Psychology 2990A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Sport Psychology, Goal Setting, Social Comparison Theory

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 2990A/B
• Professor: Doug Hazelwood

Document Summary

Sport psychology consultants have been studying and developing psychological skills interventions to help athletes enhance their performance and psychological well being. A psychological skill training program entails the structured and consistent practice of psychological skills and generally has three phases: education, acquisition, practice. Acquisition: the focus is placed on helping athletes acquire the various psychological skills and learn how to employ them most effectively. Practice: the goals are to have the athletes automate the various psychological skills through overlearning and to implement these skills in practice and competition. The psychological skills that have been researched most extensively are goal setting, imagery, self-talk, arousal regulation and attention control. Another important psychological skill is coping with emotions. Goal setting is the most commonly used performance enhancement strategy in sport psychology. Effectiveness of goal setting: locke and lantham: goals direct attention, mobilize effort, foster persistence and promote the development of new learning strategies.