Chapter 7: Attention and Concentration

Question 1

What does concentration in sport entail? (4 points)

Answer 1

1. focus on relevant cues in envir. (selective attention)
   - gate out irrelevant sensory info
   - attend to self and team behaviours
2. Maintaining attentional focus across situations
3. Continuous situational awareness
   - understand situations to make anticipatory decisions
4. Shifting flexible attentional focus
   - diff. types of concentration need for diff. sports… etc.

Question 2

What are the 4 types of attentional focus? Give examples.

Answer 2

1. Broad external focus
   - many cues at once, outward focus (i.e. wind)
2. Broad internal focus
   - many cues at once, inward focus (i.e. shot options)
3. Narrow external focus
   - one cue at a time, outward focus (i.e. speed of ball)
4. Narrow internal focus
   - one cue at a time, inward focus (i.e. breathe in belly)

Question 3

What are some INTERNAL DISTRACTORS?

Answer 3

• attending to past or future
• overanalyzing
• fatigue
• high arousal
• choking (progressive deterioration under pressure usually due to negative internal focus)

Question 4

What are some EXTERNAL DISTRACTORS?

Answer 4

• visual (i.e. media)
• auditory (i.e. music)
• tactile (i.e. uniforms)
• temperature (i.e. heat)
• trash talk
• evaluation (apprehension)

Question 5

Flow / “in the zone”

Answer 5

positive state in which person feels balance btwn. challenges of situation and skills to cope with these challenges

Question 6

Self-talk

Answer 6

strategy involving verbalizing out loud or in head specific thoughts and feelings

Question 7

3 types of self-talk

Answer 7

1. motivational/positive: energy, effort
2. instructional: skills and movements
3. negative: critical, self-denigrating

Question 8

How to use self-talk effectively

Answer 8

• metaphors
• short, specific, memorable statements
• present-focused
• positive, process-focused
• repeated, rehearsed

Question 9

4 types of attentional style

Answer 9

1. associative internal: focus on self
2. associative external: focus on routes…etc.
3. dissociative internal: daydreaming, problem solving
4. dissociative external: environment…etc.

Question 10

5 ways of reducing cognitive interference

Answer 10

1. thought stopping: displace negative thoughts with positive
2. centering: bring attention internally, focus on task
3. cue words: simple, positive
4. mental rehearsals: of movements… etc.
5. drop comparisons and judgments

Question 11

Psychological skills training (PST)

Answer 11

way of enhancing performance in some way - i.e. maintaining concentration, regulating arousal, enhancing confidence, maintaining motivation

Question 12

Coping

Answer 12

effort to manage external or internal demands or conflicts that exceed one’s ability to manage

Question 13

4 types of coping

Answer 13

1. problem-focused: confronting and changing stressful situation
2. emotion-focused: managing emotional effects of stress
3. approach-focused: approach situation
4. avoidance

Question 14

Matching hypothesis

Answer 14

people must manage specific type of arousal with same type of behav. strategy (i.e. physiological arousal with behav. strategy)

Question 15

3 phases to implementing PST

Answer 15

1. research phase: what needs are
2. education phase: athletes learn psych. skills can be taught and improve performance
3. assessment phase: observations, interview
4. acquisition phase: athletes learn specific strategies and techniques for mastering psych skills
5. practice phase
6. evaluation phase

Question 16

2 ways of managing arousal by changing BEHAVIOUR

Answer 16

1. Progressive muscle relaxation: tensing and releasing each body part one at a time to help distinguish btwn states of tension and relaxation
2. Biofeedback: monitor and change selected physiological functions - heart rate, muscle activity, brain wave patterns

Question 17

4 ways of managing arousal by managing COGNITIVES

Answer 17

1. Autogenic training: series of exercises designed to produce sensations of warmth and heaviness
2. Hypnosis: altered state of consciousness in which indivs. are unusually relaxed and can respond to suggestions for change in thoughts, feelings, behavs.
3. Meditation: relax bodies and focus attention on single thought
4. Mindfulness training: pay conscious attention to thoughts, emotions and bodily sensations

Question 18

2 ways of managing arousal that combine COGNITIVE and BEHAVIOURAL strategies

Answer 18

1. Cognitive-affective stress management training: focuses on specific coping mechanisms to handle physical and mental challenges of stress
2. Stress inoculation training: athletes must - learn impact of thoughts (conceptualization), learn coping strategies (rehearsal phase) and practice them (application)

Question 19

Arousal can have major impact on…. (2 points)

Answer 19

1. Attention: focus at particular time

2. Concentration: ability to focus on relevant and ignore irrelevant info

Question 20

Inattentional blindness

Answer 20

phenomenon in which ppl fail to pay attention to most salient feature of an envir.

Question 21

Attentional focus

Answer 21

ability to direct attention to appropriate stimuli, measured in 2 dimensions:

1. width of attention: varies from broad to narrow focus
2. direction of attention: varies from internal to external

Question 22

Attentional flexibility

Answer 22

ability to change scope and focus attention over time and in diff. situations

Question 23

Imagery

Answer 23

using one’s senses to create realistic image or exp. in mind

Question 24

2 types of imagery

Answer 24

1. internal: athletes imagine skill from own perspective

2. external: athletes imagine skill from outsider’s perspective

Question 25

People differ in ability to create images high in ___ and ___

Answer 25

vividness: ability to make images clear and detailed controllability: ability to manipulate images at will

Question 26

3 theories describing potential benefits of imagery on performance

Answer 26

1. Psychoneuromuscular theory: imagery promotes learning motor skills - simply imagining skills activates muscles 2. Symbolic learning perspective: imagery helps ppl understand and acquire movement patterns 3. Psych skills/attentional-arousal: improve concentration, reduce anxiety, enhance confidence 4. Triple Code Model (ISM): process of: Image, Somatic response (psychophysiological change occurs), image Meaning attainment (individualized)

Question 27

Functional equivalence hypothesis and PETTLEP

Answer 27

Functional equivalence hypothesis: mentally imagining actions and engaging in actions involve same neurophysiological processes PETTLEP: 7 components of thoughts and actions described in f.e. hypothesis: physical, environmental, task, timing, learning, emotion, perspectives

Question 28

Why isn't PST used more often?

Answer 28

- lack of knowledge of HOW - no understanding, resources... etc. - lack of knowledge of WHO - belief in innate athlete - "have it or not" - lack of PRIORITY/making time - focus on physical skill as sole reason for performance

Question 29

What are some sport psych myths?

Answer 29

- only for elite athletes - only for crazy pppl - scary, strange, threatening - quick fix - magic elixir - turn into star

Question 30

What does arousal regulation entail?

Answer 30

self monitoring and recognition of states, interpreting states, reflecting situations and recognizing trends

Question 31

alexithymia

Answer 31

inability to acknowledge and describe emotions

Question 32

Do we build mental toughness?

Answer 32

Yes, it's a multifaceted construct, can be natural or developed

Question 33

A PSTP can be implemented by teachers, trainers and coaches. What model and approach does this idea come from?

Answer 33

supervisory consulting model and organizational empowerment approach

Question 34

Mood measurements such as POMS are NOT for selection BUT for monitoring pre-post states:

Answer 34

- adjustment to varying training situations (ACCLIMATIZATION) - identifying overturning - rehabilitation - development of depressive symptoms - improve self awareness and enhance mood over time

Question 35

What are some induction techniques?

Answer 35

- visible positive messages - increase breathing - self talk, pep talk - imagery

Question 36

What are some SOMATIC (relax and use body) reduction techniques?

Answer 36

- breath control - biofeedback - progressive relaxation (tense and relax process) - autogenic training (warmth and heavy)

Question 37

What are some COGNITIVE (relax and use mind) reduction techniques?

Answer 37

- meditation - Integrated Mind Body Training (relaxed alertness) - self-talk

Question 38

What are some MULTIMODAL reduction techniques?

Answer 38

- Stress Inoculation - Visual Motor Behaviour Rehearsal (VMBR) (relaxation training with imagery use) - Cognitive Affective Stress Management Training (relaxation + self talk alteration)

Question 39

Match these imagery types (Motivation Specific, Motivation General Mastery, Motivation General Arousal, Cognitive General, Cognitive Specific) with these uses (Strategy, Skill, Motivation, Focus, Confidence, Controlling Anxiety)

Answer 39

``` strategy - CG skill - CS motivation - MS focus - MGM confidence - MGM controlling anxiety - MGA ```

Question 40

Give examples of each imagery type (CG, CS... etc.)

Answer 40

Cognitive General: imagining gameplay, team positions Cognitive Specific: knee movements, lifting Motivation Specific: imagine winning Motivation General Mastery: imagine remaining focus, self talk Motivation General Arousal: imagine control arousal - deep breathing