Exercise Psychology PDF

Exercise Psychology Scientific study of people and their behaviors in sports and exercise and the practical application of that knowledge ○ Evidence based knowledge (VERY difficult to ‘prove’ anything) ○ Field is located with conjecture and opinion (no real proof)...

Exercise Psychology Scientific study of people and their behaviors in sports and exercise and the practical application of that knowledge ○ Evidence based knowledge (VERY difficult to ‘prove’ anything) ○ Field is located with conjecture and opinion (no real proof) Example: nutrition list in class (Acai berry, quinoa, etc.) Objectives of Psychological Study Objective A: understand the effects of psychological factors on physical or motor performance Anxiety - can you perform under anxiety? Self-confidence - how is your self-confidence when you perform? Reinforcement - you perform better under positive reinforcement Imagery - imaging yourself doing the activity and succeeding (VMBR) = Visual Motor Behavior Rehearsal ○ Effects on performance ○ Effects on recovery and regeneration *** Different levels of anxiety/pressure/stress can alter normal motor functions/performance Ex. shooting a free throw for the class grade or shooting a free throw for a million dollars at a Bucks game Objective B: Understand the effects of physical activity participation on psychological development Why do you exercise? → Does exercise reduce anxiety/stress? ○ ^^^ Not true for everybody for those who do not like what they feel like or look like (lack of self-confidence) Does athletic participation reduce physical motivation or facilitate it? ○ Violent people are violent → boxing is not motivated to helping people be non-violent outside of the sport Does physical education class improve self-esteem? ○ Certain cases (depends on class) Does participation in athletics enhance personality development? ○ It becomes part of lifestyle in some cases, motivation towards other things Scroll down Professional Pathways Role as a Researcher ○ What does a researcher contribute? Knowledge comes from stories, experiences, etc. and not necessarily from “formal” research Role as a Teacher ○ Which teachers influenced you in your life? How you make people feel not what you said Role as a Consultant ○ How does a field professional act as a consultant? At some point you need a trained licensed psychologist → know about behaviors, know how to adjust programs for the patient, etc. Distinguishing Between Specialties Clinical Psychologist ○ PhD → licensed professional ○ Licensed to treat mental and personality disorders Educational Psychology Specialist ○ Graduate studies in psychology or counseling History 1897, Triplett ○ Studied cyclists, “social facilitation theory” → you perform better when everybody else performs the same task in the same proximity Example: track athletes will support this theory and run faster with someone next to them but the normal person will not actually run faster 1918, Griffith ○ First person to introduce an academic line of education towards athletic performance 1925, Griffith ○ First research in athletics lab at Illinois ○ 1926, publishes psychology of coaching Multidisciplinary Practice of Sport and Exercise Psychology Soviet Union treated the Olympics as a way to say “we are military superior” 1985 - USOC hires full time sport psychologist 1988 - USOC is accompanied by sport psychologist 2005 - International Society of Sport Psychology Conference Science vs. Art Bridging the scientific method and practical application of knowledge ○ Use of systematic approach ○ Standardize a condition at question ○ Controlled experimental condition ○ Collection of empirical data ○ Critical analysis Theory ○ Presentation of a theory to describe or predict future behavior Studies vs. Experiments Studies ○ Involves the collection of data, usually through observation, not intended to affect the environment Experiment ○ Purposely interject the environment to see what occurs ○ Ex. I believe Nike shoes run faster - count marathon runners in a race wearing Nikes → Study ○ Ex. Giving marathon runners Nike shoes to run in - controlling → Experiment Experiential Knowledge Observations assess current conditions, data may be formally or informally collected Case studies may be formed (information about a particular subject or group” When these observation and case studies are shared among peer professionals shared public experience occurs ○ Each person is different in their own ways - Herschel Walker’s diet might not work for MOST other people Integration of Scientific and Public Practice Knowledge Proactive approach ○ Coaching or teaching with PURPOSE ○ Inform yourself! (BELIEVE in it) ○ Believe in evidence even if you don’t want to Application of Experience ○ Coaches collect data informally, constantly ○ The future use of those data requires systematic planning ○ Believe in ability to understand what you see Psychological Orientation Psychological Orientation ○ Proponents use measurable physiological markers Pupil dilation, heart rate, brain wave activity, etc. Example: Only need the “follow the pen with eyes test” to determine the person is intoxicated while driving (because it is MEASURABLE) Social-Psychological Orientation ○ Study the interaction between the participant and their environment ○ The person you are in certain environments change (ex. In class, at home, at work, etc.) Cognitive-Behavioral Orientation ○ Emphasize the participant’s thoughts as an expression of behavior What do you think about what you are currently doing? How do you feel about what you are doing in certain situations? Ethical Considerations Standards of Practice ○ Have and show integrity ○ Have respect for subjects ○ Show concern for welfare of others Do what is best for the specific athlete Competition Social process that occurs when rewards are given to people on the basis of their performance compared to the performance of others ○ Success of one individual or team requires failure of the other individual or team ○ Can’t self-evaluate competitive situations (yes, can self-evaluate performance or behavior but it does NOT make it competitive) Cooperation Social process through which performance is evaluated and rewarded in terms of the collective achievement / performance of a GROUP compared to another group ○ Two or more people without a win-loss structure ○ Rewards are shared equally ^^^ Can improve outcomes 4 Stages of Competition Stage 1: Objective Competitive Situation  ○ Includes a standard of comparison with at least one other person who knows and understands the standard / expectation. Stage 2: Subjective Competitive Situation ○ How important was it to you to accomplish your goal / expectation? Competitive Orientation Enjoyment and desire to strive for success Win Orientation Focus is external… WIN Goal Orientation Focus is internal… IMPROVE Stage 3: Response ○ Approach or Avoid? ^^^ Example: What are the consequences of taking this test? If the individual chooses to approach, what are the possible approaches they could choose? Stage 4: Consequences ○ The perception of the consequence is more important than the objective outcome. Failure is not necessarily negative ○ How can we manipulate standard game rules to affect this for young learners? Example: “Teaching the kids to the test, it’s what I want them to know.” Review of Literature Triplett (1898) ○ Showed that face to face competition against fellow racing cyclists was shown to potentially enhance performance Average players next to Great players does not mean they will perform better Example: When golfing say “look at his left hand in the backswing”, and then the golfer will only think about that and shank it in the woods ^^^ Perform better relaxing ○ Social Facilitation Theory Deutsch (1949) ○ People who cooperated completed more puzzles, communicated better, less conflict in the group, and less conflict in outcomes Competitive conflicts can be resolved by communication, coordination, shared goals, and control of threat Competition is NOT the only way to make a good product  Aggression ○ Feelings and behavior focus on doing whatever it takes to win, even unfair play or intentional injury Competition can lead to aggression → football is not by definition “aggressive” Examples: Bounties Hockey dads Texas cheerleader moms ○ “Win at all costs” Drawing Cooperators into Competition ○ Competitors are capable of dictating play style and may not be aware of the cooperator’s style of play Abandoning cooperation for personal glory ○ Prisoner’s Dilemma Effects of Competition and Cooperation on Performance A Sense of Mission ○ People who have a sense of mission are easily motivated and enjoy what they believe to be important Importance of “team” and “improvement” Strong Work Ethic ○ Top performers display high levels of effort and persistence Being in control of outcome leads to increased persistence Use of Resources ○ Top performers take ownership in their health, development and recovery Strong Preparation Ethic ○ Preparation makes for top performance in unusual or unpredictable situations ○ Preparing for the unexpected Love of Challenge and Change ○ High achievers test their abilities against standards of excellence Approach competitive situations and do not mind the thought of losing Did you do it right? → importance is not the failure Ability to Work with a Team ○ Great performers recognize and appreciate the importance of working together with others Sometimes you would rather work alone and know you can do it better alone, but understand when it is important to appreciate working with others Is Competition Good or Bad? ^^^ It’s NEITHER However… Overemphasis on winning and competition ○ The Diener Rule (Reclassifying grade level) Repeat 8th grade → have competitive advantage ○ Texas High School Football Example: Football player is ineligible because of failed grades, then school board lets him play (they end up losing championship game) ○ Success over health Example: Man paralyzed for putting plates behind him during a snatch exercise for convenience over health Enhancing Cooperation Game Structure ○ Orlick’s means to classify games Competitive Means - Competitive Ends The goal is to beat someone else or everyone else ^^^ Racing Cooperative Means - Competitive Ends Team Sports → being good means being cooperative w/teammates Crew → rowing (8 guys needing to be in sync for success) Individual Means - Individual Ends Swimming, running, skiing, fitness Cooperative Means - Individual Ends Practice situations where improvement is goal ○ ** Working on new plays in football or basketball Road races (non-competition-oriented) Cooperative Means - Cooperative Ends Playing catch Playing ping pong to see how many in a row you can hit Philosophy of Cooperative Games Competitive games have become the norm ○ Rigid structure ○ Scores kept ○ Winners declared ○ Formal and informal awards Benefits of Blending Competition and Cooperation  Special Olympics movement ○ Paralympics is competitive just like the normal Olympics How to use Competitive Games to Foster Cooperation Maximize participation Maximize opportunities to learn sport and movement skills Do not keep score (as most important goal) Positive feedback Provide young learners the opportunity to play different positions Feedback, Reinforcement, and Intrinsic Motivation Principles of Reinforcement ○ Same reinforcer will affect two people differently ○ Cannot always repeat the reinforced behavior Make you feel good for doing something right (reinforcement/feedback) Make you feel bad for doing something wrong (reinforcement/still feedback) Approaches to Influencing Behavior Positive Approach (praise works better) ○ Somebody wanting the others to feel good and praised for doing something the right way or what should be done Negative Approach ○ Attempts to eliminate unwanted behaviors through punishment or criticism Positive Reinforcement Social Reinforcers ○ Praise Material Reinforcers ○ Medals, t-shirts Activity Reinforcers ○ Game vs. drill ○ Day off  Team Bonding Activities ○ Outings Choosing Effective Reinforcers ○ Individual Reinforcers Gotta know a lot about the one person ○ Team Reinforcers Kind of know how a group/bond of people will react to reinforcement ***Not everyone responds to praise or punishment the way we want them to*** Scheduling Reinforcements Effectively ○ From continuous and immediate reinforcers to intermittent reinforcers When someone is learning something new, praise OFTEN has value ^^Eventually stops having value so once some performance change and learning change has occurred, then praise LESS OFTEN has more value Rewarding Appropriate Behaviors ○ Successful Approximations Shaping close approximations through positive reinforcers “Better than where you were.” (even if you didn’t accomplish what you wanted) ○ Reward Performance and Process Baseball hitter ○ Reward Effort The skilled athlete in times of crisis (persistence) ○ Reward Emotional and Social Skills Reward sportsmanship and fair play Performance Feedback Knowledge of results provides specific feedback on correctness of their responses and enhances motivation ○ Track/swimming sometimes leave not knowing the results* ^^^ lack of knowledge makes it hard to adjust and correct performance for next time*** Motivational Feedback ○ Attempts to enhance confidence and inspire effort Purely motivational (says nothing about what you did) → “thank you for being good on time”  Instructional Feedback ○ Teaching and evaluation of skills and strategies Expresses clues about your performance → “Stop thinking you can get here in 7 minutes before the bell when you know it takes 10” Negative Reinforcement Our judicial system uses negative reinforcement (punishment) as the predominant behavioral shaper ○ Does it work on everybody? Most of the time for everybody, unless you are a psychopath Guidelines ○ Be consistent Treat everyone the same (coaches kid example**) ○ Punish the behavior, not the person, express the desire for changing behavior ○ Allow input form participants Don’t “cave in” → ex. Restaurant employees example ○ Do not use physical activity as punishment Want to want them to embrace physical activity/fitness ○ Make sure the athlete is not seeking attention thereby making the punishment a reward ○ Make the imposement of punishment impersonal ○ Do not punish during play ○ Do not embarrass ○ Use punishment sparingly Drawbacks? ○ Fear of failure ○ Reinforcing unwanted behavior (slows down learning of new skills) ○ Hinders learning of new skills ○ Can create a negative general environment Using Reinforcement to Modify Behavior Attempts to structure the environment through a systematic use of reinforcement, especially during practice Manipulation of behavior Behavior Modification Evaluating the Behavioral Program ○ Should contain information relevant to performing skill correctly