A2 Psychology of Sport Concentration Booklet 4 Skills Working as a team Complete green group tasks Working as an individual Complete yellow individual tasks

Lesson objectives By the end of the lesson you should be able to To understand the definition of concentration To understand selective attention and perception To understand the attentional styles To understand how to apply practical examples to theory

Buzz words Concentration Broad Narrow Internal External Two dimensions Nideffer Cue utilisation

CONCENTRATION Martens – mistakes occur in top level sport due to attentional errors. Focusing attention onto the relevant environmental cues and maintaining focus until the skill has been completed.

CONCENTRATION EXTERNAL FACTORS e.g. Stimulus Intensity INTERNAL FACTORS e.g. Cognition and emotional Condition of arousal

AROUSAL “This can be considered as the level of excitement or activation generated in the central nervous system.” LOW AROUSAL LETHARGIC, SLEEP LIKE STATE. ALERT STATES AND FRENETIC BEHAVIOUR HIGH AROUSAL

POOR PERFORMANCE Poor performance is due to either under arousal or over arousal. PERCEPTUAL FIELD Your perceptual field is your attentional focus.

LOW AROUSAL INCREASE IN PERCEPTUAL FIELD SELECTIVE ATTENTION IS NOT IN OPERATION. INFORMATION OVERLOAD, WHICH IMPEDES DECISION MAKING.

INCREASE IN AROUSAL PERCEPTUAL FIELD ADJUSTS TO THE IDEAL WIDTH. SELECTIVE ATTENTION IS FULLY OPERATIONAL. ABILITY TO CONCENTRATE IS MAXIMISED. NOTE! The theory, which predicts the selection of the most relevant environmental data at the optimal arousal level, is termed “cue utilisation hypothesis”.

BEYOND THE OPTIMAL THRESHOLDPERCEPTUAL FOCUS NARROWS RELEVANT CUE MAY BE MISSED. E.G. ATHLETE COULD BE HIGHLY AGITATED & PANIC. KNOWN AS HYPERVIGILANCE OR PANIC

The Inverted ‘U’ Hypothesis

OPTIMAL OR THRESHOLD OF AROUSAL

ATTENTIONAL STYLES It is important to look at the width of attention. This needs to change in response to varying situations in sport. Width of attention relates to the number of environmental cues that require the performer’s attention.

ATTENTIONAL STYLES Four attentional styles can be identified from this: 1.Broad/external. 2.External/narrow. 3.Narrow/internal. 4.Internal/broad.

CONCENTRATION AND ATTENTIONAL STYLES NIDEFFER’S ATTENTIONAL STYLES BROAD a player concentrates on the whole game –all players’ positions and movements –open skills NARROW the player concentrates on one aspect of the game –the goalkeeper –closed skills INTERNAL the player decides to concentrate on his own technique EXTERNAL the player focuses on the position of his opposite number

Therefore, in an activity where the environment changes (e.g. in an interactive game that has open and closed skills) it may be necessary to use all 4 styles when appropriate. All performers have a preferred or strongest attentional style. An expert performer needs to be competent in all 4 styles.

CONCENTRATION a state of mind in which attention is directed towards a specific aim or activity attentional focus control of attention towards a task CUE UTILISATION cues can be used by the sportsperson –to direct attention –to trigger appropriate arousal responses –to enable attentional focus at a relevant moment sometimes, narrowing of attentional focus by an aroused player –will cause lack of awareness of broader play issues USE OF COGNITIVE TECHNIQUES TO ASSIST CONCENTRATION imagery mental rehearsal relaxation can be used to direct the sportsperson’s mind towards a specific task these techniques can be thought to manage the stress of the situation to manage anxiety in a productive way