Showing papers on "Sport psychology published in 1983"

The effects of mental practice on motor skill learning and performance: A meta-analysis.

Abstract: A longstanding research question in the sport psychology literature has been whether a given amount of mental practice prior to performing a motor skill will enhance one's subsequent performance. The research literature, however, has not provided any clear-cut answers to this question and this has prompted the present, more comprehensive review of existing research using the meta-analytic strategy proposed by Glass (1977). From the 60 studies yielding 146 effect sizes the overall average effect size was .48, which suggests, as did Richardson (1967a), that mentally practicing a motor skill influences performance somewhat better than no practice at all. Effect sizes were also compared on a number of variables thought to moderate the effects of mental practice. Results from these comparisons indicated that studies employing cognitive tasks had larger average effect sizes than motor or strength tasks and that published studies had larger average effect sizes than unpublished studies. These findings are discus...

Reliability and Validity of the Physical Self-Efficacy Scale in a Competitive Sport Setting

Abstract: Interest in the role of self-confidence in sport performance has been high in sport psychology research A measure to assess general physical self-efficacy has recently been developed, but without application to competitive sport performance The present study examined the role of general and task-specific self-efficacy in women's intercollegiate gymnastics It also assessed the reliability and validity of the Physical Self-Efficacy Scale in a competitive sport setting The Physical Self-Efficacy Scale was found to be a reliable and valid instrument for measuring an individual's general physical self-efficacy in sport However, the task-specific measures of self-efficacy and the gymnast's prediction of how they would perform proved to be much more powerful variables for predicting actual gymnastic performance The results are discussed in terms of the relationships between different types of self-efficacy and sport performance and the problems associated with self-efficacy measurement

Foundations of Physical Education and Sport

Abstract: Part 1 The nature and scope of physical education and sport: meaning and philosophy of physical education and sport objectives for physical education and sport role of physical education and sport in society and in education movement - the keystone of physical adaption and sport. Part 2 Foundations of physical education and sport: historical foundations of physical adaption and sports biochemical foundations of physical education and sport exercise physiology sociological foundations of physical education and sport psychological foundations of physical education and sport. Part 3 Careers and professional considerations in physical education and sport: careers, leadership, and professional organisations in physical education and sport teaching and coaching careers in physical education and sport fitness and health-related careers in physical education and sport sports careers in media, management, performance, and other related areas. Part 4 issues, challenges and the future of physical education and sport issues and challenges in physical education and sport the future of physical education and sport.

Developmental Sport Psychology: A Theoretical Perspective for Studying Children In Sport

Abstract: A developmental theoretical approach is recommended as the most appropriate framework from which to study children's psychosocial experiences in sport. This perspective provides the best understanding of children's sport behaviors by focusing on ontogenetic changes in cognitive abilities which help to describe and explain behavioral variations among individuals. A content analysis of sport psychological research conducted on children and youth over the last decade reveals that few studies selected age groups for investigation that were based on underlying cognitive-developmental criteria. Thus, recommendations emanating from these studies may be misleading or inaccurate. Examples of developmental research from the psychological and sport psychological literature are provided to illustrate the potential for conducting further research on the psychosocial development of children in sport. Finally, guidelines for implementing a systematic line of research in sport psychology from a developmental perspective ...

Musings about personal competence: The contributions of sport, health, and fitness

Abstract: Since my election as President-elect 2 years ago I have thought about this address with mixed emotions, both excitement and anxiety. I decided last year I would not discuss the status of community psychology. Instead I have chosen to express my views about the future and status of community psychology in the Presidential columns of the Newsletter. It was my decision to focus on a substantive area related both to community psychology and to my own areas of involvement. The difficulty in pinpointing a topic was compounded by my being on sabbatical this past year. During my leave I was an Assistant Women's Basketball Coach at Eastern Connecticut State College and pursued my growing interest in health and sport psychology. In other words, I had little contact with mainstream psychology per se; in fact, I chose to read and study in physical education, health, and recreation and to put psychology "on the back burner." So when it became time to choose a topic I found myself in a quandary. I wanted my address to have as its focus my newly developing interests, yet I did feel a nagging obligation to make the talk relevant to an aspect of community psychology. Fortunately (or unfortunately), this restriction was not severe given the broad scope of activities which constitute community psychology. I knew there was a relationship between

Whatever Happened to Theory Testing In Sport Psychology

Abstract: It is maintained that a balance among theory testing, applied research, and dissemination, though an ideal goal for sport psychology, is not being achieved because theory testing has not kept pace. To explain the rise and decline of theory testing in sport psychology a historical perspective was used. Whereas sport psychology from 1950-1965 was characterized by empiricism, from 1966-1976 it was characterized by a social analysis approach used to test single theories with novel tasks in a laboratory setting. In contrast to the earlier approaches, it is recommended that contemporary sport psychologists (a) use more meta-analyses to recheck the conclusions of past reviews, (b) become less reliant on a single research method or setting, (c) avoid premature commitments to a theory, and (d) become less enamored with statistically based null hypothesis testing. A number of suggestions are offered and examples provided to encourage, where appropriate, the use of “strong inference,” a more eclectic employment of r...

Attribution Theory in Sport: Current Status and New Perspectives

Abstract: In adopting attribution theory, researchers in the field of sport psychology have followed the cognitive perspectives characteristic of mainstream investigations in this area. Numerous investigations regarding the self-perception of achievement outcomes in sport reveal this trend. The present article discusses the sport psychological perspective of attribution theory in terms of present and future concerns. First, a critical evaluation of existing approaches to the study of sport attribution is presented. The discussion outlines the typical characteristics of such investigations and their problems, some inherited from psychology and others unique to sport. This critical analysis underscores the narrowness of previous interests. Second, the broad scope of attribution is presented to emphasize the wealth of research problems that could be studied, in addition to those concerning self-focus on achievement outcomes. Third, recent investigations of attribution in sport are briefly described to exemplify new re...

Psychophysiology – A New Direction for Sport Psychology

Abstract: An area of inquiry that has largely been ignored in scientific studies in the field of sport psychology/motor performance is the subdiscipline of psychology called psychophysiology. This subdiscipline, which is concerned with inferences of psychological processes and emotional states from an examination of physiological measures, is rich in methodological and theoretical insights that could improve research and practice within sport psychology/motor performance. The current methodological and theoretical issues in psychophysiology are first reviewed and then specifically related to recent sport studies that demonstrate their applicability to the enhancement of both theoretical and applied aspects of sport.

Identity Crises in North American Sport Psychology: Academics in Professional Issues

Abstract: Recent views of professional concerns facing sport psychology have not addressed academic dimensions of service delivery. The perspective developed in this paper suggests that defining sport psychology by what sport psychologists do or by who offers services may permit, but cannot ensure, professional competence. The assumption is made that in order for a field of study to sanction applied services it must possess an applied body of knowledge and a reliable technology. The current availability of these for sport is not clear. It is proposed that an acceleration is needed in development of applied technology and theory through creation of sport psychology models rather than exclusive reliance on applying clinical or educational models borrowed from general psychology. It is also proposed that errors associated with available techniques be better defined. Scientific cautions are re-emphasized in the hope that issues over professional services not overshadow the need for a reciprocity between applied questio...

Correlates of Participation in Adult Recreational Sports

Abstract: This study basically involves an analysis of factors associated with physical activity as a lifelong leisure activity. The ultimate objective of this type of research is to identify variabl...

Teaching Psychological Skills to Athletes and Coaches

Abstract: (1983). Teaching Psychological Skills to Athletes and Coaches. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance: Vol. 54, Including Leisure Today, pp. 11-81.

Interpreting Youth Baseball: Players' Understandings of Attention, Winning, and Playing the Game

Abstract: The purpose of this research was to broaden scholarly understanding of youth baseball by comparing the ways in which the 10-, 11-, and 12-year-old youngsters who played on two different teams at the same level of competition in the same city understood their youth baseball experiences. Research methods included participant-observation and interview processes. The most important concepts which the players believed to be crucial for understanding youth baseball—paying attention to the baseball action, winning and losing, and how to play baseball—are delineated and examined. The evidence suggests that there were both similarities and differences in the ways in which the players from the two teams conceptualized their baseball experiences, and that the players from both teams partially reflected their coaches' characterizations of youth baseball and partially re-defined and added to them.

The sport‐stress connection

Abstract: The paradoxical nature of sport and the multidimensional nature of stress render complex the relationship between sport and stress. Stressors may be associated with physiological, psychological, or social dimensions. However, an examination of the research suggests that psychological dimensions of stress may be the most significant operating in the sport environment. Sport is viewed as "the totality of those institutionalized games whose outcomes are dependent upon physical prowess. Associated with such activities are certain cultural values, such as 'norms' and 'sanctions,' which reflect the values and ideologies peculiar to sport" (Kenyon, 1972, p. 34). The purpose of this paper is to provide a conceptual framework of the relationship between organized sport and psychological stress. A conceptual framework of this nature is warranted because of (1) the pervasiveness of organized sport, (2) the fact that stress is a universal human phenomenon, and (3) the importance of understanding the relationship between sport and stress in order to initiate appropriate stress management techniques. The sport-stress connection will be examined by considering sport as a situational stressor, and sport and psychological stress.

Identity, Commitment, and Type of Sport Roles

Abstract: Drawing on the concept of commitment, this paper focuses on several varieties of primary sport roles and their concomitant identities. Specifically, commitment to a sport role is attributed to the social support factors, intrinsic and extrinsic rewards, and satisfactions. A typology of sport roles is presented utilizing a three-dimensional model of commitment to help explain one's identity within each of the sport roles. Additionally, the commitment model might be generalized to develop a greater understanding of other sport roles.

Sport and depression therapy

Abstract: Antonelli, Ferruccio. Sport and depression therapy. International Journal of Sport Psychology, Roma, 13(3) :187-93, 1982.

The Context of Professional Psychology

Abstract: From the time we start as undergraduate majors in psychology, we are taught the theories, methods, and findings that are the substance of the science of psychology. As graduate students, we learn of the professional aspects of this substance and become proficient in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental disorder if clinical is our specialty. The pattern is similar for the other recognized specialties—counseling, industrial-organizational, and school psychology. Thus, as professional psychologists,1 we are typically very well trained in how to best provide primary psychological services to our clients.