Sports Psychology & Motivation Flashcards
7 cards from real CIC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Sports Psychology & Motivation flashcards as text
Which leadership style is generally most effective when coaching experienced, self-motivated high school athletes?
Answer: Democratic/participative style
Democratic or participative coaching allows experienced athletes input in decision-making, which enhances autonomy, ownership, and intrinsic motivation.
A swimmer's performance suddenly drops despite no physical injury. The coach suspects burnout. Which sign is MOST characteristic of athlete burnout?
Answer: Emotional exhaustion and sport devaluation
Athlete burnout is characterized by emotional/physical exhaustion, sport devaluation (reduced sense of accomplishment), and a depersonalized attitude toward sport.
In Achievement Goal Theory, an athlete with a strong task (mastery) orientation primarily defines success as:
Answer: Personal improvement and skill mastery
Task-oriented athletes judge success based on personal improvement and effort, independent of how they compare to others.
A coach wants to reduce pre-game anxiety in a nervous athlete. Which intervention is MOST evidence-based?
Answer: Progressive muscle relaxation and controlled breathing
Progressive muscle relaxation combined with diaphragmatic breathing effectively reduces somatic anxiety by activating the parasympathetic nervous system.
Which psychological concept explains why a soccer player's performance improves when playing in front of a supportive home crowd but declines with a hostile crowd?
Answer: Social facilitation
Social facilitation theory explains that audience presence enhances performance on well-learned tasks but can impair performance on novel or complex skills depending on arousal level.
An athlete persistently attributes losses to bad luck and wins to easy opponents. This pattern most indicates:
Answer: External locus of control with self-serving bias
Attributing losses externally (luck) and wins externally (easy opponents) reflects external locus of control combined with a self-serving attribution bias.
What is the PRIMARY purpose of using mental imagery (visualization) in sport?
Answer: To rehearse skills and build confidence through mental simulation
Mental imagery allows athletes to mentally rehearse skills, strategies, and emotional responses, strengthening neural pathways and building confidence.