CCSP CCSP Sports Psychology & Mental Performance Questions and Answers 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A CCSP is helping an injured athlete mentally prepare for return to sport. Which evidence-based psychological skill uses mental rehearsal of successful performance to improve confidence and motor patterns?
- Imagery (visualization) (Correct answer)
- Systematic desensitization
- Operant conditioning
- Cognitive restructuring alone
Correct answer: Imagery (visualization)
Imagery or visualization involves mentally rehearsing athletic movements and successful outcomes, which activates similar neural pathways as physical practice.
Question 2: Athlete burnout is characterized by three core dimensions according to Raedeke's model. Which of the following correctly lists all three?
- Emotional/physical exhaustion, sport devaluation, and reduced sense of accomplishment (Correct answer)
- Overtraining, social isolation, and fear of failure
- Performance decline, injury recurrence, and motivational loss
- Chronic fatigue, depression, and anxiety
Correct answer: Emotional/physical exhaustion, sport devaluation, and reduced sense of accomplishment
Raedeke's burnout model identifies emotional/physical exhaustion, sport devaluation (cynicism), and a reduced sense of accomplishment as the three core components.
Question 3: Which psychological construct refers to an athlete's belief in their own ability to successfully perform a specific task in sport?
- Self-efficacy (Correct answer)
- Self-esteem
- Locus of control
- Achievement motivation
Correct answer: Self-efficacy
Self-efficacy, as defined by Bandura, is task-specific confidence in one's ability to execute a particular behavior or performance successfully.
Question 4: Goal setting is a key mental performance strategy. Which goal type is considered most effective for improving sport performance when used as the primary focus during training?
- Process goals (focusing on specific performance behaviors) (Correct answer)
- Outcome goals (focusing on winning or rankings)
- Dream goals (long-term aspirational targets)
- Avoidance goals (focusing on not making errors)
Correct answer: Process goals (focusing on specific performance behaviors)
Process goals focus on controllable actions and technique cues, giving athletes concrete targets that directly improve performance more than outcome-based goals.
Question 5: An athlete presents with the triadic combination of excessive drive for thinness, disordered eating, and menstrual irregularity. This constellation in a female athlete is part of which recognized syndrome?
- Female Athlete Triad (Correct answer)
- Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S)
- Anorexia athletica
- Overtraining syndrome
Correct answer: Female Athlete Triad
The Female Athlete Triad classically describes the interrelated conditions of low energy availability, menstrual dysfunction, and low bone mineral density.
Question 6: A CCSP working with a team notices an athlete displaying signs of staleness: declining performance despite normal training loads, increased irritability, and sleep disturbances lasting over two weeks. This best fits which diagnosis?
- Non-functional overreaching or overtraining syndrome (Correct answer)
- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Major depressive disorder
Correct answer: Non-functional overreaching or overtraining syndrome
Non-functional overreaching and overtraining syndrome present with performance decline, mood disturbances, and fatigue despite adequate training load, lasting weeks to months.
CCSP CCSP Sports Psychology & Mental Performance Questions and Answers 2
A CCSP is helping an injured athlete mentally prepare for return to sport.
Which evidence-based psychological skill uses mental rehearsal of successful performance to improve confidence and motor patterns?