1. A2 Physical Education Sport Psychology
PERSONALITY AND AROUSAL
Revision week 1

2. Overview Week 1 Aspects of personality Arousal Week 2
Controlling anxiety
Attitudes
Week 3
Aggression
Confidence
Week 4
Attribution theory
Group success
Week 5
Leadership and any questions

3. Aspects of personality – traffic light sheet
What do I know?
What do I need to know?
Anything new that I’ve learnt

4. Personality TIPS!
Make sure you learn the specific definition of personality!
Have awareness of the links between personality and sports performance.
It is important to understand the NATURE (trait) V NURTURE (social learning) and interactionist perspectives of behaviour.
Learn the strengths and weaknesses of each perspective.
Be aware of the problems associated with the use of personality profiling in sport.

5. Personality
“The sum total of an individuals characteristics which make him unique” (Hollander).
“Personality is the more or less stable and enduring organisation of a persons character, temperament, intellect and physique which determines the unique adjustment to the environment” (Eysenck).

6. Personality Types TRAITS INTROVERT Shy, timid, reserved, aloof,
NARROW BAND APPROACH, GIRDANO, 1990
INTROVERT
Shy, timid,
reserved, aloof,
self sufficient
TYPE ‘A’
Highly competitive,
Strong desire to succeed,
Works fast, likes to control,
Prone to suffer stress
EXTROVERT
Adventurous,
confident,
Sociable,
Group dependent,
enthusiastic
TYPE ‘B’
Non-competitive,
Unambitious,
Works more slowly,
Does not enjoy control
Less prone to stress

7. Personality Theories - PMI
NATURE vs
NURTURE
Personality Theories - PMI
Social Learning Theory (Bandura)
“All behaviour is learned through interaction with the environment”
BEHAVIOUR = FUNCTION OF ENVIRONMENT
-ve = Does not consider inherited behaviour (traits)
Trait Theory (nature)
“People are born with established personality characteristics”
Inherited at birth.
Stable
Enduring
consistent in all situations.
BEHAVIOUR = FUNCTION OF PERSONALITY
+ve = Can be easily measured through questionnaires
-ve = Does not take into account environmental influences. It is not a true indicator of behaviour.
CATTELL (1965) identified 16 personality traits
INTROVERT & EXTROVERT
Interactionist Theory
“Behaviour occurs from the interaction between inherited traits and learned experiences”
BEHAVIOUR = FUNCTION OF PERSONALITY × ENVIRNOMENT

8. Personality Theories Concentric Ring Theory (Hollander 1967)
Role Related Behaviour – Surface of personality
Typical Response – Your usual response in most situations
The Psychological Core – The ‘real you’
The boundary line of each layer gets wider as you get closer to the centre of the model which shows that each layer is harder to enter. As you move closer to the centre, your ‘real’ personality begins to surface

9. Personality Theories Eysenck’s Personality Types NEUROTIC (UNSTABLE)
Personality traits run across 2 continuums:
INTROVERT: unsociable, shy & nervous
EXTROVERT: sociable, outgoing & lively
STABLE: calm, even-tempered, controlled 7 logical
UNSTABLE: anxious, moody, unpredictable & illogical
What is the role of RAS?
NEUROTIC
(UNSTABLE)
INTROVERT
EXTROVERT
STABLE

10. Personality Testing Pg114
Methods of Testing
Observation
Psychometric methods: self report questionnaires (16 personality factor questionnaire designed by CATTELL) EPI, SCAT, CSAI-2
Problems
Questionnaires, observations and self-reports are not reliable as people can fix answers.
Evidence is too general – personality alone can not predict behaviour.
Although there is a link between personality research and performance in sport, there is lack of evidence to support this.

11. POMS – Can you think of an acronym?
Iceberg profile

12. Exam questions on motivation

15. Achievement Motivation TIPS!
You need to understand the meaning of the term ‘achievement motivation’.
Make sure you know the characteristics of the different personality types
You need to be aware of the links between personality and the motive to achieve.

16. Achievement Motivation
Achievement Motivation is a concept developed by sports psychologists to link PERSONALITY and COMPETITIVENESS.
The major issue centres on the extent to which an INDIVIDUAL IS MOTIVATED TO ATTAIN SUCCESS.
Success in sport is measured against some type of COMPETITIVE GOAL.

17. Atkinson & McClelland (1976) – Interactionist View
In any challenging situation, everyone will have both a ‘need to achieve’ and a ‘need to avoid failure’. Whichever feeling is stronger will determine whether the task is accepted or declined.
Competitive orientation is generated through personality and situational factors

18. Personality Factors TAS = Tendency to APPROACH success
A = TAS
someone with a high need to achieve will probably have a low need to avoid failure and will choose difficult or demanding tasks which are more risky, e.g.
the hard route up a rock face
B = TAF
someone with a high need to avoid failure will probably have a low need to achieve and will choose tasks which are less risky and more easily achieved, e.g. the easy route up the rock face
TAS = Tendency to APPROACH success
TAF = Tendency to AVOID failure

19. Situational Factors A =
If the probability of success low (competing against the world champion) you will strive very hard to win (incentive high). You will be highly chuffed if you win.
B =
If the probability of success high (competing in local club match) you don’t need to try as hard to win (incentive low and expect to win easily). It is not so pleasing if you win.

20. IMPROVE NEED AND MOTIVE TO ACHIEVE (Nach)
What can the coach do?
IMPROVE NEED AND MOTIVE TO ACHIEVE (Nach)
Increase positive reinforcement hence increasing pride and satisfaction
Ensure that goals are achievable
Ensure that at least some situations guarantee success
and subsequently gradually increase task difficulty in line with progress
Ensure that tasks are challenging
Ensure that the probability of success is good
Ensure that the incentive value of the success is high (is the race worth winning?)

21. REDUCE TENDENCY AND MOTIVE TO AVOID FAILURE (NaF)
What can the coach do?
REDUCE TENDENCY AND MOTIVE TO AVOID FAILURE (NaF)
Reduce punishment hence lowering the chance of performer worrying about failure
Focus negative feedback on effort rather than ability. This avoids the performer tending to believe that causes of failure are internal (due to lack of ability for example) and reduces the risk of learned helplessness.
Avoid situations where defeat / failure is inevitable (such as performing against a much superior opponent)
if this is not possible alter the criteria for success (you will have succeeded if you only lose by 2 goals).

22. THINK BACK TO GOALS FROM AS SKILL!
Types of Goals
According to BIDDLE, there are several types of goal against which success can be judged:
MASTERY or TASK GOALS: Associated with self-improvement, e.g. trying to achieve a PB in athletics (the same as PROCESS GOALS).
EGO or ABILITY GOALS: Involve a comparison against ones rivals, e.g. beating everyone else to win the club tennis tournament (the same as OUTCOME GOALS)
SOCIALLY APPROVED GOALS: Involves seeking social reinforcement as a measure of success, e.g. winning to earn approval from parents or coaches.
THINK BACK TO GOALS FROM AS SKILL!

23. Review the syllabus Devise two personality questions (3 and 4 marks)
Devise a personality essay question (14 marks)

24. Aspects of personality – traffic light sheet
Anything new that I’ve learnt

25. A2 Physical Education Sport Psychology
Arousal
Revision

26. Name and describe the three theories of……..?

27. Key terms Arousal Somatic Reticular activating system (RAS)
P = f (H X D)

28. Individual Zone of Optimal Functioning (Hanin)
Athlete A
(low ZOF)
In zone
(best performance)
Out of zone
Athlete B
(moderate ZOF)
Out of zone
In zone
(best performance)
Out of zone
Athlete C
(high ZOF)
Out of zone
In zone
(best performance)
Increasing Arousal
An athlete will enter the zone when arousal is at an optimum level and the situation matches the athlete’s strongest attentional style.

29. Individual Zone of Optimal Functioning (Hanin)
Different people perform better under different (arousal) conditions:
Personality
Task Type
Stage of Learning
Experience
Low Zone of Functioning
(low arousal)
INTROVERT
SIMPLE/ GROSS SKILLS, E.G. SHOT PUT
COGNITIVE/ ASSOCIATIVE PHASE
NOVICE PERFORMERS
High Zone of Functioning
(high arousal)
EXTROVERT
COMPLEX/ FINE SKILLS, E.G. SPIN BOWLING
AUTONOMOUS
EXPERIENCED PERFORMER

30. Individual Zone of Optimal Functioning (Hanin)………
Teachers and coaches should guide the performer towards their personal ‘optimal threshold’ or ‘individual zone of optimal functioning’.
EFFORTLESS PERFORMANCE
THE ATHLETE FEELS IN FULL CONTROL
IN THE
ZONE!
ATTENTION AND CONCENTRATION OF THE PERFORMER IS FOCUSED
EXECUTION OF THE SKILL BRINGS ENJOYMENT AND SATISFACTION

31. Attentional narrowing
Cue utilisation theory
Attentional narrowing
Attentional wastage
Stress management techniques

32. PEAK FLOW – Pg 137 Excitement, happiness Anxiety, anger Relaxation,
PEAK FLOW: Optimal experience that facilitates best performance and is intrinsically valuable. (Csikzentmimalyi)
Peak flow occurs when somatic anxiety has reached an appropriate threshold and cognitive anxiety is low.
flow state is attained when the performer has a balanced perception of the demands of the situation and his/her ability to cope.
a high incentive value is to be gained from a challenge that is both realistic and attainable.
The focus of attention and concentration is maximised.
there is a self-confident belief that nothing could go wrong.
the situation suits the athlete’s strongest attentional style.
High somatic arousal
Excitement,
happiness
Anxiety,
anger
High cognitive
Arousal
anxiety
Low cognitive
Arousal
anxiety
Relaxation,
Drowsiness
Boredom
fatigue
Low somatic arousal
During these rare moments in sport, the athlete assumes control over all internal and environmental variables and a time of greatest happiness and self-fulfilment is experienced.

33. Review the syllabus – traffic light sheet
Devise two arousal questions (3 and 4 marks)
Devise an arousal essay question (14 marks)

34. Examination questions

35. Next week and homework pg 127 and 139
Aspects of personality
Arousal
Week 2
Controlling anxiety
Attitudes
Week 3
Aggression
Confidence
Week 4
Attribution theory
Group success
Week 5
Leadership