CPSS Psychological Performance Factors 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which psychological construct refers to an athlete's belief in their ability to execute a specific behavior or skill successfully?
- Self-efficacy (Correct answer)
- Self-esteem
- Locus of control
- Intrinsic motivation
Correct 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.
Question 2: The Yerkes-Dodson law describes the relationship between arousal and performance. At which arousal level is performance typically optimal for complex motor tasks?
- Very high arousal
- Moderate arousal (Correct answer)
- Very low arousal
- Arousal level has no effect on complex tasks
Correct 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.
Question 3: Which attentional style, according to Nideffer's model, is most beneficial during a team huddle where a coach addresses broad tactical decisions?
- Narrow-internal
- Broad-internal
- Narrow-external
- Broad-external (Correct answer)
Correct 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.
Question 4: 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?
- Mastery orientation
- Self-serving bias (Correct answer)
- Learned helplessness
- Outcome orientation
Correct 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.
Question 5: Pre-competition anxiety can be differentiated into two components. Which component involves worry and negative thoughts about performance?
- Somatic anxiety
- Cognitive anxiety (Correct answer)
- Facilitative anxiety
- Trait anxiety
Correct 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.
Question 6: Which mental skill technique involves an athlete systematically tensing and relaxing muscle groups to reduce physiological arousal before competition?
- Centering
- Progressive muscle relaxation (Correct answer)
- Cognitive restructuring
- Thought stopping
Correct answer: Progressive muscle relaxation
Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) targets somatic anxiety by cycling through muscle tension and release, lowering overall physiological arousal before competition.
Question 7: According to goal-setting theory, which type of goal is most directly linked to improving sport performance by focusing on skill development?
- Outcome goals
- Process goals (Correct answer)
- Performance goals
- Social comparison goals
Correct 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.
CPSS Psychological Performance Factors 1
Which psychological construct refers to an athlete's belief in their ability to execute a specific behavior or skill successfully?