Chapter 16 Concentration – Sport Psychology

Which of the following would NOT be classified as an internal distracter?
a. attending to past events
b. attending to future events
c. overly analyzing body mechanics
d. visual and auditory distracters
e. fatigue

d. visual and auditory distracters

Which of the following is NOT a key element included in most definitions of concentration?
a. the ability to focus attention on the relevant cues
b. maintaining attentional focus for the duration of the competition
c. the ability to narrow attentional focus during intense pressure
d. having the proper attentional focus depending on the situation
e. All of the above are indeed key elements of concentration.

c. the ability to narrow attentional focus during intense pressure

High scores on the BIT subscale of Nideffer’s TAIS indicate the ability to what?

an ability to effectively integrate several ideas at one time

An athlete who is losing in a tennis match might tell her opponent that the opponent is "really following through on her serve nicely." From an attentional perspective, this is a ploy to have the opponent start to __________ and think too much about her serve

start to focus and think too much about her serve

The narrowing and internal focus associated with choking can result in
a. impaired timing
b. loss of coordination
c. poor judgment and decision making
d. all of the above
e. a and b

d. all of the above a. impaired timing b. loss of coordination c. poor judgment and decision making

According to the text, "choking" should be defined as a process that leads to ___________________ ___________________

a process that leads to impaired performance

According to a summary of 25 years of research on association and dissociation, dissociation can ____________ the fatigue and monotony of training or recreational runs

dissociation can reduce the fatigue and monotony of training or recreational runs

Athletes with a preference for a broad-external focus
a. are seldom distracted by an audience
b. rarely try too hard to please others
c. seem to notice everything that is happening around them
d. are well prepared to act as a coach or informal leader
e. b and c

c. seem to notice everything that is happening around them

"Cue" words are often effective because
a. they can help trigger a particular response
b. they can be motivational or emotionally stimulating
c. they may have an instructional component
d. all of the above
e. b and c

d. all of the above a. they can help trigger a particular response b. they can be motivational or emotionally stimulating c. they may have an instructional component

Future-oriented thinking (attending to events in the future) is common among who?

is common among younger athletes

"No-look" passes in basketball are accomplished by using ______________ ______ to predict teammates’ future movements

advanced cues to predict teammates’ future movements

Research investigating differences between experts and novices concludes that these differences are in large part due to experts’ ability to
a. attend more to advance information to make faster decisions
b. predict the flight pattern of a ball
c. use "tunnel vision"
d. all of the above
e. a and b

e. a and b a. attend more to advance information to make faster decisions b. predict the flight pattern of a ball

Top athletes seem to be able to do just the right thing at just the right time. From an attentional perspective, research has shown that this is mostly due to their ability to analyze situations more quickly and use more ____________________ cues

analyze situations more quickly and use more anticipatory cues

If a pole-vaulter shifts attention from imagining the approach to the pit to focusing on actually seeing the runway, his attentional focus has changed from _____ to _____.
a. narrow-external; narrow-internal
b. narrow-internal; broad-external
c. broad-internal; narrow-external
d. broad-external; narrow-external
e. none of the above

…

If a golfer shifts attention just before a tee shot, from the length of the fairway and the direction of the wind to focusing only on the ball, her attention has shifted from _____ to _____.

broad-external to narrow-external

An example of Nideffer’s broad-external type of attentional focus is
a. a basketball point guard’s rapidly assessing the positioning of the defense while on a fast break
b. a coach’s analyzing the game plan prior to the start of the competition
c. a baseball pitcher’s focusing on the catcher’s mitt just before beginning his pitch
d. a wrestler’s practicing mental imagery on the bus ride to a meet
e. a basketball player’s sighting the rim while on the free-throw line

a. a basketball point guard’s rapidly assessing the positioning of the defense while on a fast break

Entirely focusing on body mechanics and movements
a. is important when learning a skill
b. may be inappropriate once a skill becomes automatic
c. may be detrimental to performance because the mind gets in the way of the body
d. all of the above
e. b and c

d. all of the above a. is important when learning a skill b. may be inappropriate once a skill becomes automatic c. may be detrimental to performance because the mind gets in the way of the body

Which of the following best represents William James’ classic description of attention?
a. It involves the ability to pay attention to several things at once.
b. It implies withdrawal from some things in order to deal effectively with others.
c. It involves components of both width and direction.
d. It involves the components of both internality and stability.
e. none of the above

b. It implies withdrawal from some things in order to deal effectively with others.

Using a trigger word to stop negative self-statements is called what?

Thought-stopping

Tennis and baseball players are able to successfully hit balls traveling toward them at high speeds because they have learned to predict the flight of the ball by using advanced _________________ cues

they have learned to predict the flight of the ball by using advanced attentional cues

From an attentional perspective, overlearning of skills makes the skills more _______________, thus requiring less attention

makes the skills more automatic, thus requiring less attention

Developing competitive plans should focus on what type of goals?

process goals

In preparing for a major competition, many elite athletes structure training to put themselves under the same sort of pressure encountered during the actual competition. This is an example of ___________________ training.

simulation training

In a study on figure skaters, self-monitoring helped skaters to become more ________ ___________

more task focused

Psychophysiological research on attentional processes in archers and pistol shooters has revealed that accuracy is increased when performers’ brain waves are in which frequency?

alpha

According to Nideffer, effective attenders indicate that they can
a. deal well with a multitude of stimuli from both external and internal sources
b. effectively switch their attention from broad to narrow focus when necessary
c. attend to many stimuli (both internally and externally) while not becoming overloaded with too much information
d. a and c
e. all of the above

e. all of the above

Which of the following is NOT a subscale of the Test of Attentional and Interpersonal Style (TAIS)?
a. external overload
b. reduced focus
c. broad-internal
d. internal overload
e. broad-narrow

e. broad-narrow

Just before shooting, elite pistol shooters display _______________ __________________

cardiac deceleration

According to the new theories of multiple resource pools, attentional capacity is distributed throughout the ________________ ________________

distributed throughout the nervous system

Individuals with a good ability to concentrate, scan, and store relevant cues are likely to score _____ on a concentration block grid in 1 minute.

in the upper 20s to low 30s

Why would you want to have a friend wave his arms around you while you are focusing on a basketball?

to force you to maintain concentration on the ball

Results from the study of self-talk among junior tennis players (Van Raalte et al.) revealed that
a. there was more positive self-talk than negative self-talk
b. most of the self-talk was instructional in nature
c. there was a strong relationship between audible, positive self-talk and performance
d. a and b
e. none of the above

e. none of the above

According to recent research, instructional self-talk is best on what type of tasks?

accuracy

Telling yourself to focus probably is best defined as a _____ word for bringing you back into a present focus

a cue word for bringing you back into a present focus

Ironic processes in sport refers to the idea that trying not to perform an action can trigger its occurrence __________________

the idea that trying not to perform an action can trigger its occurrence accidentally

A response to either good or bad performances that causes a personal, ego-involved reaction during competition is known as ________________ _____________

judgmental thinking

To improve concentration, an athlete should
a. practice without distractions present
b. establish routines
c. practice eye control
d. all of the above
e. b and c

e. b and c b. establish routines c. practice eye control

Which of the following is (are) a major process involved in explaining the attention-performance relationship?
a. attentional selectivity
b. attentional capacity
c. attentional alertness
d. all of the above
e. a and b

d. all of the above a. attentional selectivity b. attentional capacity c. attentional alertness

Most theories investigating the role of attention in performance have used what type of approach?

information-processing

The concept of attentional alertness operates under the assumption that arousal ___________________ attention

narrows attention

Research has indicated that paying attention to step-by-step instructions is most helpful for _______ learners

for new learners

Which of the following is (are) principles of effective concentration?
a. A focused state of mind requires intentional mental effort.
b. Athletes can consciously focus on more than one thought at a time.
c. During peak performance there is no difference between an athlete’s thoughts and actions.
d. a and c
e. b and c

d. a and c a. A focused state of mind requires intentional mental effort. c. During peak performance there is no difference between an athlete’s thoughts and actions.

Which, if any, of the following athletes would benefit the most from practicing while being distracted?

a golfer