Psychological Performance Factors Flashcards

Which psychological construct refers to an athlete's belief in their ability to execute a specific behavior or skill successfully?

Answer: Self-efficacy

Self-efficacy, as defined by Bandura, is the belief in one's capability to perform a specific task or behavior, directly influencing performance outcomes.

The Yerkes-Dodson law describes the relationship between arousal and performance. At which arousal level is performance typically optimal for complex motor tasks?

Answer: Moderate arousal

The Yerkes-Dodson law indicates that complex tasks are performed best at moderate arousal levels, as very high or very low arousal impairs intricate motor coordination.

Which attentional style, according to Nideffer's model, is most beneficial during a team huddle where a coach addresses broad tactical decisions?

Answer: Broad-external

Broad-external attention involves scanning the environment for multiple external cues simultaneously, which is ideal for reading team tactics and situational awareness.

A sport scientist notices an athlete consistently attributing losses to the referee and wins to personal skill. This pattern most closely reflects which attribution style?

Answer: Self-serving bias

Self-serving bias is the tendency to attribute successes to internal factors and failures to external factors, protecting self-esteem at the cost of accurate feedback.

Pre-competition anxiety can be differentiated into two components. Which component involves worry and negative thoughts about performance?

Answer: Cognitive anxiety

Cognitive anxiety refers to the mental component of anxiety, characterized by negative thoughts and worry about performance, distinct from somatic (physical) anxiety symptoms.

Which mental skill technique involves an athlete systematically tensing and relaxing muscle groups to reduce physiological arousal before competition?

Answer: Progressive muscle relaxation

Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) targets somatic anxiety by cycling through muscle tension and release, lowering overall physiological arousal before competition.

According to goal-setting theory, which type of goal is most directly linked to improving sport performance by focusing on skill development?

Answer: Process goals

Process goals focus on the specific actions and techniques an athlete must execute correctly, providing the most direct behavioral pathway to skill and performance improvement.