Factors affecting sporting performance WHOLE UNIT

This pack contains all revision resources for the factors that can
influence an individual in physical activities unit in A-level PE edexcel specification (4.1).

4.1.1 Knowledge and understanding of different personality theories
and their application to different sporting situations.
Personality theories
Trait (Innate) theory – introvert/extrovert, neurotic/stable
(Eysenck, Cattell’s 16 Personality Factors)
Interactionist theory
Behaviour = function (personality, environment)
Hollander’s and Martens personality structure.
4.1.2 Wood’s Triadic Model: ideas/cognitions, emotions/effects and
actions/behaviour.
Understanding how attitudes are formed and shape behaviour.
Changing attitudes: negative to positive – create ‘cognitive
dissonance’ – Festinger.
4.1.3 Arousal and its effect on performance.
Positive/negative effects, under-/over-arousal,
introverts/extroverts.
Arousal and achieving optimal levels for performance – task
differences, e.g. simple/gross skills, situational factors, stage
of learning and personalities – Inverted-U hypothesis, Hull’s
Drive Theory.
Catastrophe Theory.
4.1.4 Anxiety and its effect on performance. The three dimensions of
anxiety: cognitive, somatic and behavioural. Types of anxiety,
state and trait anxiety.
The effects of anxiety of performance: over arousal, choking
and catastrophe theory.
Relationship between arousal and anxiety.
Stress and stressors leading to anxiety – physiological,
psychological, behavioural symptoms.
Cognitive/Somatic strategies: mental practice/rehearsal, use of
visualisation and imagery, ‘self talk’, pre-game routines,
relaxation techniques, centring, thought stopping, PMR
(Progressive Muscle Relaxation).
4.1.5 Aggression v. Assertion
Knowledge and understanding, in relation to the player, coach
and spectator, of aggression and assertion and the difference
between the two.
Theories
Instinct (Lorenz), Social Learning (Bandura), Aggressive-Cue
Hypotheses (Berkowitz) and Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis
(Dollard).
Types of aggression: hostile, channelled, reactive and
instrumental.
Causes of aggression, e.g. over-arousal, under developed
moral reasoning, bracketed morality, and application to
specific sporting situations.
Strategies to reduce aggression/aggressive play.
4.1.6 Knowledge and understanding of motivation
Types of motivation – self-motivation characteristics, positive,
negative, intrinsic and extrinsic; link to rewards –
internal/external, tangible/intangible.
Theories of motivation
Achievement Motivation Theory (Atkinson and McClelland).
NAF (Need to Avoid Failure) and NACH (Need to Achieve).
Characteristics of each and how they may be reflected in the
same individual but in different circumstances and/or times.
An application of these theories to optimise performance.
Factors that influence behaviour: situation, personality,
motivation and expectation.
Use of goal setting to develop and enhance motivation.