Sports psychology

Personality:

• Personality is the sum total of an individuals characteristics which make a human unique.
• Narrow band theory splits personalities into two types- A and B.
• Type A- highly competitivity, works fast, strong desire to succeed, likes control, stressed.
• Type B- non competitive, works slower, lacks desire to succeed, tolerant, less prone to stress.
• Can help coach be more aware of a player's anxiety and suggest trategies.
• Knowing about anxiety can lead performer to seek help with state anxiety during sports.

Stable and unstable personality traits:

• Trait approach- personality is made up of stable/unstable traits.
• Stable- unchangeable, constant, predictable (e.g. calmness/stressed in most situations).
• Unstable- changeable, unpredictable (e.g. emotionally aggressive but agression varies).
• If an individual shows unstable emotional characteristics= neurotic behaviour.

Extroversion:

• Affiliate well to other people
• Outgoing, gregarious and social
• Become aroused more slowly the extroverts
• Low sensitivity of the reticular activating system (low levels of arousal).

Introversion:

• Shy and reserved.
• Prefer isolation from others.
• Become aroused more quickly than introverts.
• High sensitivity of the reticular activating system (naturally high levels of arousal).

Reticular activating system (RAS):

• Introverts more easily aroused due to the sensitivity of the RAS in the brain= greater likelihood that with increased stimulation the introvert will become over aroused.

Social learning and personality:

• Idea that personality changes with the situation + environment; B = F (E) 
• Explains why we are like those significant to us, we adopt their personality (role models/family members).

Interactionist approach to personality:

• Idea that both trait and social learning mould personality; B=F (P+E)
• Traits interact with environmental factors and affect our personalities/behaviour.
• Explains why personalities change; shy off court but loud during a game situation.

Hollanders theory:

• Inner psychological core- unaffected by environment (basic beliefs and values).
• Middle layer- typical response to certain situations.
• Outer layer- role related behaviours (behaviour varies depending on circumstances).
• Around outer layer is the social environment which affects our role-related behaviours.

Profile of mood states (POMS):

• The diagram measures the moods of: tension, depression, anger, vigour, fatigue, confusion.
• Measures the moods of elite athletes and unsuccessful sports people.
• Unsuccessful people have moods that are fairly consistent (flat profile).
• Successful people have all moods, but anger and vigour, at lower levels.
• Score on vigour are significantly higher= iceberg profile.

Attitudes:

• Normally directed towards a certain situation= predisposition to act in a certain way towards some aspect of a person's environment, including other people.
• Attitudes are learned rather than innate and tend to be judgemental.
• If an attitude is based on false info, becomes prejudice (preconceived opinion).
• Components of attitude (triadic model): beliefs, emotions and behaviour.
• Beliefs (cognitive element) formed by past experiences, learnt by others.
• Emotions (affective element) depend on past experiences which influence our likes/dislikes.
• Behaviour (behavioural element) isn't always consistent with our attitude, e.g. we believe that exercise is good for us but we don't exercise very much.
• All elements must be consistent for attitude to be stable; interdependance.

Attitudes and behaviour:

• Prejudice can affect behaviour.
• Prejudice is a prejudgement; someone evaluates a situation without receving adequate info.
• Prejudice seen in crowd behaviour at matches; pressure for conformity.

Methods of changing attitudes:

• Persuasive communication efffectiveness depends: the persuader, quality of the message and characteristics of who is being persuaded.
• Persuader must be of high status, e.g. coach or teacher (promote exercise to non-exercisers).
• Message must make sense and be believable; info must be accurate and clear.
• People your persuading must be clever enough to understand the message, may not accept it.

Attitudes associated with physical education and sport: