Sport Psych Chapter 5

Goal setting theory

a theory that proposes that setting specific, but difficult goals as well as providing feedback about such goals improves performance form goals-)increased efforts-)increased effectiveness at accomplishing goals

Performance goals

focus on an athlete's individual achievements -goal measured in terms of achieving at a particular level of individual achievement, often in a competition Similar to outcome goals by focusing on achieving a particular endpoint, but differs with outcome goals by focusing solely on individual performance pay no regard to how others perform

Subjective goals

general statements of a person's intent that are general statements of intention but are not able to be precisely measured in terms of whether they are accomplished i.e. trying your hardest, having a good time

outcome goal

goal measured in terms of winning either at an individual or team level (used by athletes and coaches alike) -outcome goals take into account an individual's performance as well as the performance of their opponent

Prolonging Performer Resistance

goals help improve performance by motivating athletes to persist in their efforts until that goal is achieved -Goal setting increases an athlete's confidence in their ability to accomplish a task and helps them persist in facing difficulty (i.e. swimmers who partake in a goal setting program shows increases in perceived ability and competitive cognitions and better performance) Continued persistence: achieved by dividing large goals into smaller ones which motivate achievement by providing opportunity for short-term success (motivates persistence)

Process goal

(lowest goal level) -goals measured in terms of engaging in specific sports behaviors that contribute to performance *focuses on specific actions or behaviors an athlete must do well during a performance* Examples: -athlete reminding himself to stay mentally engaged -specific performance aspect (relaxed grip on club)

Understanding the Goal-Setting Performance Link

-Research in psychology shows that goal setting has a positive effect on performance -GOal setting: most commonly used mental skills by injured athletes in their recovery

Developing New Strategies

-athletes may need to learn new strategies to achieve goals i.e. Body checking college hockey study: mean hit increased by 82% over the course of the season which contributed to a winning record -motives underneath goal pursuit determine whether people persist over time

Increasing Effort

-goal setting mobilizes the efforts of athletes to achieve goals when its hard to be motivated -higher levels of brain activity is seen when more effort is exerted

Process and Performance Goals

-have more distinct levels than outcome goals so its easier to make adjustments and modify while with outcome goals you either achieve it or you don't. ** sometimes individual goals conflict with team goals**

Set appropriate goals

-use SMART method -set specific, quantifiable goals -set objective goals

Develop goal achievement strategies

Achievement strategies describe the specific strategies needed to accomplish one's goals -goal achievement strategies may also include plans for giving up some activites to accomplish valued goals (reduced friend time etc) how even athletes who set specific strategies for achieving goals may fail to achieve them 1. Record and Monitor Goals:helps mobilize effort towards achieving a goal -once goals are set they should be recorded and in a visible place -monitoring progress toward goals promotes goal attainment and allows for goal revision, if needed Research shows that making goals public leads to greater performance improvements than keeping goals private -Recording goals can also help reduce undesirable behaviors 2. Create an Action Plan: athletes must develop a specific action plan for accomplishing desired goals. -goals should include a time element to move toward goals at a realistic pace to avoid and lower levels of self efficacy. -giving more time to achieve a goal results in athletes underachieving Study found that athletes achieve at lower levels when pursuing more distal goals than more proximal ones because distal goals lower effort and more gradual progress. 3. Increase goal commitment: greater committment=greater success and performance How can athletes increase commitment? -athletes should set their own goals rather than having someone else (coach) set them so they can internalize their goals which motivates goal pursuit. Research shows that self set goals improve motivation, persistence, performance more than assigned goals -sometimes coach set goals can be effective as long as athletes internalize the goals and truly want to achieve them depends on type of athlete 4. Adapt Goals to INdividual Athletes: different people set different goals and it is important to adapt goals to individual athletes motives, personality and type of sport to improve goal effectiveness -an athlete's level of competition influences the specific types of goals they set DI college athletes describe their three most important sports related goals as improving overall performance (36%), winning (24%), and having fun/enjoying (19%). Yet, youth athletes emphaszie having fun Other studies suggest that goal setting may be more beneficial for athletes at a higher skill level -Elite boxer goal setting intervention showed improvements in targeted bx's and less disruptive symtpoms of anxiety and greater self-confidence 5. Provide GOal Feedback and Support: receiving feedback is a helpful way for athletes to motivate them and persist in their efforts study shows that providing feedback about goal achieving may enhance the benefits of goal setting -support from coaches is viewed by athletes as encouraging and motivational to pursure their goals, whereas support from family and friends focuses on the outcome goal which is not as useful. -Athletes should encourage people to express support for lower-level goals: mastering a skill, increasing flexibiliyu, improving strength and adapting a more positive mindset. 6. Recognize Barriers to Goal Achievement: Many athletes will feel frustrated in attempts to achieve their desired goals, which can occur at all levels (frustration). Barriers to achieving goals differ at each level. College athlete barriers: stress, fatigue, lack of time, academic pressure, and social relationships Olympic athlete barriers: lack of confidence, too many goals, lack of goal feedback, lack of time, family/work responsibilities. COach identified barriers to goal attainment achievement: lack of team cohesion, lacok of conditoning, injury, -coaches develops strategies to overcome these barriers

How does the pursuit of specific goals lead to better outcomes?

College students in a physical education class were given either a general or specific goal reminder and the players who were given specific goals had exerted more effort and had higher levels of committment to achieving their goals Study suggests that setting specific goals not only improves physical performance on distinct athletic skills but also improves effort and goal committment

Locke and Latham (1985)

Four distinct ways goal setting leads to better performance: 1)directing attention 2)Increasing effort 3)prolonging performance 4)developing new strategies

Set challenging but realistic goals

Goals that are moderate in goal difficulty the most effective goals challenge an athlete to improve performance meaning they are not too easy -setting goals that are attainable and realistic will provide motivation to achieve better performance without frustration. -setting unrealistic goals will set one up for failure

Inter-relatedness of Goal Types

In theory, achieving process goals should increase the likelihood of achieving performance and outcome goals.

Motivation Types influencing persistence

Internal motivation: enjoyment or personal meaning lead to success External motivation:external pressure, guilt does not lead to success

Other factors that contribute to the goal setting performance link

Research says goal setting may increase team cohesion which leads to improved performance outcomes *Teams with higher levels of cohesion practice more goal setting -Goal setting leads to increases in positive affect: athletes focus on the mastery of specific skills and once those goals are accomplished they feel good -Research says that athletes who participate in a goal setting intervention, identify obstacles to goal fulfillment and develop action plans to achieve those goals shows decreases in fear of failure -)developing strategies for achieving goals reduces an athletes concerns about not succeeding-)better goal attainment and performance

SMART Goal

S:goals must be specific, indicate precisely what accomplishing the goal would look like M: goals must be measurable: quantified results A: goals must be action oriented R: goals must be realistic (can be achieved) T: goals mst be timely: can be achieved within a reasonable amount of time

Set performance, process, and outcome goals

Study found that athletes who worked on multiple goals-outcome, performance, and process performed better on a soccer task during both training and competition than those who focused only on one -pursuing diverse goal types-)achieve better success

Principles of Effective Goal Setting

The goals set vary dependent on an athlete's level Ket Strategies to set and achieve more effective goals: SMART goals

Set both training and competition goals

There is a tendency to focus only on competition goals, but teams practice more than they compete, so practice goals are a sure way to maintain motivation and improve.

Types of Goals

all athletes pursue different goals -outcome goals -performance goals -process goals

What is goal setting linked to?

better athletic performance, strategy is linked to better outcomes, how? -By setting goals you are increasing motivation and energizing behavior, it helps athletes focus their efforts and attention and reduce anxiety and arousal and enhance team cohesion **goal setting is one of the most common psychological interventions used for elite athletes

Goal specificity

goals that are precise and measurable are linked to better performance than vague goals. -Vague goals are hard to measure meaning the pursuit of such goals is less motivating to athletes. A meta-analysis study revealed that specific goals are strongly linked to better task performance. (soccer study with athletes setting specific goals performed better on a soccer shooting task than those who were told "try your best") Researchers also distinguish between objective and subjective goals

Set both short and long term goals

many focus on long term goal setting, but short term goals are necessary to provide the continued motivation needed to work toward the longer-term goals (for example: the most successful olympic athletes set specific daily goals for each day and in each workout study found that athletes who set both short and long term goals experience better success than those who only set long term goals -another study found that with very high level athletes (olympians) those who achieve at the highest levels prioritize their long term goals and are willing to forego other activities that could impair long term goal achievement. They use long term goals to stay motivated on a daily basis

Setting moderately difficulty goal research (pg 131)

meta-analysis found that moderately difficult goals lead to better performance than easy or difficult goals

Impact of goal types

outcome goals: short-term motivation in weeks and months before an event, but can cause excessive anxiety during an event itself *the specific performance and process goal a person sets depends on the outcome goal** -Athletes who are the most effective goal setters set process goals Benefit of setting performance and process goals: These types of goals are more within a person's control, they are not reliant on another person or team's performance. A process goal study showed improvement in managing anxiety and maintaining concentration Yet, college athletes emphasize outcome goals over performance goals.

Objective goals

refer to specific achievements a person wants to accomplish and can be easily measured in terms of success or failure (ie scoring a hat trick) -more effective

Goal

something a person is consciously and deliberately working towards

Directing Attention

to a particular action or skill -Athletes who set goals know how to focus their attention on a particular aspet of the game, similarly during practices athletes know how and can focus intensely on skills necessary to achieve the goals they set A study examined the effects of an 8-week goal setting intervention on female DI tennis players -at start of the season, the players were educated on theory and research that demonstrates the importance of goal settings and a goal setting program was developed for each athlete. -program had weekly setting goals across practice, competition, and physical conditioning -at the end of each week, the athlete met with the coach and consultant to evaluate progress on each goal and set next weeks goals Result*: benefits for athletes: increased motivation, self-confidence, and performance