SPORT PSYCHOLOGY

PSY 121 – Term 2, Fall 2015

InstructorDr. Bob Swoap

828.771.3706

Office Hours: M, W, F1 2:30 – 3:30

(103 Jensen)T & Th 12:30 - 1:00

Other times available by appointment

Readings

  • In Pursuit of Excellence (2007, 4th ed.) by Terry Orlick
  • Additional readings -- accessed via hyperlinks on the online syllabus.

Course Objectives

This course examines theoretical and applied aspects of sport psychology. It is designed to introduce you to the field of sport psychology by providing a broad overview of the major topics in the area. The primary course objective is to facilitate your understanding of how psychological factors influence involvement and performance in sport settings, and how participation in sports affects individuals and groups. No previous coursework in psychology is assumed.

Assignments and Grades
1. Interview project/paper (see end of syllabus) -- 25%

2. Sport Psych video (see end of syllabus) -- 25%

3. Final examination -- 50%. This will be open-note. Bring only your notes. There may be no photocopies of text or of other students' notes in your notebook. Strong suggestion: Take notes regularly in class and organize them for optimal learning and performance.

Grades

93-100% A80-82%B-67-69%D+

90- 92%A-77-79%C+63-66%D

87- 89%B+ 73-76%C 0- 62% F

83- 86%B70-72%C-

If you have a disability and might require special accommodations at any time in this course, it is your responsibility to inform me during the first week of classes. Documentation of your learning disability needs to be on file with the Student Life office. (Requirements for disability documentation can be found on the Warren Wilson Website, under Student Life.)

Class Schedule(Chapters are from “In Pursuit of Excellence”)

TopicReadings

T10/27Introduction

Th10/29 The Wheel of ExcellenceChs. 1-2

T 11/3The Wheel of ExcellenceChs. 3-4

Th 11/5Goal-setting and motivationChs. 12, 13, & 14

Goals and motivation

(*For this class session, bring in five goals you have.)

F 11/6Goals & motivation (continued)Chs. 15-17

How to spark motivation

T 11/10Anxiety, arousal, and stressChs. 5 & 6 + MSPE

Th 11/12Focus and concentrationCh. 7 + Focus Part I Part II

T 11/17ImageryChs. 8-11 + Olympic Visions

Th 11/19Composure and ConsistencyChs. 18-20

Ignoring distractions

F 11/20Interview paper due

T 11/24Persistence, Grit, and Deliberate PracticeP, G, and DP

Ch. 21

T 12/1MindsetMindset

Th12/3Team dynamicsCh. 23

Heart of a team

Developing an effective team

F 12/4CoachingCh. 22

Introducing the skill-o-meter

How to win

T 12/8 Videos due(must be uploaded by 9:00 a.m. this day)

Th 12/10Video showcase continued

T 12/15 Final exam (open note)

Th 12/17Wrap-up

Interview Project Guidelines

Quick Overview:

1) Pick an area of sport psychology you want to learn more about

2) Develop a set of interview questions to investigate this area

3) Find a non-WWC athlete who is willing to participate

4) Interview the athlete

5) Write-up your summary of the interview

Specifics:

1) Pick an area of sport psychology you want to learn more about.

You can use your syllabus, your text, or other sources to pick an area. Examples:

Mental toughness, visualization, effects of coaching style, goal-setting, etc.

Do this the first week!

2) Develop a set of interview questions to investigate this area.

Your textbook has a lot of interview questions in the early chapters. You can draw from these, modify them, and/or create your own set of questions.

You should have enough questions so that your interview will last between 20-30 minutes.

The number of questions will depend on your topic. Keep your questions short and clear.

Practice asking the interview questions to one of your classmates to determine if you need to reword any of them and to practice delivering the interview questions.

Develop these questions by 11/5.

3) Find an athlete.

You must interview an athlete not connected to WWC. You can choose the level of athlete (Olympian, professional, collegiate, high school).

Your first contact should be to explain the project and to let the athlete know that their name will be kept confidential. Give them the general topic you will be asking them about. Ask their permission.

You should have an interviewee by the end of the second week of the term!

4) Interview the athlete. If you can, please record the interview (with permission of the athlete). If not, take very good notes, since you will want to use key quotes in your paper. Interview should be conducted during Week 3 of the term.

5) Write-up the interview paper. This is due at the beginning of class on 11/20. Of course, you may turn it in any time ahead of that. Late papers will be accepted through Mon 11/23 at 5 p.m. None will be accepted after that. Turned in Friday after 11 a.m. = 5 points deducted; Turned in Saturday = 10 points deducted; Sunday = 15 points deducted; Monday = 20 points deducted.

Writing the interview essay:

  • Immediately after concluding the interview:
  • Organize your notes
  • Transcribe the audio recording, or important sequences and quotes
  • Review the entire interview's notes and recording
    Note three to five major themes around your topic of investigation.
    (You are now re-structuring the interview from its "narrative" sequence
    to one of themes)
  • For each significant theme, find an appropriate quote
    and cut and paste these into their categories
  • You are welcome (but not required) to use outside sources (e.g., your text, an article on sport psychology) and begin to integrate these into your paper/themes.
  • After completing the substance of the interview,
    develop an introduction which has a thesis statement or question. Also, develop a conclusion that includes personal observations (what you take away from the interview) and more general interpretations.
  • Proofread, verify and cite your source(s), and spell-check.

Format: 4-6 pages, double-spaced, Times New Roman, font 12, standard margins.

Cover page with your name, date turned in, title of paper. (Don’t count the cover page in the 4-6 page count. Do not count the separate page for references/citations if you have any.)

Staple your paper before you turn it in. Crinkle-cornered / Dog-eared papers will not be accepted.

Video Assignment

In groups of three, create your own short video (3-5 minutes) that is a guide to a sport psychology phenomenon (e.g., focus, goal-setting, stress, mindfulness, etc.). Your target audience are athletes who want to use your video to improve their performance/consistency/enjoyment (whatever you're emphasizing).

Use iMovie or MovieMaker (or another program/app, if it works better for your group) to create a professional-looking video. You may decide to do some combination of live-action (where you record video), use existing footage that you capture, use still images, include slides/charts, etc. Be creative. You can use humor, but the main criteria by which the video will be judged are clarity, using sound & accurate principles of sport psychology, teaching effectiveness, and a high quality video.

You should use this chart as a guide to creating the video.

Preproduction / Production / Post Production
  • Research & plan the project
  • Create storyboard & write narrative script
  • Gather and plan assets (video clips, still images, sound effects, music, etc.)
/
  • Record narration
  • Create assets, if necessary (record original video, for example)
/
  • Assemble assets in iMovie or MovieMaker (or other app)
  • Add titles, transitions and special effects
  • Create final output (export your project to YouTube)

You can get a story board template here:

and print off as many pages as you need to create a clear story/video.

The video must be uploaded to YouTube by 9 a.m. Tuesday 12/8. I strongly suggest that you do the uploading over the weekend prior to this due date, so that if there are any technical problems, these can be solved before the due date.