Psych 207
Psychology of Excellence
Exam 1 Study Guide
Unit 1: Psychological Skills Training
· Big themes: awareness, choice, self-control, plans/routines, something to turn to
· Orlick’s Wheel of Excellence
· List and briefly describe each of the 7 main characteristics
· Self-efficacy
· Dweck’s mindset work
· Two types of mindset
· Summary of correlational and experimental results from study in the readings (Blackwell, Trzesniewski, & Dweck, 2007)
· 4 different kinds of motivational factors impacted by mindset (see figure at the end of “The Effort Effect” article for a list of more than 4 possibilities)
· The Peak Performance Experience
· List the 11 characteristics of “The Zone”
· Application to mental skills training
· Poor performances often due to being in an unproductive state
· Mental skills enable greater control over this state
· Key to controlling performance is to learn to control your state
· 8 assumptions about psychological skills training
· Reciprocal determinism
Unit 2: Goal-Setting
· Different types of goals
· Specific objective goals, general objective goals, subjective goals (mentioned in lecture), outcome goals, performance goals, process goals (the last two are sometimes referred to as target behaviors)
· 3 core aspects of systematic goal setting (“Goal setting is a systematic, scientifically validated approach to…”)
· Results from the Locke and Latham meta-analysis of almost 200 goal-setting studies (presented in lecture)
· Theoretical explanations for goal setting’s effectiveness (6 were presented in lecture and in the reading)
· Goal setting guidelines (focus on the first 10 presented in the reading)
· Describe 4 common goal-setting problems (more than 4 were presented)
Unit 3: Behavioral Self-Regulation
· Elements in a cybernetic regulatory system: standard, sensor, comparator, activator, and how each of these would correspond to goals, awareness, feedback, and action plans
· At least two drawbacks of the concept of “will power” (in reader)
· Negative feedback
· 9 Characteristics of Mental Toughness (James Loehr)
· 3 stages of skillful behavior development: control by others, control by self, automatization
· ABCs of Behavior Control
· Basic elements of classical conditioning and operant conditioning (see Principles of Self-Regulation from lecture)
· 2 types of antecedents that occur in each type of conditioning
· 2-factor theory
· 6 generic steps in behavioral self control programs
· Self-monitoring as a way to identify antecedents and consequences
· Antecedents
· Different types of antecedents: self-instructions, beliefs, interpretations
· Modifying antecedents: avoidance, narrowing stimulus control, reconstrual (hot vs. cool), pauses
· Creating new antecedents: thought substitutions, environmental stimulus control, pre-commitment and programming the environment
· Consequences
· Risk aversion and the avoidance of pain versus effectiveness of positive reinforcement to encourage new behaviors
· Changing consequences
· The importance of potent and controllable consequences
· The Premack principle
· Effective use of reinforcers: contingencies and contracts, immediate reinforcement, verbal self-reinforcement, token economies, using others to dispense reinforcers, imagined reinforcement, reinforce antecedent controlling behaviors, shaping, recommendations for using punishment
· Relapse Prevention
· Difference between a lapse & a relapse
· The abstinence violation effect
· What are 4 things that could minimize the occurrence of this effect (more than 4 were presented
Unit 4: Time Management
· The 6 steps of effective time management
· The 80/20 misdistribution rule
Unit 5: Imagery
· Definition of imagery
· Name and briefly describe the 4 different theories presented to explain how imagery works (for each theory mention a key term or phrase that relates to it)
· Describe 5 different potential uses of imagery (more than 5 were presented)
· Describe 4 different tips to make imagery more effective (more than 4 were presented)