PYC4812 – Sport Psychology
Exam Study/Summary Notes For October 2020
Summary notes taken from chapters in the prescribed book: Williams, J.M.,
& Krane, V. K. (Eds.). (2015). Applied Sport Psychology: Personal growth
to peak performance (7th ed.). New York: McGraw Hill.
Based on Chapters 7, 8, 9, 12 and 16
Compiled by: PsychHonours Student
,Chapter Headings:
Chapter 7 - The sport team as an effective group
Chapter 8 - Communicating effectively
Chapter 9 - Psychological characteristics of peak performance
Chapter 12 - Understanding and managing stress in sport
Chapter 16 - Integrating and implementing a psychological skills training program
,Chapter 7 The sport team as an effective group
“Groups” are dynamic, not static. They exhibit like and vitality, interaction, and activity.
“Cohesion” is “a dynamic process which is reflected in the tendency for a group to
stick together and remain united in the pursuit of its instrumental objectives and/or for
the satisfaction of member affective needs.”
Environmental Factors
Those factors that are demonstrated by the setting in which group members
interact (e.g. physical characteristics of the environment).
Individuals who are in close “proximity” (i.e. who are physically close to each
other) have a greater tendency to bond together.
Being in close contact provides the opportunity for interaction and
communication, which may hasten group development.
Team members should be placed into situations that make interaction inevitable.
Some situations in sport that ensure physical proximity among group members
include having a team locker room, encouraging team members to take classes
with one another, or scheduling games that require the team to travel and/or stay
with one another.
Personal Factors
These include the characteristics, beliefs, or behaviour of group members.
Personal factor associated with the development of both tasks and social
cohesion in sport teams is “satisfaction.”
Satisfaction is derived from many sources, such as whether or not a team
provides opportunities to feel valued and competent, whether an individual feels
socially related to his or her teammates.
Satisfaction also results from the recognition from others and, as such, the coach
– athlete relationship is a key contributor.
Leadership Factors
The interrelationships among the coach, the athlete, cohesiveness, and
performance are complex.
The coach’s “decision style” can have an influence on the level of cohesiveness
within the team.
When people have ownership over a decision, they tend to support that decision
more strongly.
Team members engage in behaviours more persistently, with greater intensity,
and for a longer duration when they have had an opportunity to participate in
decision making.
, Team Factors
Cohesion can be influenced by a number of structural characteristics that emerge
as the group develops (e.g. roles and norms), processes that take place among
group members (e.g. group goals, communication), and group performance
outcomes that occur throughout the duration of its existence.
The emergence of these factors is inevitable and essential if the set of individuals
is to become a more cohesive group.
A “role” is a set of behaviours that is expected from the occupants of specific
positions within the group.
“Formal roles” are explicitly set out by the group or organisation. Coach, team
captain, and manger are explains of explicit leadership roles within a team.
Individuals are trained or recruited for these roles, and specific expectations are
held for their behaviour.
“Informal roles” evolve as a result of the interactions that take place among
group members but are not specifically prescribed.
“Role ambiguity” refers to the lack of clear consistent information regarding
one’s role.
“Norms” is a standard for behaviour that is expected of members of the group.
It may be task irrelevant or task relevant. A norm reflects the group’s consensus
about behaviours that are considered acceptable.
“Team building” is a team enhancement or team improvement for both task and social
purposes.” Team building uses strategies to help members work together more
effectively and provides meaningful experiences that ultimately lead to a greater sense
of unity. Team building can either be directly applied by sport psychology specialists
(e.g. a specialist conducting a goal setting seminar with athletes and coaches) or
indirectly applied, where coaches and sport psychology specialists develop an
intervention together and then the intervention is applied by the coach.
One approach to team-building interventions adopted by Spink and Carron involved
the use of a four-stage process comprising an:
1. The introductory stage to provide the coach/leader with a brief overview of the
general benefits of group cohesion and group dynamics by the sport psychology
specialist
2. The conceptual stage used by the sport psychology specialist to teach the
coach about the various components of the team building protocol and helps the
coach identify key areas to focus efforts on (e.g. to identify the focus for possible
interventions)
3. The practical stage to have coaches/leaders, in an interactive brainstorming
session, generating as many specific strategies as possible to use for team
building in their group facilitated by a sport psychology specialist
4. The intervention stage may last throughout the entire season, as coaches
continually use team building strategies and evaluate the process and suitability
of strategies.
Exam Study/Summary Notes For October 2020
Summary notes taken from chapters in the prescribed book: Williams, J.M.,
& Krane, V. K. (Eds.). (2015). Applied Sport Psychology: Personal growth
to peak performance (7th ed.). New York: McGraw Hill.
Based on Chapters 7, 8, 9, 12 and 16
Compiled by: PsychHonours Student
,Chapter Headings:
Chapter 7 - The sport team as an effective group
Chapter 8 - Communicating effectively
Chapter 9 - Psychological characteristics of peak performance
Chapter 12 - Understanding and managing stress in sport
Chapter 16 - Integrating and implementing a psychological skills training program
,Chapter 7 The sport team as an effective group
“Groups” are dynamic, not static. They exhibit like and vitality, interaction, and activity.
“Cohesion” is “a dynamic process which is reflected in the tendency for a group to
stick together and remain united in the pursuit of its instrumental objectives and/or for
the satisfaction of member affective needs.”
Environmental Factors
Those factors that are demonstrated by the setting in which group members
interact (e.g. physical characteristics of the environment).
Individuals who are in close “proximity” (i.e. who are physically close to each
other) have a greater tendency to bond together.
Being in close contact provides the opportunity for interaction and
communication, which may hasten group development.
Team members should be placed into situations that make interaction inevitable.
Some situations in sport that ensure physical proximity among group members
include having a team locker room, encouraging team members to take classes
with one another, or scheduling games that require the team to travel and/or stay
with one another.
Personal Factors
These include the characteristics, beliefs, or behaviour of group members.
Personal factor associated with the development of both tasks and social
cohesion in sport teams is “satisfaction.”
Satisfaction is derived from many sources, such as whether or not a team
provides opportunities to feel valued and competent, whether an individual feels
socially related to his or her teammates.
Satisfaction also results from the recognition from others and, as such, the coach
– athlete relationship is a key contributor.
Leadership Factors
The interrelationships among the coach, the athlete, cohesiveness, and
performance are complex.
The coach’s “decision style” can have an influence on the level of cohesiveness
within the team.
When people have ownership over a decision, they tend to support that decision
more strongly.
Team members engage in behaviours more persistently, with greater intensity,
and for a longer duration when they have had an opportunity to participate in
decision making.
, Team Factors
Cohesion can be influenced by a number of structural characteristics that emerge
as the group develops (e.g. roles and norms), processes that take place among
group members (e.g. group goals, communication), and group performance
outcomes that occur throughout the duration of its existence.
The emergence of these factors is inevitable and essential if the set of individuals
is to become a more cohesive group.
A “role” is a set of behaviours that is expected from the occupants of specific
positions within the group.
“Formal roles” are explicitly set out by the group or organisation. Coach, team
captain, and manger are explains of explicit leadership roles within a team.
Individuals are trained or recruited for these roles, and specific expectations are
held for their behaviour.
“Informal roles” evolve as a result of the interactions that take place among
group members but are not specifically prescribed.
“Role ambiguity” refers to the lack of clear consistent information regarding
one’s role.
“Norms” is a standard for behaviour that is expected of members of the group.
It may be task irrelevant or task relevant. A norm reflects the group’s consensus
about behaviours that are considered acceptable.
“Team building” is a team enhancement or team improvement for both task and social
purposes.” Team building uses strategies to help members work together more
effectively and provides meaningful experiences that ultimately lead to a greater sense
of unity. Team building can either be directly applied by sport psychology specialists
(e.g. a specialist conducting a goal setting seminar with athletes and coaches) or
indirectly applied, where coaches and sport psychology specialists develop an
intervention together and then the intervention is applied by the coach.
One approach to team-building interventions adopted by Spink and Carron involved
the use of a four-stage process comprising an:
1. The introductory stage to provide the coach/leader with a brief overview of the
general benefits of group cohesion and group dynamics by the sport psychology
specialist
2. The conceptual stage used by the sport psychology specialist to teach the
coach about the various components of the team building protocol and helps the
coach identify key areas to focus efforts on (e.g. to identify the focus for possible
interventions)
3. The practical stage to have coaches/leaders, in an interactive brainstorming
session, generating as many specific strategies as possible to use for team
building in their group facilitated by a sport psychology specialist
4. The intervention stage may last throughout the entire season, as coaches
continually use team building strategies and evaluate the process and suitability
of strategies.
