BASICS OF SPORT AND
EXERCISE PSYCHOLOGY
PSYCHOLOGY IS…
• The scientific study of the human mind and its effect
on behavior
OBJECTIVES
• Understand the effects of psychological factors on
physical and motor performance
• Understand the effects of physical activity
participation on psychological development,
health, and well-being
ROLES OF SPORT
PSYCHOLOGISTS
RESEARCH ROLE
• Advance scholarly knowledge
• Try to answer questions that people have like:
• Do people have better race times when they are
by themselves or with others?
TEACHING ROLE
• Teach university courses
• Teach students studying physical education,
kinesiology, psychology, physical therapy, athletic
training, etc.
CONSULTING ROLE
• Consult with individuals or teams to improve
performance
• Most professional athletes have contact with sport
psychologists
• Some colleges consult with sport psychologists
CLINICAL ROLE
• Treating individuals with psychological problems
• Examples include: depression, anxiety, eating
disorders
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT
EARLY YEARS (1893-1920)
• Norman Triplett
(cyclists)
• E.W. Scripture- lab
studies on reaction
and muscle
movement times
GRIFFITH ERA (1921-1938)
• Coleman Griffith
• Father of American
sport psychology
• First sport
psychology lab
PREPARATION FOR THE FUTURE (19391965)
• Franklin Henry
• Responsible for the
field’s scientific
development
• Trained physical
educators that
started programs at
other colleges
ACADEMIC SPORT PSYCHOLOGY (19661977)
• Sport psychology
splits from
kinesiology
• Focus less on
muscle movement,
more on thinking
MULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENCE AND
PRACTICE (1978-2000)
• Interest in applied
issues
• Defining training
standards for
specialists
CONTEMPORARY SPORT PSYCHOLOGY
(2001-PRESENT)
• How to educated
and prepare
students
• Sport Psychology
becomes a
specialization
according to the
APA (American
Psychological
Association)
SCIENTIFIC STUDY
SCIENTIFIC METHOD
• Problem- Define the problem; Ask a question
• Observation- see what other people have already
found out about it
• Hypothesis- What do you think is going to happen?
• Experiment- Design a way to test (experiment,
survey, case study) the hypothesis
• Conclusion- What your experiment or study
indicates
WAYS SPORT PSYCHOLOGY IS STUDIED
• Surveys
• Case Study
• Experiments
CASE STUDY
• Observe someone’s behavior in-depth for a long
period of time
• Really only gives insight into the individual
SURVEYS
• Problem: In a survey, you need two variables that
are quantitative (meaning that they could have a
range of scores)
• Observation: See what other surveys have said
• Hypothesis: Ask the question
• Experiment: Gather data; chart using a scatterplot
to see if there is correlation
• Make a conclusion
LET’S TRY IT
• Problem: Are people who are taller happier?
• Observation: Why would anyone study that…
• Hypothesis: People who are taller will rate
themselves as happier on a scale of 1-10
• Experiment: Collect the data
• Conclusion:??????
EXPERIMENTS
• Intended to show
causation- one
thing causes
another
• Variables
• Independent- the
item being altered
• Dependent- a result
of the change
• Groups
• Experiment- the
group being tested
• Control- the group
used for comparison
LET’S TRY IT
• Problem: Are people faster as individuals or in a
group?
• Observation: Triplett found that they are faster in a
group
• Hypothesis: Students will perform a simple task faster
when in competition with others
• Experiment: what are the two variables? What are
the two groups?
• Conclusion:??????
WHY DO WE WANT SCIENTIFIC DATA
• Unbiased
• Data is controlled
• If it is an experiment, we can determine causation
PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
KNOWLEDGE
DEFINITION
• Knowledge gained through experience
• Not necessarily controlled or unbiased
MADE UP OF:
• Introspection
(thinking)
• Systematic
observation
• Shared public
experience
• Intuition (gutfeeling)
SPORT PSYCHOLOGY
ORIENTATIONS
PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL
• Brain processes and
their influence on
physical activity
SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL
• How behavior is
determined by a
complex interaction
between the
environment and
personality
COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL
• Behavior is
determined by both
the environment
and how people
think about and
interpret their
environment
WHICH SPORT PSYCHOLOGY
ORIENTATION?
PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL
• This orientation would study the brain and its
structures.
SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL
• This orientation would study how competitive
people are based on their personality.
COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL
• This orientation would study why some people are
better at concentrating than others.
PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL
• This orientation would study how endorphins
(chemicals in the brain) are affected by exercise.
SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL
• This orientation would study the qualities it takes to
be a good leader.
SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL
• This orientation would study how groups get along
based on shared experience and individual
personalities.
COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL
• This orientation would study the thought processes
that make a person more likely to exercise.
PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL
• This orientation would study how learning a new
sport changes the structures of the brain
SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL
• This orientation would study how recovery from
injury is either facilitated or hurt by social support.
PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL
• This orientation would study how addictions to
controlled substances (like steroids) are a result of
altered neurotransmitter (brain chemicals) pattern.
COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL
• This orientation would study how self-confidence is
affected by a positive view of the situation.
COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL
• This orientation would study how thinking about
doing well affects the actual action.
ETHICS
ETHICAL STANDARDS IN SPORT
PSYCHOLOGY
• Competence
• Integrity
• Professional and
Scientific
Responsibility
• Respect for
People’s Rights and
Dignity
• Concern for the
Welfare of Others
• Social Responsibility