Publication: Examining the effects of self-efficacy, physiological states, and mental skills on sport performance
| dc.contributor.author | Ortega, Emily | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2018-04-26T02:19:53Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2018-04-26T02:19:53Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2017 | |
| dc.date.submitted | 2017 | |
| dc.description.abstract | In sports, confidence is believed to have a major effect on performance (Vealey, 2009). As confidence is a more global term, it is believed that self-efficacy is a better construct for research since it is specific to the task at hand (Bandura, 1977). Self-efficacy is widely known to be a good predictor of performance and research has shown this to be true in the context of sports (Moritz, Feltz, Fahrbach, & Mack, 2000). Along with performance accomplishments, verbal persuasion, and vicarious experiences, an athlete’s perception of his or her physiological state have been identified as sources of self-efficacy (Bandura, 1977), but thus far, limited empirical evidence supports the perception of physiological state as a source of self-efficacy. With the advancement of technology, measuring physiological states is now a practical possibility. Since heart rate variability (HRV) is postulated to reflect autonomic nervous system flexibility (Friedman & Thayer, 1998), this research will explore the possibility of using HRV as an index of an athlete’s physiological state.<br><br>Common strategies to help athletes cope with the pressure of sports competitions include mental skills training and biofeedback training, interventions targeted at improving the athlete’s physiological state, self-efficacy, and performance. For closed-skill sports like shooting, it is hypothesized that physiological state plays an even greater role as it has a direct impact on the shooter’s self-efficacy and performance, compared to open skill sports where many other factors can influence performance. Closed and open skill sports place very different mental demands on athletes, and given that the nature of the sports vary significantly (e.g. comparing air rifle shooting with rugby), there is a possibility that athletes from the two sport types utilise different mental skills and have differing self-efficacy levels. Looking specifically at closed skill sports, this research study hopes to examine the possibility of using HRV as an index of a closed skill sport athlete’s physiological state before performing, as well as to establish the effectiveness of an integrated mental skills and biofeedback training program on performance.<br><br>Therefore, this research comprises of three studies: the first study examines what mental skills elite athletes from Singapore utilize in training and competition and examines if self-efficacy levels differ by type of sport. The second study analyzes how physiological states, as measured by HRV, self-efficacy, and use of mental skills can influence performance outcomes in shooting. Finally, the third study is an intervention study that examines the effectiveness of an integrated mental skills and biofeedback training program on self-efficacy, HRV, and performance in shooting. By understanding how physiological states and mental skills influence closed skill accuracy sports performance and self-efficacy levels, this research study seeks to provide practical strategies for coaches and athletes to improve performance in closed skill sports. Other than enhancing the literature of self efficacy and sport performance, the main implication from this research is the premise of using HRV as an index of an athlete’s physiological state, such that from an applied research perspective, this would be an objective way to enhance athletes’ self-awareness and self-regulation skills to get into the optimal performance state before competition using a quick and easy measurement. | |
| dc.identifier.callno | GV706.4 Ort | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10497/19511 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Sports--Psychological aspects. | |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Sports--Physiological aspects. | |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Self-efficacy--Singapore. | |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Achievement motivation--Singapore. | |
| dc.supervisor | Wang, John Chee Keng | |
| dc.title | Examining the effects of self-efficacy, physiological states, and mental skills on sport performance | en |
| dc.type | Thesis | en |
| dspace.entity.type | Publication |