Get Motivated
A swimmer trains because she enjoys swimming and loves challenging herself. What type of motivation is this?
Intrinsic motivation
What is the positive form of stress that can improve motivation and performance?
Eustress
According to the Inverted U Theory, what level of activation generally results in maximum performance?
Moderate/optimal activation
Practising or experiencing situations that closely resemble real competition is called what?
Simulation
An athlete is friendly, pleasant and social. Which personality trait would they score highly in?
Agreeableness
A footballer is motivated by receiving a trophy for best player. What type of motivation is this?
Extrinsic motivation
What is distress?
Negative stress occurring when an athlete feels overwhelmed or unable to cope with the demands of the situation.
What is the name for the state where an athlete experiences optimal activation and confidence?
The Zone / Flow
“I have the fitness to outlast my opponent.” What psychological technique is being used?
Performance-enhancing self-talk
What are the two dimensions in Eysenck's personality theory?
Introvert ↔ Extrovert and Stable ↔ Unstable/Neurotic
A runner wants to improve their 5 km PB from 25 minutes to 23 minutes. What type of goal is this?
Performance goal
Name the three methods used to measure stress/anxiety.
Self-report questionnaire, physiological responses and observation of behaviour
A shooter has a low heart rate, slow reaction time and very relaxed grip. What activation state are they likely experiencing?
Low activation / under-activation
What are the three aspects of concentration?
Selective attention/relevant cues; maintaining focus throughout performance; awareness of the situation/state of play
An athlete is calm, reliable, passive, thoughtful and controlled. Where do they sit on Eysenck's model?
Stable/Introvert
What does SMARTER stand for?
Specific, Measurable, Action Planned, Realistic, Time Framed, Evaluated, Recorded
An athlete's heart rate increases, muscles tighten and they begin sweating before competition. Are these cognitive or somatic responses?
Somatic
Why might a highly emotional pre-game pep talk improve one athlete's performance but negatively affect another?
Athletes have individual differences and different optimal levels of activation.
Name the four stages of a break-in-play routine, in order.
Physical response → Relaxation response → Preparation response → Readying response
According to Bandura's Social Learning Theory, how is personality learned?
Through experiences, observing other people and copying/modelling their behaviour.
A coach rewards athletes for consistently attending training because they want that behaviour to continue. Name and explain the principle being used.
Law of Effect – rewarding a behaviour increases the likelihood of that behaviour being repeated.
Cognitive anxiety continues increasing until an athlete becomes over-activated. Somatic anxiety then rises dramatically and performance suddenly drops. What model explains this?
Catastrophe Model
An athlete is over-activated before a final. Give two activation-reduction techniques and explain how each could help.
PMR reduces muscle tension; centering/breathing control reduces tension and directs focus/energy back to the task.
An athlete is favourite to win but starts thinking about losing instead of focusing on their performance. Give two psychological strategies they could use and explain how each would help.
Accept mental imagery, simulation, pre-performance routine, PMR, centering/breathing, positive self-talk/verbal persuasion, with an appropriate explanation.
A coach demonstrates a skill, explains it verbally and then shows footage of an elite athlete performing it. Explain how this applies Bandura's Social Learning Theory.
The coach is using the three models: demonstration/modelling, verbal instruction and symbolic modelling.