Exam 3 Practice Questions

Which of the following is (are) FALSE concerning psychological skills training?

PST is only for problem athletes; PST is only for elite athletes; PST will provide quick-fix solutions to problems

Which of the following is NOT a phase in PST?

Intervention Phase

When new psychological skills are being learned, how long should they generally be practiced?

3-5 days a week, 15-30 mins a day

Which of the following is (are) characteristic of INEFFECTIVE consultants that athletes note
in interviews with sport psychologists?

they lack sport-specific knowledge and they rely on a "canned" approach when implementing mental skills training

Which of the following explain(s) why players and coaches often neglect psychological skills training?

lack of knowledge; lack of time; viewing psychological skills as unchangeable

The PST knowledge base has come from what sources?

elite athlete research and athlete-coach experiences

A baseball player’s slump can be caused by what kind(s) of problems?

psychological; biomechanical; physiological

Which of the following is (are) characteristic of EFFECTIVE consultants that athletes note in interviews with sport psychologists?

they conduct several follow-up sessions with athletes; they are accessible and establish rapport with the athletes; they are flexible in meeting individual athlete needs

PST takes what type of approach to mental training?

educational

According to Vealey’s analysis, which of the following reflect(s) foundation methods in PST training?

physical practice and education

What was the main problem that the basketball player faced in the case study?

he had not developed the psychological skill of relaxation

Using the psychological skill of relaxation learned in baseball to help deal with anxiety
before taking exams would be the goal of which stage of Kirschenbaum’s self-regulation model?

generalization

The ultimate goal (from a psychological perspective) of psychological skills training is

self-regulation

In conducting research on the mental preparation of Canadian Olympic athletes, Orlick and
Partington found that athletes who performed up to their potential

developed competitive plans

According to Vealey, which of the following is (are) a psychological skills method?

goal setting

Results of a study focusing on successful versus unsuccessful athletes showed that more
successful athletes are characterized by

higher self-confidence; more task-oriented thoughts

Performance profiling as a means to assess athletes’ mental skills works by asking athletes to

identify, assess, and compare their own mental skills against other elite athletes in their sport

Which of the following demonstrate(s) psychological skills training?

a fitness instructor suggests using positive self-statements to enhance self-esteem with an overweight client and a physical education teacher uses relaxation training to help students calm down before going on to their next class

What is the best way to get information concerning an athlete’s psychological strengths and weaknesses?

oral interview and psychological inventories

Which of the following is not one of the stages in Kirschenbaum’s model of self-regulation?

specialization

The studies investigating the effectiveness of PST in enhancing performance have generally found

that PST enhances the performance of adult athletes; that PST enhances the performance of collegiate athletes; that PST enhances performance in individual and team sports

Which of the following is NOT a common problem in implementing PST programs?

sport psychologist’s knowledge of psychological skill exercises

After a PST program has been put in place, how long do athletes need to continue practicing their mental skills?

as long as they continue to participate in their sport

Sport psychology topics that form the basis for PST programs include which of the following?

confidence building; imagery; attentional skills

The importance of the mental side of sports

does not differ based on skill level

Which of the following is (are) NOT a stage in autogenic training?

cooling of the extremities

Which of the following statements is (are) true regarding research findings on coping in sport?

athletes use both adaptive and nonadaptive coping strategies; athletes who had more adaptive coping strategies had higher performance

Progressive relaxation was developed by

Edmund Jacobson

The two sensations that are emphasized in autogenic training are

warmth and heaviness

A good way to increase awareness of psychological states in sport is to

monitor and record your psychological states immediately after practice and competition

A good starting point for increasing awareness of arousal states is to

visualize your best and worst performances

Before starting progressive relaxation you should

dim the lights and lie down in a comfortable position

The relaxation response was developed by

Herbert Benson

The suggested ratio for the time of inhalation to exhalation when using breath control as a relaxation device is

1:2

Autogenic training was developed by

Schultz and Luthe

An athlete who is under activated commonly experiences which of the following?

heavy feeling in the legs and mind wandering

Which of the following statements regarding hypnosis is (are) true?

the more open individuals are to receiving suggestions, the more likely they will benefit from hypnosis; negative suggestions almost always result in a decrease in performance; the deeper the trance, the more likely the hypnosis will be effective

The basic premise of stress inoculation training is to

expose the individual to increasing amounts of stress, thereby enhancing the person’s immunity to stress

Which of the following is NOT a phase in the hypnosis process?

autogenic phase

Which of the following can increase activation?

positive mood words and listening to energizing music

Which of the following is NOT a coping strategy typically employed by elite athletes?

superstition

The matching hypothesis refers to

matching the type of anxiety management technique to the specific anxiety problem of each individual athlete

Ost has developed an applied relaxation technique using progressive relaxation that can be done at competitions in

20-30 seconds

Which of the following can be useful as an on-site strategy to help reduce tension?

smile when the pressure is coming on; slow down; stay focused in the present

Which of the following is (are) NOT a basic tenet of progressive relaxation?

tension and relaxation can occur simultaneously

Which of the following is (are) NOT among the interventions for cognitive-affective stress management training

systematic desensitization

Effective breathing occurs from the

diaphragm

According to research by Gould and colleagues with elite athletes, athletes

prepared for unexpected events and placed a great deal of importance on mental training

The elements necessary to achieve the relaxation response include

a quiet environment; a passive attitude; a mental device; a comfortable position

Cognitive restructuring attempts to

identify and modify stress-inducing self-statements

Which of the following is NOT a phase in Smith’s cognitive-affective stress management training?

post treatment assessment

Which of the following statements is (are) true?

imagery can improve performance if it is done systematically

Which of the following statements is (are) true?

mental practice can be employed as a substitute for physical practice if an athlete is injured and mental practice should be used as a supplement to physical practice, rather than as a replacement for physical practice

Imagery involves which of the following senses?

visual; auditory; kinesthetic

Basic imagery training involves

controllability and vividness

An optimal time to use imagery is

before and after practice; before and after competition; during breaks in the action

An athlete tries to image shooting a free throw under pressure, but the ball keeps hitting the
rim and bouncing off. This is an example of a lack of

controllability

What is the name of the program that uses videotapes to improve imagery skills and thus enhance performance?

sybervision

Which of the following statements is (are) true?

individuals should image mostly successful events but also learn to cope with an occasional failure

According to researcher I. Pavio, imagery has two primary functions, namely

cognitive and motivational

Internal imagery (as compared to external imagery) makes it easier for an athlete to
experience which of the following senses?

kinesthetic

Which of the following is (are) true?

the majority of imagery use occurs during practice and competition

Which of the following statements is (are) true?

external imagery refers to viewing yourself from the perspective of an external observer

Athletes who incorporate all the senses into their image are going to score high on what
aspect of imagery?

vividness

Suinn’s research showing that electrical activity was present in skiers’ legs as they imagined
skiing down the slope provided support for

psychoneuromuscular theory

What theory was supported by the research literature showing that subjects using imagery
performed consistently better on tasks that were cognitive than on those that were motoric in nature?

symbolic learning theory

Triple code theory refers to what three parts of the image?

image itself, image meaning, somatic response to the image

According to Pavio’s work on the different functions of imagery, a person’s imaging staying relaxed under pressure would be an example of

motivational-specific imagery

Which of the following is (are) basic to a successful imagery training program?

realistic expectations and relaxed concentration

According to the experimental evidence, which of the following is (are) true?

imagery is effective in improving the learning and performance of motor skills and tasks involving mostly cognitive components demonstrate the greatest positive benefits.

Imagery functions as a coding system to help individuals acquire movement patterns. This describes

symbolic learning theory

Which of the following athletes uses imagery as part of preparation for competition?

Dwight Stones; Jean-Claude Killy; Jack Nicklaus

Which of the following is (are) FALSE?

coaches provide more beneficial feedback to low-expectancy athletes

Self-efficacy theory was originated by

Albert Bandura

An injured athlete is feeling depressed and anxious about his rehabilitation and thus has a low sense of self-efficacy. This is an example of using which source of self-efficacy?

emotional states

The probable reason that approximately a dozen runners broke the 4-minute barrier within one year after Roger Bannister originally did was their

expectations that it could be done

Recent research has identified nine sources of sport self-confidence. These fit into which of the following categories?

climate (environment) and self-regulation

According to the latest thinking, self-efficacy is now called

self-regulatory efficacy

The strongest and most dependable information on which to base self-efficacy judgments comes from

performance accomplishments

Which of the following is (are) true?

low-expectancy athletes exhibit lower performances due to less effective reinforcement and playing time and low-expectancy athletes attribute their failures to lack of ability

Confidence can be improved by

thinking confidently; acting confidently; imagery

Which of the following is (are) true?

coaches spend more time with high-expectancy athletes and coaches show more positive affect to high-expectancy athletes

Which of the following is (are) true?

low-expectancy athletes exhibit lower performances due to less effective reinforcement and playing time and low-expectancy athletes attribute their failures to lack of ability

The relationship between confidence and performance is

curvilinear

Which of the following is NOT a benefit of confidence?

visualization

If you want to avoid breaking down an individual’s self-confidence,

don’t criticize people for inconsequential errors and don’t use sarcasm to motivate people

Coaches often form expectations of athletes based on

erformance information and person cues

According to Rosenthal and Jacobson’s study on teacher expectancies and student performances,

children identified as "late bloomers" exhibited the greatest gains in IQ

Confidence is seen as multidimensional, consisting of confidence in

one’s ability to execute physical skills; one’s level of fitness; one’s psychological skills

Researchers investigating the concept of psychological momentum in sport found that teams of athletes having momentum

were just as likely to perform poorly as to continue to perform well

Confidence is usually defined by sport psychologists as the

belief that you can successfully perform a desired behavior

Which of the following points about self-efficacy theory is (are) true?

self-efficacy affects effort expenditure and persistence; self-efficacy is task specific

Research by Gould and his colleagues on setting up detailed plans as a way to increase confidence showed that

elite athletes had the most detailed plans

According to the text, goals should be

difficult enough to be a challenge, yet realistic enough to achieve

Burton (1989a), in a study of basketball skills, found that

goal setting better enhanced performance on low- as compared with high-complexity tasks

Studies of goal setting in business have concluded that

goal setting works and works very well

Dishman (1988) found that a spouse’s support is

a critical factor affecting exercise adherence

When formulating a goal-setting program with a novice goal setter, it is best to

help the person select one goal from a list of multiple goals she would like to pursue

On the basis of 30 years of research, Locke and Latham propose seven steps to maximize goal-setting effectiveness. These steps include

developing goal commitment; evaluating barriers to goal attainment; adjusting goals for practice and competition

Burton contends that athletes who set outcome goals will experience more anxiety and lower self-confidence in competition; this is

because their goals are not within their complete control and one of the indirect thought-process explanations for goal setting’s effectiveness

The phrase "out of sight, out of mind" is a reminder to

write your goals down and place them where they can be easily seen

Which of the following (according to research by Filby et al.) would produce the best performance?

a combination of goals

A formal assessment of an athlete’s current ability or needs is

part of the instructor-leader preparation stage of implementing a goal-setting program and great for identifying what areas you think the athlete needs to improve

Having a goal to "win the race" is an example of a (n) _____ goal, whereas having a goal to "improve my best time" is an example of a (n) ______ goal.

outcome; performance

In developing a goal-setting program, it is important for individuals to set

process, performance, and outcome goals

Which of the following is (are) true regarding goal-setting practices of high school and
collegiate coaches?

the only disadvantage noted was setting goals unrealistically high

Which of the following is (are) useful for setting team goals?

establishing short-term goals first; monitoring progress toward team goals; fostering team confidence concerning team goals

Which of the following is NOT a common obstacle in setting goals?

goals are too unstructured

It is recommended that appropriate goals should be

a combination of short- and long-term

"Chipping a bucket of golf balls onto a practice green three days a week" is an example of

a strategy for attaining the goal of "lower my handicap by three strokes"

Directing a performer’s attention to important elements of a skill is

one way in which goal setting can influence performance

The mechanistic explanation for goal-setting’s effectiveness includes

directing the performer’s attention to important elements of a skill; mobilizing effort and increasing persistence by providing incentives; the development and employment of new learning strategies

Focusing on performance (as opposed to outcome goals) during competition has been shown to be associated with _____ anxiety and _____ performance.

less; superior

Simply telling an athlete to "do your best" is

not specific enough

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

Simulation training

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 attentional cues

Which of the following is NOT a subscale of the Test of Attentional and Interpersonal Style?

Broad-narrow

To improve concentration, an athlete should

establish routines and practice eye control

Which of the following best represents William James’s classic description of attention?

it implies withdrawal from some things in order to deal effectively with others

Athletes with a preference for a broad-external focus

seem to notice everything that is happening around them

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

More task-focused

Which of the following would NOT be classified as an internal distracter?

Visual and auditory distractors

Developing competitive plans should focus on what type of goals?

Process goals

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

The narrowing and internal focus associated with choking can result in

impaired timing; loss of coordination; Poor judgment and decision making

Entirely focusing on body mechanics and movements

is important when learning a skill; may be inappropriate once a skill becomes automatic; may be detrimental to performance because the mind gets in the way of the body

According to the new multiple resource pools theories, attentional capacity is

Distributed throughout the nervous system

An example of Nideffer’s broad-external type of attentional focus is

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

Which of the following is NOT a key element included in most definitions of concentration?

the ability to narrow attentional focus during intense pressure

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 the text, "choking" should be defined as

A process that leads to impaired performance

Research investigating differences between experts and novices concludes that these differences are in large part due to experts’ ability to

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

High scores on the BIT subscale of Nideffer’s TAIS indicate

an ability to effectively integrate several ideas at one time

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

Thought stopping

From an attentional perspective, over learning of skills

makes the skills more automatic, thus requiring less attention

If a golfer shifts attention just prior to 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; narrow external

"Ironic processes" in sport refers to

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

Telling yourself to "focus!" probably is best defined as

a cue word for bringing you back into a present focus

Just before shooting, elite pistol shooters display

…