PSYCHOLOGY OF EXCELLENCE
Study Guide
Unit I: Excellence in Thought
Lesson I-1:
Memory Overview
Read: “Memory and Its Improvement” by R. E. Smith. From Memory and
Work Habits, 1993, unpublished manuscript, pp. 1-8. (Electronic Reserve)
Read: “Retrieval of Information” by K. M. Galotti. From Cognitive
Psychology in and out of the Laboratory (2nd Ed.), 1999, Brooks/Cole, pp. 168173. (Electronic Reserve)
Objectives:
a) Distinguish between declarative and procedural memory
b) Distinguish between episodic and semantic memory.
c) Describe the three important processes of memory.
d) Distinguish among sensory, short-term, and long-term memory.
e) Give examples of maintenance and elaborative rehearsal.
f) Describe Smith’s four practical methods for improving memory.
g) Discuss three principles of retrieval that can be used to aid recall.
Key terms:
retrieval cue
mnemonic device
massed practice
distributed practice
categorization
encoding specificity
context effect
state-dependent learning
mood-dependent memory
cue overload
Lesson I-2:
Mnemonics
Read: “Memory Improvement” section of Mind Tools website
(http://www.mindtools.com)
Objectives:
a) Describe three fundamental principles underlying the use of mnemonics.
b) Give an example of the link method.
c) Explain why the number/rhyme and alphabet techniques are considered peg
systems.
d) Describe the journey system (also known as “method of loci).
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e) Discuss a technique used for memorizing long numbers.
Key terms:
link method
number/rhyme mnemonic
alphabet mnemonic
journey system (method of loci)
Lesson I-3:
Everyday Reasoning
Read “Logic and Everyday Reasoning” by J. Baron. From Thinking and
Deciding (2nd Ed.), 1994, Cambridge University Press, pp. 169-184.
(Electronic Reserve)
Objectives:
a) Describe the fallacies of affirming the consequent and denying the antecedent.
b) Identify five nonsequeter arguments.
c) Discuss Perkins’ “sparse situation modeling” and “search-inference” fallacies.
d) Distinguish among the four basic elements of an argument.
Key terms:
ad hominem
straw man
begging the question
datum
claim
warrant
backing
qualifier
rebuttal
Lesson I-4:
Statistical Reasoning
Read: “Statistical Reasoning” by A. Garnham & J. Oakhill. From Thinking
and Reasoning, 1994, Blackwell, pp. 153-175. (Electronic Reserve)
Objectives:
a) Describe probability matching.
b) Give two possible reasons why people tend to be overconfident about their
probability judgments.
c) Describe and give examples of Tversky and Kahneman’s three heuristics.
d) Explain the phenomenon of regression to the mean.
e) Summarize Chapman and Chapman’s findings on illusory correlation.
Key terms:
hindsight bias
heuristic
illusory correlation
illusory control
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Lesson I-5:
Problem-Solving Overview
Read “Problem Solving” by J. Baron. From Thinking and Deciding (2nd Ed.),
1994, Cambridge University Press, pp. 49-73. (Electronic Reserve)
Objectives:
a) Summarize Thorndike’s and Kohler’s findings.
b) Describe the Gestalt view of problem-solving.
c) Explain how insight might be related to unconscious processes.
d) Distinguish between “suggestion from above” and “suggestion from below.”
e) Summarize Duncker’s and Luchins’ findings.
f) Discuss Weisberg & Alba’s study of the nine-dot problem.
g) Describe four problem-solving methods identified by Newell & Simon.
h) Distinguish between the strategies used by novice and expert problem-solvers.
i) List Polya’s four heuristics.
Key terms:
insight
functional fixedness
Lesson I-6:
Problem-Solving Strategies
Read: In-Class Handout
Objectives:
a) Give examples of the problem-solving strategies discussed in class.
Lesson I-7:
Solving Everyday Problems
Read: “Problem-Solving” by M. McKay, M. Davis, & P. Flanning. From
Messages, 1995, New Harlinger, pp.83-100. (Electronic Reserve)
Objectives:
a) Describe each of the five steps of the SOLVE strategy.
Key terms:
problem
Lesson I-8:
Creativity Overview
Read: “Introduction: An Orientation to the Frontiers of Creativity
Research” by S. G. Isaksen. From Frontiers of Creativity Research, 1987,
Bearly Limited, pp. 1-31. (Electronic Reserve)
Objectives:
a) Discuss Rhodes’ classification scheme for the study of creativity.
b) List Amabile’s three facets of the creative personality.
c) Compare the evaluative and imaginative components of the CPS process.
d) Give examples of idea-generating and visualization techniques used to
stimulate creativity.
e) List two factors that determine the creativity of a product.
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f) Identify five conditions that are conducive to creativity, according to Torrance.
g) Describe the factors that contribute to the creative climate of a group.
Lesson I-9:
Enhancing Creativity
Read: Techniques for Creative Thinking
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~charles57/Creative/Techniques/index.html
Objectives:
a) Describe the following techniques: random input, problem reversal, applied
imagination, lateral thinking, six thinking hats, the discontinuity principle,
brainstorming, forced relationships, mindmapping, synectics, and assumption
smashing.
Unit II: Excellence in Action
Lesson II-1: Peak Performance
Read: Chapter 12 of Applied Sport Psychology (4th Ed.) by J. M. Williams,
pp. 162-178. (Required Textbook)
Objectives:
a) Identify the circumstances in which peak performance is most likely to occur.
b) Identify four psychological characteristics associated with peak performance.
c) Describe what athletes experience when they are in flow.
d) Compare the psychological characteristics of Olympic qualifiers and
nonqualifers in men’s gymnastics.
e) Discuss the role of anxiety in peak performance.
f) Explain what is meant by an “iceberg profile.”
g) Describe the conditions in which the iceberg profile predicts performance.
h) Explain how IZOFs can be used to increase the likelihood of peak performance.
i) Identify the training and competition plans of Canadian Olympic athletes.
j) Describe the four types of mental skills used by US Olympic wrestlers.
Key terms:
peak performance
flow
external imagery
internal imagery
Profile of Mood States (POMS)
ideographic
Individualized Zone of Optimal Functioning (IZOF)
Lesson II-2: Goal Setting
Read: Chapter 13 of Applied Sport Psychology (4th Ed.) by J. M. Williams,
pp. 190-205. (Required Textbook)
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Objectives:
a) Distinguish among subjective, general objective, and specific objective goals.
b) Distinguish among outcome, performance, and process goals.
c) Discuss the relationship between goal setting and performance.
d) Summarize the findings of Botterill (1977) and Burton (1983, 1989).
e) Explain how goals influence performance, according to Locke et al (1981).
f) Compare the cognitive theories of Burton (1983) and Garland (1985).
g) Come up with a set of six goal-setting guidelines.
h) Identify common problems associated with goal-setting.
Key terms:
goal
performance expectancy
performance valence
Lesson II-3: Principles of Self-Regulation
Read: “The Principles of Self-Regulation” by D. L. Watson & R. G. Tharp.
From Self Directed Behavior (6th Ed.), 1993, Brooks/Cole, pp.103-129.
(Electronic Reserve)
Objectives:
a) Identify three elements of self-regulation.
b) Describe each of three phases that occur in learning a behavior.
c) Explain what Vygotsky meant by the claim that self-controlling speech “goes
underground around the age of five.
d) Give an example of a positive and a negative reinforcer.
e) Distinguish between escape learning and avoidance learning.
f) Identify two types of punishment.
g) Distinguish between punishment and negative reinforcement.
h) List some of the limitations of punishment as a tool for changing behavior.
i) Compare the effects of continuous and intermittent reinforcement on extinction.
j) Explain why avoidance learning is resistant to extinction.
k) Give an example of stimulus control.
l) Explain how respondent conditioning works.
m) Give an example of higher-order conditioning.
Key terms:
cybernetics
learned resourcefulness
operant behavior
reinforcer
contingency
extinction
antecedent
discriminative stimulus
stimulus control
respondent behavior
higher-order conditioning
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modeling
Lesson II-4: Self-Regulation of Behavior
Read: “Self-Regulation of Behavior” by R. E. Smith. From Enhancing
Human Performance, 1993, Self-Published, pp. 15-32. (Electronic Reserve)
Objectives:
a) Summarize the findings of Lovitt & Curtis (1969)
b) Name three types of self-control procedures.
c) Give an example of a problem specified in behavioral terms.
d) Explain why it is better for self-modification programs to use positive
reinforcement instead of punishment.
e) Identify at least three guidelines for collecting baseline data.
f) Give three reasons why one should collect baseline data before starting a selfmodification program.
g) Give examples of stimulus control techniques used in weight control programs
and in improving study habits.
h) Explain why behavior can begin to change during the baseline period.
i) Describe two characteristics of an effective reinforcer.
j) Give an example of an effective self-modification contract.
k) Discuss the conditions in which the use of tokens can be effective.
l) Give an example of an effective shaping schedule.
m) Describe an easy way to remedy cheating.
Key terms:
Premack principle
token
shaping
Lesson II-5: Time Management
Read: “Successful Time Management” by R. E. Smith. From Enhancing
Human Performance, 1993, Self-Published, pp. 33-42. (Electronic Reserve)
Objectives:
a) Distinguish between efficiency and effectiveness.
b) Explain why time use analysis is needed and describe the process.
c) Identify two types of time robbers.
d) List the steps involved in setting and prioritizing time management goals.
e) Identify two reasons to make a planning guide.
f) Describe an effective strategy for scheduling your time.
g) Identify a way to avoid procrastination of large tasks (e.g., writing term papers).
Key terms:
80/20 misdistribution rule
prioritization
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Lesson II-6: Mental Imagery
Read: Chapter 16 of Applied Sport Psychology (4th Ed.) by J. M. Williams,
pp. 247-272. (Required Textbook)
Objectives:
a) Summarize the findings of Marks (1983).
b) Cite evidence that imagery enhances performance.
c) Describe four theories that explain how imagery enhances performance.
d) Cite evidence in support of bioinformational theory.
e) Distinguish between the internal and external perspective.
f) Describe the conditions in which imagery is most useful.
g) List four phases in setting up an imagery program.
h) Describe two exercises that are useful in convincing athletes of the merits of
practicing imagery.
i) Identify the three types of imaging exercises included in Basic Training.
j) Give four examples of vividness exercises.
k) Give three examples of controllability exercises.
l) Give three examples of self-awareness exercises.
m) Describe three ways that imagery can enhance physical skills.
n) Describe three ways that imagery can enhance perceptual skills.
o) Describe 10 ways that imagery can enhance psychological skills.
p) Explain how the Energy Room exercise can be used to control arousal.
Key terms:
imagery
polysensory
psychoneuromuscular theory
symbolic learning theory
bioinformational theory
stimulus characteristics
response characteristics
Lesson II-7: Exercise Psychology
Read: Chapter 27 of Applied Sport Psychology (4th Ed.) by J. M. Williams,
pp. 497-518. (Required Textbook)
Objectives:
a) List four positive effects of exercise on mental health.
b) Identify the physical health risks associated with anxiety and depression.
c) Describe the effects of exercise on sleep.
d) Identify the factors that determine the effect of exercise on self-esteem.
e) Discuss cognitive and biological explanations of how exercise affects mental
health.
f) Describe the relationship between physical activity and mental stress.
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g) Summarize the Surgeon General’s findings about activity levels among adult
Americans.
h) Identify changes in activity level associated with late adolescence.
i) Compare the social cognitive, behavioral and cognitive-behavioral theories of
exercise behavior.
j) List the five stages in the stages-of-change model.
k) Identify the personal attributes, environments, and types of physical activity
that are associated with activity level.
l) Give examples of interventions involving stimulus control, reinforcement
control, goal setting, and exercise prescription.
m) Describe the intervention goals at each of the five stages of the stages-ofchange model.
Key terms:
thermogenic hypothesis
endorphin
opioid
norepinephrine (NE)
serotonin
hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis
self-efficacy
Lesson II-8: Exceptional Conduct
Read: “Exceptional Mental Health” by Roger N. Walsh. From What is
Enlightenment? by J. White (Ed.), 1984, Tarcher, pp.139-150. (Electronic
Reserve)
Objectives:
a) Describe the relationship between mental health and each of the 10 qualities
discussed in this reading.
Key terms:
Theravadin
ducca
annica
annata
Bodhisattva
Lesson II-9: Peacemaking
Read: “Peacemaking” by David G. Myers. From Social Psychology (6th Ed.),
1999, McGraw-Hill, pp.535-555. (Electronic Reserve)
Objectives:
a) Name the four C’s of peacemaking.
b) Describe the circumstances that are most conducive to inter-group cooperation.
c) Compare the following conflict resolution strategies: bargaining, mediation,
and arbitration.
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d) Give an example of a successful application of the GRIT technique.
Key terms:
equal-status contact
superordinate goal
bargaining
mediation
arbitration
integrative agreement
GRIT
Unit III: Excellence in Experience
Lesson III-1: Emotional Intelligence
Read: “When Smart is Dumb” by Daniel Goleman. From Emotional
Intelligence, 1995, Bantam, pp.33-45. (Electronic Reserve)
Objectives:
a) Describe the relationship between IQ and success.
b) Cite experimental evidence that IQ does not predict success.
c) Discuss Gardner’s view of intelligence.
d) Describe Salovey’s five domains of emotional intelligence.
e) Summarize Block’s findings about IQ and emotional aptitude.
Lesson III-2: Arousal and Performance
Read: Chapter 14 of Applied Sport Psychology (4th Ed.) by J. M. Williams,
pp. 206-228. (Required Textbook)
Objectives:
a) Distinguish between arousal and anxiety.
b) Name two factors that affect anxiety levels.
c) Describe the physiology of a “fight or flight” response.
d) Distinguish between trait anxiety and state anxiety.
e) Identify the two components of anxiety.
f) Summarize the basic ideas of drive theory and the inverted-U hypothesis.
g) Compare multidimensional anxiety theory and the catastrophe cusp model.
Key terms:
arousal
performance disregulation
dual-task paradigm
Lesson III-3: Relaxation
Read: Chapter 15 of Applied Sport Psychology (4th Ed.) by J. M. Williams,
pp. 229-246. (Required Textbook)
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Objectives:
a) Summarize the findings of Green & Green (1977).
b) Explain how muscle tension can affect performance.
c) List two traits that predict an individual’s mastery of relaxation techniques.
d) Identify the order of preference of relaxation techniques.
e) Distinguish between muscle-to-mind and mind-to-muscle techniques.
f) Briefly describe six common breathing techniques.
e) Compare active, differential and passive PR techniques.
f) Give an example of a simple meditation technique.
g) Describe the three stages of AT.
h) Explain how breathing, imagery and verbal cues can be used to increase
activation and energy.
Key terms:
autonomic functions
double pull
differential relaxation
zero-activation level
progressive relaxation (PR)
efferent nerve control
mantra
relaxation response
autogenic training (AT)
Lesson III-4: Confidence
Read: Chapter 17 of Applied Sport Psychology (4th Ed.) by J. M. Williams,
pp. 284-311. (Required Textbook)
Objectives:
a) Describe the relationship between confidence and athletic success.
b) Distinguish among the following terms: confidence, optimism, self-efficacy.
c) Discuss five common misconceptions about confidence.
d) Describe the four prerequisites for gaining confidence.
e) Describe the three dimensions of explanatory style.
f) Identify the characteristics of an optimistic explanatory style.
g) Name two problems with the use of negative self-labels, according to Ellis.
h) Summarize Seligman’s view of depression.
i) Compare the use of self-talk in skill acquisition and performance.
j) Explain how self-talk can be used to: change a bad habit; control attention;
change one’s mood; control effort; and build self-efficacy.
k) Describe three techniques for identifying self-talk.
l) Give an example of a thought stoppage technique.
m) Explain how the techniques of countering and reframing work.
n) Describe eight cognitive distortions that are common among athletes.
o) Identify two criteria for deciding whether or not self-talk and underlying beliefs
are rational.
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Key terms:
explanatory style
permanence
pervasiveness
personalization
self-talk
thought stoppage
polarized thinking
self-esteem list
success list
mastery tape
coping tape
Lesson III-5: Flow
Read: “The Conditions of Flow” by M. Csikszentmihalyi. From Flow, 1990,
Harper Perennial, pp.72-93. (Electronic Reserve)
Objectives:
a) Describe the characteristics of optimal experience (i.e., flow).
b) Identify the features of flow activities.
c) Distinguish among four types of games.
d) Explain the diagram on p. 74.
e) Give two examples of the link between flow and religion.
f) Explain how flow can be used to evaluate social systems.
g) Describe the methods used by Shushwap Indian tribes and the monks of Isé to
build flow into their lifestyles.
h) Discuss the relationship between flow and virtue.
i) Identify three social variables that predict life satisfaction.
j) Explain why attentional disorders and self-consciousness prevent flow.
k) Describe two states of social pathology that inhibit flow.
l) Summarize Hamilton’s findings.
m) Describe the five characteristics of family contexts that promote flow.
Key terms:
autoletic
anhedonia
anomie
Lesson III-6: Meditation
Read: “Bringing the Mind Home” by S. Rinpoche. From The Tibetan Book
of Living and Dying, 1994, Harper San Francisco, pp. 56-81. (Electronic
Reserve)
Objectives:
a) Explain the purpose of meditation.
b) Describe the three principles of effective meditation.
c) Identify three things that the practice of mindfulness accomplishes.
d) Describe the three steps of meditation practice.
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e) Distinguish between “method” and “meditation.”
f) Identify the elements of good meditation posture, according to the author.
g) Describe three methods of meditation.
h) Explain how one should deal with thoughts and emotions that arise during
meditation.
i) Summarize Jamyan Khyentse’s instructions on how to meditate.
j) Discuss two pitfalls that may be encountered when practicing meditation.
Key terms:
samsara
prana
Lesson III-7: Peak-Experiences and Self-Actualization
Read: “Cognition of Being in the Peak-Experiences” by A. H. Maslow.
From Toward a Psychology of Being, 1962, Van Nostrand, pp. 67-96.
(Electronic Reserve)
Objectives:
a) Distinguish between B-cognition and D-cognition.
b) Identify the characteristics of peak-experiences.
c) Discuss the significance of B-values.
d) Explain how Maslow defines self-actualization in relation to peak-experiences.
e) List seven aftereffects of peak-experiences.
Key terms:
B-cognition
peak-experience
B-values
microcosm
Lesson III-8: Individuation
Read: “Summary of Jung’s Psychology” by M. Fonda.
http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/gthursby/fonda/jung03.html
Read: “The Individuation Process and the Artist” by L. Strong.
http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/gthursby/fonda/jung03.html
Objectives:
a) Distinguish between the two aspects of the unconscious.
b) Explain the notion of an archetype.
c) Describe each of the following archetypes: ego, persona, the shadow, anima,
animus, and the self.
d) Describe each step of the individuation process.
e) Explain the diagram in the handout.
Key terms:
personal unconscious
collective unconscious
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archetype
individuation
Lesson III-9: Happiness
Read: “The Sources of Happiness” by H. H. The Dalai Lama & H. C.
Cutler. From The Art of Happiness, 1998, Riverhead Books, pp. 19-36.
(Electronic Reserve)
Objectives:
a) Cite evidence supporting the process of emotional adaptation.
b) Describe the basic ideas of equity theory.
c) Summarize the findings of the studies conducted at the University of Wisconsin
and the State University of New York at Buffalo.
d) Identify the key determinant of happiness, according to the Dalai Lama.
e) Distinguish between calmness and apathy.
f) Describe the irony of greed.
g) Distinguish between happiness and pleasure.
h) Summarize Freud’s ideas about pleasure principle.
i) Describe the brain’s “pleasure pathway.”
j) Briefly explain how pleasure can turn into addiction.
Key terms:
adaptation
equity theory
ventral tegmental area (VTA)
striatum
amygdala
hypothalamus
orbitofrontal cortex (OFC)
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