AAU Sports Psychology & Mental Performance

Question 1

Which mental skill involves an athlete creating vivid, detailed mental rehearsals of their performance before competing?

Accepted Answer

Visualization

Answer

Self-talk

Answer

Arousal regulation

Answer

Goal displacement

Question 2

An athlete who sets specific, measurable, and time-bound objectives is applying which goal-setting principle?

Accepted Answer

SMART goals

Answer

Process goals

Answer

Outcome goals

Answer

Performance profiling

Question 3

What term describes the optimal level of mental activation that leads to peak athletic performance?

Accepted Answer

Flow state

Answer

Cognitive anxiety

Answer

Somatic anxiety

Answer

Burnout

Question 4

Which type of self-talk is most effective for building an athlete's confidence before competition?

Accepted Answer

Positive motivational

Answer

Negative instructional

Answer

Neutral descriptive

Answer

External evaluative

Question 5

The Inverted-U Theory of arousal predicts that performance peaks at which level of arousal?

Accepted Answer

Moderate

Answer

Very low

Answer

Very high

Answer

At maximum possible arousal

Question 6

An AAU coach notices an athlete experiencing excessive worry about their performance before a meet. This is most closely classified as:

Accepted Answer

Cognitive anxiety

Answer

Eustress

Answer

Somatic anxiety

Answer

Positive activation

Question 7

Which psychological concept describes an athlete's belief in their own ability to successfully perform a specific task?

Accepted Answer

Self-efficacy

Answer

Locus of control

Answer

Trait anxiety

Answer

Attribution theory