A Positive Approach to Coaching Effectiveness and Performance Enhancement Ronald E. Smith “Profound responsibilities come with teaching and coaching. You can do so much good–or harm. It’s why I believe that next to parenting, teaching and coaching are the two most important professions in the world.” John Wooden Hall of Fame basketball coach Chapter 3 Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Influence in a Sport Setting Who influences? Teammates Opponents Officials Coaches What is influenced? Thoughts Emotions Motivational factors Behaviors Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Psychology of Coaching Set of strategies designed to increase a coaches ability to influence the behavior of others more effectively Helps to: Create a good learning situation Create a social environment Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

The ABCs of Behavior Control Operant Conditioning: The study of relations between three kinds of events (A): Antecedents like environmental stimuli (B): Behaviors in which the person engages (C): Consequences immediately following B Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

The ABCs of Behavior Control (cont.) Relations between A, B, and C are “if, then” elements called contingencies: 1.Relationship between antecedents and behaviors (A and B) 2.Contingency between behavior and its consequences (B and C) Behavior is strongly influenced by the consequences it produces Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Antecedents Discriminative stimuli: Signals that guide behavior so that it is “appropriate” and will lead to positive consequences Stimulus control: When antecedents are influential in governing a behavior; reaction is automatic Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Response Consequences Positive reinforcement Negative reinforcement Extinction Punishment (aversive) Punishment (response cost) Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Response Consequences Positive reinforcement Presentation of a positive stimulus; increases the likelihood that the behavior will occur in the future under the same conditions Negative reinforcement Remove an aversive stimuli to strengthen the behavior that results in successful escape or avoidance Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Response Consequences (cont.) Extinction Removal of a positive stimulus that has in the past followed the behavior; remove the cause, change the effect Punishment (aversive) Present aversive stimuli that suppresses the behavior Punishment (response cost) Remove something positive to reduce the behavior Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Positive vs. Aversive Control Behavior is strongly influenced by its consequences Positive Reinforcement Negative Reinforcement ExtinctionPunishment INCREASE BEHAVIOR DECREASE BEHAVIOR POSITIVE CONTROL AVERSIVE CONTROL Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Aversive Control Attempts to eliminate unwanted behaviors through punishment and criticism Relies on fear Has some potentially serious negative side effects Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Negative Side Effects of Punishment Fear of failure (associated with choking) Unpleasant environment (e.g., resentment, hostility) Cohesion built on hatred of coach Inappropriate modeling Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Aversive Control (cont.) Reasons why some coaches succeed with aversive control: They also communicate caring for their players as people, so that aversive feedback is not “taken personally” They have very talented athletes They recruit thick-skinned athletes less affected by aversive feedback They are such skilled teachers and strategists that these abilities overshadow their negative approach Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Response Cost Punishment Has two distinct advantages over aversive punishment 1.It is less likely to cause avoidance of the punisher or the punishing situation because it doesn’t rely on fear 2.The punisher is not modeling abusive aggression, so there is less opportunity for learning aggression through imitation Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

The Positive Alternative Strengthens desired behaviors through Encouragement Positive reinforcement Technical instruction given within supportive atmosphere Mistakes are not totally negative Fosters a positive learning environment and relationships among coaches and athletes Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Positive Reinforcement Effective use of reinforcement: Find a reinforcer that works for a particular athlete Make the occurrence of reinforcement dependent on performance of the desired behavior Make sure the athlete understands why the reinforcement is being given Reinforcement contingencies: Relations between behaviors and their consequences Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Positive Reinforcement (cont.) Choosing effective reinforcers – Not all reinforcers are created equal – Use a variety – Should be specific to the athlete Selecting and reinforcing target behaviors – Focus on a skill – Good to strengthen skills the athlete is just beginning to master, “reward power” Shaping – Start with the athlete’s current skill level and gradually require a more skillful level of performance before reinforcement is given Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Positive Reinforcement (cont.) Schedules of reinforcement: The pattern and frequency with which reinforcement is administered Continuous: given immediately after appropriate behavior Best for new skills Partial: some proportion of correct responses are reinforced, some are not Stronger after the skills are learned Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Reinforcing Effort and Other Desirable Behaviors Whenever possible, try to reinforce a desired behavior as soon as it occurs Whether successful or not… Important to reinforce effort as much as results Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Reinforcement and Intrinsic Motivation Intrinsic Motivation: Motivated to perform an activity for its own sake, “for the love of the game” Extrinsic Motivation: Perform activity only to obtain some external reward Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Reinforcement and Intrinsic Motivation (cont.) Can extrinsic motivation undermine intrinsic motivation? Sometimes, yes. A person may attribute his/her performance to extrinsic reward However, extrinsic reinforcement unlikely to undermine intrinsic motivation if it provides information to an athlete about meeting a standard of excellence Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Positive Reinforcement and Mastery Motivational Climate The positive approach fosters a mastery (task)-oriented motivational climate Athletes feel successful and competent Reinforces effort, persistence, and improvement An ego-oriented motivational climate Athlete’s definitions of success are other- referenced Reinforce outperforming others, punish unsuccessful performance Motivational climate strongly effects achievement goals, standards of success, and behavior Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Performance Feedback Providing the athlete with “knowledge of results” Performance has met or exceeded the coach’s standards Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

How Does Feedback Inform and Motivate? Corrects misconceptions Creates internal consequences such as positive or negative feelings depending on performance Encourages self-motivation Informs how doing compared to goals, other norms, past performance Increased self-efficacy Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Instructional Benefits of Feedback Provides information about – Specific behaviors that should be performed – Levels of skill proficiency – The athlete’s current level of proficiency in these activities. Effectively monitors progress Tells what correct, wrong, and how to improve Corrective instruction should be combined with encouragement and reinforcement Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Implementing a Performance Measurement and Feedback System Coach must identify specific and measurable behaviors or consequences (something that can be counted) Measure correct behaviors rather than mistakes – reinforce improvement Provide performance feedback for subgroups when appropriate Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.