NSCA CSCS Sport Psychology and Motivation 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Burnout in athletes is MOST associated with which combination of psychological factors?
- High intrinsic motivation and low training volume
- Chronic stress, overtraining, and loss of enjoyment (Correct answer)
- High competitive anxiety and social support
- Low self-efficacy and high task cohesion
Correct answer: Chronic stress, overtraining, and loss of enjoyment
Athletic burnout is characterized by emotional/physical exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced sense of accomplishment resulting from chronic unresolved training and competitive stress.
Question 2: Which pre-performance routine element helps an athlete redirect attention away from distractions and center on the upcoming task?
- Social interaction
- Centering breath (Correct answer)
- Outcome visualization
- Statistical review
Correct answer: Centering breath
A centering breath is a controlled, slow diaphragmatic breath used to lower arousal, focus attention, and prepare for performance.
Question 3: When an athlete's performance suddenly improves because a coach expressed high expectations of them, this is known as:
- Pygmalion effect (Correct answer)
- Hawthorne effect
- Placebo effect
- Galatea effect
Correct answer: Pygmalion effect
The Pygmalion effect (or Rosenthal effect in sport) occurs when a coach's high expectations lead to improved athlete performance through enhanced feedback and attention.
Question 4: Which motivational climate created by a coach emphasizes comparison with teammates and focuses on winning over personal improvement?
- Mastery climate
- Ego/performance climate (Correct answer)
- Autonomy-supportive climate
- Task-oriented climate
Correct answer: Ego/performance climate
An ego or performance climate, as described in achievement goal theory, emphasizes social comparison, outperforming others, and winning rather than personal development.
Question 5: A lineman who uses the association strategy during a grueling conditioning drill is doing which of the following?
- Distracting himself with music or thoughts unrelated to fatigue
- Attending to internal bodily sensations such as breathing and muscle effort (Correct answer)
- Visualizing the finish line
- Using relaxation techniques to lower heart rate
Correct answer: Attending to internal bodily sensations such as breathing and muscle effort
The association strategy involves focusing on internal physical sensations (breathing, muscle tension, pain) rather than dissociating by directing attention outward.
Question 6: Which of the following BEST reduces the negative effects of competitive anxiety in a strength and conditioning context?
- Increasing training intensity immediately before competition
- Developing individualized coping skills such as relaxation and self-talk (Correct answer)
- Eliminating all competitive elements from training
- Increasing external rewards for performance outcomes
Correct answer: Developing individualized coping skills such as relaxation and self-talk
Teaching individualized psychological coping skills (relaxation, self-talk, imagery) is the most evidence-based approach to managing competitive anxiety.
Question 7: The principle of specificity in mental skills training suggests that psychological techniques should be practiced:
- Only during competition, not in practice
- In conditions that simulate the performance environment as closely as possible (Correct answer)
- Exclusively in a relaxed, low-stress setting
- Only when performance is already declining
Correct answer: In conditions that simulate the performance environment as closely as possible
Like physical skills, mental skills transfer best when practiced in contexts similar to the competitive environment, reinforcing their use under pressure.
NSCA CSCS Sport Psychology and Motivation 5
Burnout in athletes is MOST associated with which combination of psychological factors?