Janice L. Donkers *, Luc J. Martin *, Kyle F. Paradis ** and Scott Anderson *
(*) University of Lethbridge, Canada
(**) Western University, Canada
The primary purpose of the current study was to determine whether perceptions of cohesion mediated the relationship between social acceptance and individual commitment and enjoyment in children’s sport. A secondary purpose involved the assessment of the temporal nature of cohesion over the course of an athletic season. A total of 209 (Mage = 9.87 years; SD = 1.34) recreational soccer players completed questionnaires at three time points (T1 – social acceptance, cohesion; T2 – cohesion; T3 – commitment, enjoyment, cohesion) during an athletic season. Using structural equation modeling, the results indicated that task cohesion mediated the relationship between social acceptance and commitment and enjoyment, whereas social cohesion did not. In addition, individual perceptions of cohesion did not vary significantly over the course of the season. These results will be discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical implications. As one example, the relative stability in terms of perceptions of cohesion in this population could inform future intervention work aimed at enriching the social environment.
Keywords: Child sport, Group dynamics, Mediation, Physical activity, Social climate
Diogo Santos Teixeira */** and António Labisa Palmeira */***
(*) Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, ULHT, Lisbon, Portugal
(**) Sport Sciences Department, ISCE, Odivelas, Portugal
(***) Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Human Performance (CIPER), Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon, Portugal
Current evidence indicates that psychological basic needs and autonomous forms of motivation predicts better emotional responses to exercise that, in turn, are associated with exercise adherence. This study aimed to analyze the indirect effects of quality of motivation on the relation between need satisfaction and emotional response to exercise. Nine hundred and five fitness club members (M = 36.8 years; SD = 11.96) completed questionnaires evaluating basic psychological needs, motivational regulations and emotional response. Psychological needs were associated with better scores on all parameters evaluated in the emotional response. The mediation analysis showed that intrinsic motivation partially explained how basic needs were associated with the psychological response. In the context of health clubs, the satisfaction of basic psychological needs related to exercise predicted better exercise emotional experiences. This association was partially explained by the increase in autonomous and decrease in controlled motivational regulations.
Keywords: Affects, Exercise adherence, Motivational regulations, Psychological need satisfaction, Self-determination theory
Fábio Saraiva Flôres, Fábio Saraiva Flôres and Suzete Chiviacowsky
Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil
Studies have shown that adult’s motor learning can be enhanced by directing the learner’s attention to the effects of their movements on the environment (external focus), rather than on their body (internal focus). The objective of the present study was to investigate if this effect can be generalized to 6- and 10-year-old children while learning a balance task. In each age group, four groups were given different instructions inducing: a distal external, proximal external, internal or no specific instructions regarding attentional focus (control group) before they began practicing. The task involved participants to ride a Pedalo. One day after practice transfer tests were conducted, in order to evaluate learning. The findings showed that both external focus conditions resulted in faster movement times than internal focus and control conditions, regardless age. The findings demonstrate that instructions inducing external focus of attention can enhance the learning of balance tasks in children.
Keywords: Attention, Balance, Infancy, Motor Learning
Rune Høigaard *, Bert De Cuyper **, Katrien Fransen **, Filip Boen ** and Derek M Peters */***
(*) University of Agder, Norway
(**) KU Leuven, Belgium
(***) University of Worchester, England
The purpose of the present study was to explore the relationships between athletes’ perceived coach behaviors during training and competition, and collective efficacy. Elite female handball players in Norway (N = 113) completed the Leadership Scale for Sport (LSS), the Coaching Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ), and the Collective Efficacy Questionnaire for Sports (CEQS). Relationships were identified between perceived coach behaviors in training and competition environments and with athlete collective efficacy. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that prediction of variance in collective efficacy improved when perceptions of coach behaviour during competition were entered in addition to perceptions of coach leadership behavior during training. Furthermore, the results indicated that greater levels of perceived training and instructional behavior, positive feedback, social support, and supportiveness predicted greater collective efficacy. In contrast, higher perception of negative activation predicted lower levels of collective efficacy. The results highlight the important relationships between coach behavior in both training and competition, and their combined impact upon collective efficacy in elite female handball teams.
Keywords: Coaching, Leadership, Sport psychology, Team-Sport, Women
Lan-Ya Chuang *, Chung-Ju Huang ** and Tsung-Min Hung *
(*) Department of Physical Education, National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan, Republic of China (R.O.C.)
(**) Graduate Institute of Sport Pedagogy, University of Taipei, Taipei City 111, Taiwan
According to cognitive models of anxiety, anxious individuals show attentional preference for threat cues. This study investigated the relationship between competitive trait anxiety and attentional bias toward sport-related threat by recruiting 20 college and high school archers (M = 17.65 ±1.94 years) as participants. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-T) and Sport Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT) were administered three days before a revised dot-probe task including two conditions (sport-specific cues, life-related cues). The results revealed that the SCAT score was negatively predicted by attentional bias elicited by archery-specific threat cues rather than life-related threat cues. The finding supports the vigilance-avoidance hypothesis, indicating that highly anxious athletes of accurate sports may utilize attentional avoidance strategies toward threat regarding their sport concerns to reduce emotional distress. This study provides prospective directions to develop interventions for efficiently regulating attentional bias patterns of athletes with high competitive trait anxiety.
Keywords: Anxiety regulation, Attention, Dot-probe task, Mental skills
Saeb Farhan Al Ganideh and Linda K. Good
Michigan State University, MI, the U.S.A
Sports fan behavior (team identification and fandom) is studied extensively among Americans fans relative to home teams and local sports. However, few studies explore identification and fandom of distant American and foreign countries’ teams. This study explores whether team identification and soccer fandom are used to escape from life stressors and explores the extent to which team identification and soccer fandom of two Spanish soccer clubs differ, based on socio-psychological (openness to other cultures and feelings of animosity towards a target country) and demographic variables. Data were collected from 101 Arab Jordanian fans of Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (Real Madrid) and Futbol Club Barcelona (Barcelona). The results of regression analysis reveal that Arab fans who identify with and express fandom towards the two soccer clubs try to escape from daily life problems, exhibit high level of stress, and earn high incomes. However, other variables such as openness to other cultures and feelings of animosity towards a specific country (Spain) were not significantly related to team identification and fandom. The study proposes managerial implications and suggestions for further research.
Keywords: Animosity, Escape Openness to other cultures, Soccer, Sports fandom, Stress, Team identification