Summary Sport Psychology
HC1
Sport psychology = the effect of psychological factors on sport-related behaviour,
performance and well being and it’s antecedents and consequences on a cognitive, affective
and behavioral level
Sport psychology stems from physical sciences, biological sciences and social sciences.
3 fields of sport-psychology:
1. Psycho-physiological
2. Social-physiological
3. Cognitive-behavioral
3 perspectives:
1. Individualistic approach (person)
2. Situational approach (environment)
3. Interactionist approach (person x environment)
It is important to note that the interactionist approach is the contemporary approach. This is
the perspective that relates most to the X-model that is discussed later.
Sport psychologists work at the research field, at the practice field as consultants and as
teachers at the educational field.
Peak performance = a state of exceptional functioning
Psychological skills contribute to an athlete’s performance in addition to individual factors
and environmental factors. This mental part is necessary to obtain peak performance in
addition to talent andd deliberate practice.
Youth sport is different from adult sport. In youth sports it’s more important to focus on
enjoyment than on performance. Sport is seen here as a part of character-building and a way
to acquire useful lifeskills (such as goal-setting, attentional focus, etc.)
There’s a big difference in practice and theory at the sport psychology domain that has to do
with internal and external validity. It is hard to set up research designs that have high
external and internal validity at the same time.
,The picture above is a picture of the X-model. As you see there are antecedants and
conscequences to sport behavior and overall effects of both environmental and personal
factors.
In the picture above the X-model is explained in another way. The arrows indicate that the
model includes feedbackloops. These feedbackloops are seen at multiple time axes (short-
term, immediate, long-term).
Box 2 stands fort he psychophysiological state of the athlete and is devided into
stable/habitual characteristics and momentaneous/variable characteristics. Stable
characteristics are features of an athlete that generally stay the same over time. For
example: length, weight, speed, strength but also persistence, mental toughness, need for
achievement and goal orientation. Momentaneous characteristics are features of the athlete
based on his current state. For example: state anxiety, injury or fatigue.
Athlete’s abilities can be addressed by KSAO’s. KSAO’s are distinguished into actual KSAO’s
and required KSAO’s.
Motivation is part of Box 3 which means that it’s part of sport behavior.
Motivation = willingness to spend effort
Action Theory = sport behavior ordered hierarchically-sequentially by means of analysing
For example:
,Football Offensive actions Shooting Kicking etc.
Performance can be judged in an objective manner, a subjective manner and with a
combination of these two manners.
Result = translation of performance in points
This means that with same performance, result may differ.
HC2
Motor control can be learned and can be affected after brain damage.
The degrees of freedom problem = the many degrees of freedom of the motor system need
tob e reduced such that effective control is possible
The human body counts over 100 joints, over 750 muscles and over 10.000 motor units.
These are all degrees of freedom.
Motor learning (control of the many degrees of freedom) proceeds in 3 stages:
1. Some degrees of freedom are temporarily not involved in active control or degrees of
freedom are coupled
2. An increasing number of degrees of freedom are actively involved in control
3. Forces related to the movement are exploited/incorporated in control and execution
of the movement
To get to a solution for the degrees of freedom problem there has to be made a trade
between flexibility and controllability.
1 degree of freedom = 1 feature that can move independently
3 stages of learning:
1. Verbal-cognitive stage
Verbal and cognitive processes are dominant
2. Associative-motor stage
Attention is devoted to refinement of the skill (effectiveness, consistency)
3. Autonomous stage
Autonomous movement execution
Feint = automatic switching to another movement pattern
Anticipation of actions of the opponent
The role of the trainer or coach attunes to the stage of learning of the athlete. The first stage
requires emphasis of instruction, the second stage requires emphasis on refinement and the
third stage requires emphasis on tactics.
, The relation between attention and task execution depends on the skill level. On a novice
skill level, attention to task relevant information will not impede task performance. On this
level, attention to task irrelevant information does impede task performance. On a
professional skill level, attention to task relevant information will impede task performance/
execution. On this level, task irrelevant information will not impede task execution.
Reinvestment = the tendancy to manipulate conscious, explicit, rule-based knowledge by
working memory to control the mechanics of one’s movements during motor output
Re-investment of procedural knowledge is a left-laterlized function. Damage to the left
hemisphere reduces reinvestment. Advanced soccer players with damage to the left
hemisphere had no negative consequences of task relevant attention on task performance.
Explicit learning = learning by instruction and rules (procedural learning)
Instruction is aimed at conscious proccessing and verbalisation of facts and rules of the
movement execution so at gaining explicit knowledge. This is aimed at the first stage of
learning (verbal-cognitive stage)
- large role of working memory
Implicit learning = learning by doing (unconscious learning)
- small role of working memory
Learning without explicit knowledge during the learning proces. It is important to note that
this learning process is fairly robust because there is only minor interaction with cognitive
processes. This leads to only small regression in skill with stress (high pressure).
- analogy (e.g.: basketbal: make a swan’s neck)
- observational
- incidental
- error-reduced
Instrinsic feedback = feedback from your own perceptual modalities (visual, auditory,
proprioceptive, tactile)
HC1
Sport psychology = the effect of psychological factors on sport-related behaviour,
performance and well being and it’s antecedents and consequences on a cognitive, affective
and behavioral level
Sport psychology stems from physical sciences, biological sciences and social sciences.
3 fields of sport-psychology:
1. Psycho-physiological
2. Social-physiological
3. Cognitive-behavioral
3 perspectives:
1. Individualistic approach (person)
2. Situational approach (environment)
3. Interactionist approach (person x environment)
It is important to note that the interactionist approach is the contemporary approach. This is
the perspective that relates most to the X-model that is discussed later.
Sport psychologists work at the research field, at the practice field as consultants and as
teachers at the educational field.
Peak performance = a state of exceptional functioning
Psychological skills contribute to an athlete’s performance in addition to individual factors
and environmental factors. This mental part is necessary to obtain peak performance in
addition to talent andd deliberate practice.
Youth sport is different from adult sport. In youth sports it’s more important to focus on
enjoyment than on performance. Sport is seen here as a part of character-building and a way
to acquire useful lifeskills (such as goal-setting, attentional focus, etc.)
There’s a big difference in practice and theory at the sport psychology domain that has to do
with internal and external validity. It is hard to set up research designs that have high
external and internal validity at the same time.
,The picture above is a picture of the X-model. As you see there are antecedants and
conscequences to sport behavior and overall effects of both environmental and personal
factors.
In the picture above the X-model is explained in another way. The arrows indicate that the
model includes feedbackloops. These feedbackloops are seen at multiple time axes (short-
term, immediate, long-term).
Box 2 stands fort he psychophysiological state of the athlete and is devided into
stable/habitual characteristics and momentaneous/variable characteristics. Stable
characteristics are features of an athlete that generally stay the same over time. For
example: length, weight, speed, strength but also persistence, mental toughness, need for
achievement and goal orientation. Momentaneous characteristics are features of the athlete
based on his current state. For example: state anxiety, injury or fatigue.
Athlete’s abilities can be addressed by KSAO’s. KSAO’s are distinguished into actual KSAO’s
and required KSAO’s.
Motivation is part of Box 3 which means that it’s part of sport behavior.
Motivation = willingness to spend effort
Action Theory = sport behavior ordered hierarchically-sequentially by means of analysing
For example:
,Football Offensive actions Shooting Kicking etc.
Performance can be judged in an objective manner, a subjective manner and with a
combination of these two manners.
Result = translation of performance in points
This means that with same performance, result may differ.
HC2
Motor control can be learned and can be affected after brain damage.
The degrees of freedom problem = the many degrees of freedom of the motor system need
tob e reduced such that effective control is possible
The human body counts over 100 joints, over 750 muscles and over 10.000 motor units.
These are all degrees of freedom.
Motor learning (control of the many degrees of freedom) proceeds in 3 stages:
1. Some degrees of freedom are temporarily not involved in active control or degrees of
freedom are coupled
2. An increasing number of degrees of freedom are actively involved in control
3. Forces related to the movement are exploited/incorporated in control and execution
of the movement
To get to a solution for the degrees of freedom problem there has to be made a trade
between flexibility and controllability.
1 degree of freedom = 1 feature that can move independently
3 stages of learning:
1. Verbal-cognitive stage
Verbal and cognitive processes are dominant
2. Associative-motor stage
Attention is devoted to refinement of the skill (effectiveness, consistency)
3. Autonomous stage
Autonomous movement execution
Feint = automatic switching to another movement pattern
Anticipation of actions of the opponent
The role of the trainer or coach attunes to the stage of learning of the athlete. The first stage
requires emphasis of instruction, the second stage requires emphasis on refinement and the
third stage requires emphasis on tactics.
, The relation between attention and task execution depends on the skill level. On a novice
skill level, attention to task relevant information will not impede task performance. On this
level, attention to task irrelevant information does impede task performance. On a
professional skill level, attention to task relevant information will impede task performance/
execution. On this level, task irrelevant information will not impede task execution.
Reinvestment = the tendancy to manipulate conscious, explicit, rule-based knowledge by
working memory to control the mechanics of one’s movements during motor output
Re-investment of procedural knowledge is a left-laterlized function. Damage to the left
hemisphere reduces reinvestment. Advanced soccer players with damage to the left
hemisphere had no negative consequences of task relevant attention on task performance.
Explicit learning = learning by instruction and rules (procedural learning)
Instruction is aimed at conscious proccessing and verbalisation of facts and rules of the
movement execution so at gaining explicit knowledge. This is aimed at the first stage of
learning (verbal-cognitive stage)
- large role of working memory
Implicit learning = learning by doing (unconscious learning)
- small role of working memory
Learning without explicit knowledge during the learning proces. It is important to note that
this learning process is fairly robust because there is only minor interaction with cognitive
processes. This leads to only small regression in skill with stress (high pressure).
- analogy (e.g.: basketbal: make a swan’s neck)
- observational
- incidental
- error-reduced
Instrinsic feedback = feedback from your own perceptual modalities (visual, auditory,
proprioceptive, tactile)
