills
Training (PST) Workshop
Cohesion, Tuckman’s Group
Evolution Model
Presentation: “Miracle”
8
9
Thurs.
Oct. 6
Cohesion,
Situational Leadership
0
No class
1
0
Tues. Oct.
11
Fall Break
Thurs.
Oct. 13
1
1
Tues. Oct.
18
Self-Confidence,
Bandura’s Model of SelfEfficacy
Presentation: Remember
the Titans
Text: Chapter 11
Bacon (1989)
Orlick & Partington
ACSI
Open a
Twitter
account –
follow
@squashscien
ce.
“Ping Pong”
paper due
11:59 a.m.
Group
Evolution:
Alexis Ziemba
“Remember
the Titans”
GEQ
Cohesion:
Kayla Kiers
SLM: Marissa
Munoz-Ruiz
TOPS
TSCI
CTAI
“Miracle”
paper paper
due 11:59 a.m.
“Remember
the Titans”
paper due
11:59 a.m.
1
2
Thurs.
Oct. 20
Presentation: “Invincible”
1
3
Tues. Oct.
25
Arousal-Performance
Relationship, Anxiety,
Attention, Choking
1
4
Thurs.
Oct. 27
Presentation: “The
Replacements”
1
5
Tues. Nov.
1
Arousal Control, Stress
Management (for
Coaches), PST for
Athletes with a Disability
1
6
Thurs.
Nov. 3
Presentation:
“Murderball”
Self-Efficacy
&
CSAI-2 on
Vince Papale:
Rafi CarlisleSwedberg
SCAT
CSAI-2
TAIS
Christine
Chancy
Stress
Management
for Joe;
Arousal
Control:
Rachel
Desrochers
“Invincible”
paper due
11:59 a.m.
“The
Replacements
” paper due
11:59 a.m.
Stress
Questionnair
e
PST for
disability:
Madelin Mejia
1
7
Tues. Nov.
8
PST (for Golf), Consulting
& Ethics
0
Thurs.
Nov. 10
Otelia
Cromwell
Day
No Class.
“Murderball”
paper due
11:59 a.m.
1
8
Tues. Nov.
15
Presentation: “Tin Cup”
PST program
for Roy: Sam
Kaplan
Molly’s Ethics
& Consulting
Competence:
Daniel Dietz
1
9
Thurs.
Nov. 17
Imagery in Sport,
Harter’s Competence
Motivation Theory, PST
for Dance & Artistic
Sports
0
Tues. Nov.
22
Thurs.
Nov. 24
Thanksgivi
ng
Tues. Nov.
29
No class
0
2
0
Imagery
Quesstionnai
re
“Tin Cup”
paper due
11:59 a.m.
No class
Presentation: “Billy Elliot”
PST for
Dance:
Stephanie
Simpson
Competence
Motivation:
Brianna
HarrellFelder
2
1
Thurs.
Dec. 1
2
2
Tues. Dec.
6
Multi-Dimensional Model
of Leadership in Sport,
Leadership & Gender
Presentation: “A League
of Their Own”
MML Analysis
of Jimmy:
Catherine
Tocci
“Billy Elliot”
paper due
11:59 a.m.
Final Quiz
Bank of
Questions
posted.
2
3
Thurs.
Dec. 8
Vallerand’s Hierarchy of
Intrinsic Motivation,
Cultural Competence
2
4
Tues. Dec.
13
Presentation: “Bend It
Like Beckham”
2
5
Thurs.
Dec. 15
Final Quiz
SMS
“A League of
Their Own”
paper due
11:59 a.m.
Jess &
Juliette
Analysis:
Jenna
Bicierro
Coach
Cultural
Competence:
Toula
Scordilis
-4-6 multiple
choice/short
answer
questions per
topic from
text (50
questions
total).
- PST Report
Due