Special Considerations

Question 1

In children, what is the difference between Chronological Age and Biological Age?

Answer 1

• Chronological Age- Age in years

- Biological Age- Age as measured by skeletal or sexual maturity

Question 2

What is the Period of Peak Height Velocity?

Answer 2

• The Pubertal Growth Spurt when young athletes may be at increased risk for injury
• Usually occurs around age 12 for females and 14 for males

Question 3

Where is growth cartilage in children located?

Answer 3

• Epiphyseal Plate
• The Joint Surface
• Apophyseal Insertions
• If this is damaged, it may affect the growth and development of the affected bone

Question 4

To what can the improvements in strength in preadolescent boys and girls be attributed?

Answer 4

• Neurological factors, Not Hypertrophic changes

Question 5

What is a possibility if a child particpates in a preseason conditioning program that includes resistance training?

Answer 5

• May decrease risk for injury

Question 6

Why are women generally weaker than men?

Answer 6

• Overall lower quantity of muscle
• In terms of cross sectional area, no difference in strength exists between the sexes
• Muscle Quality is not different between the two

Question 7

What are some factors that lead to a loss of muscle mass with advancing age?

Answer 7

• Physical Inactivity

- Selective loss of type 2 muscle fibers

Question 8

Are older men and women able to make improvements in muscular strength and mass?

Answer 8

• Yes

- Aerobic and Resistance exercise are beneficial, but only resistance training can increase strength and mass

Question 9

What is Osteopenia?

Answer 9

• Bone mineral density between -1 and -2.5 Standard Deviations from the young adult mean

Question 10

What is Osteoporosis?

Answer 10

• Bone mineral density below -2.5 Standard Deviations from the young adult mean

Question 11

What is State Anxiety?

Answer 11

• Subjective experience of apprehension and uncertainty that causes eleveated autonomic and voluntary neural outflow
• Can be positive, negative, or neutral for sports performance

Question 12

What is Trait Anxiety?

Answer 12

• A personality variable or disposition relating to the probability that one will perceive an environment as threatening
• Trait anxiety often acts as a primer for state anxiety making it more likely for state anxiety to occur if the athlete finds the environment threatening

Question 13

What is the difference between cognitive anxiety and somatic anxiety?

Answer 13

• Cognitive anxiety relates to psychological processes and worrisome thoughts whereas somatic anxiety relates to physical symptoms such as tense muscles

Question 14

What is selective attention?

Answer 14

• Ability to inhibit awareness of some stimuli in order to process others
• Suppresses task irrelevant cues in order to process task relevant cues with limited attentional space

Question 15

What is a preparatory routine?

Answer 15

• Ritual or mental checklist that directs thoughts to task relevant and controllable concerns

Question 16

How does level of arousal change focus on task irrelevant or relevant cues?

Answer 16

• As arousal increases task irrelevant cues are excluded and at a high enough level of arousal can be eliminated

Question 17

What are the characteristics of an ideal performance state?

Answer 17

• A sense of personal control (most important)
• No fear of failure
• narrow focus of attention concentrated on the activity itself
• A sense of effortlessness- involuntary experience
• Distortion of time and space in which time seems to slow

Question 18

Describe the Cognitive, Associative, and Automaticity stage of motor skill learning

Answer 18

• Cognitive Stage- Effortful and conscious regulation of movement
• Associative Stage- the athlete must focus on the task but is less concerned with the details of the movement
• Automaticity Stage- the mind is relaxed and the skill is performed automatically without thinking

Question 19

What is the difference between Intrinsic and Achievement Motivation?

Answer 19

• Intrinsic motivation results in an athlete being a self starter due to love of the game
• Achievement motivation relates to an athletes wish to engage in competition or social comparison
• All other things the same, the athlete with achievement motivation will be better because they have an appetite for competition

Question 20

What is the difference between Motive to Achieve Success (MAS) and Motive to Avoid Failure (MAS)?

Answer 20

• Motive to achieve success describes an athlete who is intrigued by situations that are uncertain or challenging with about a 50% probability of success
• Motive to avoid failure describes an athlete who is most comfortable in situations where it is either very easy or very difficult to achieve success

Question 21

Which is arguably the better approach to coaching, Reinforcement or Punsishment?

Answer 21

• Reinforcement

Question 22

What is the Inverted U Theory of performance?

Answer 22

• Arousal facilitates performance up to a certain point, beyond which further increases in arousal are associated with reduced performance

Question 23

How does the inverted U theory apply to skill level of the athlete?

Answer 23

• The more skill an athlete has, the better he or she can perform in states of less or greater than optimal arousal
• Coaches should decrease arousal in unseasoned athletes for increased focus

Question 24

How should Personality types be treated differently according to the Inverted U Theory of performance?

Answer 24

• Extroverts- require heightened stimulation

- Introverts- require lower level of stimulation

Question 25

How are process goals different from outcome goals?

Answer 25

• Process goals- focus on the strategy and specific tasks. If effort is expended, success often occurs
• Outcome goals- athlete has little control, often winning is the goal