Effectiveness of Behavioral vs. Cognitive Sources of Sport-Confidence in Athletes

Arbore, Delaney

Effectiveness of Behavioral vs. Cognitive Sources of Sport-Confidence in Athletes

Persistent URL

http://hdl.handle.net/10456/48417

Author(s)

Arbore, Delaney

Date Issued

April 1, 2019

Abstract

Sport-confidence is defined as “the belief or degree of certainty individuals possess about their ability to be successful in sport” (Vealey, 1986 p.222). The factors that influence sport-confidence as well as the strategies used to improve it can essentially be viewed through two psychological lenses, behavioral and cognitive. Despite this, there are many factors that affect sport-confidence and strategies to improve it that are a combination of both of these approaches. In the present study, 51 varsity athletes at Allegheny College took two surveys. The first was the Trait Sport Confidence Inventory developed by Vealey (1986), which measured how confident an athlete is in their sport. The second was a sources of sport-confidence survey which measured whether an athlete prefers more cognitive or behavioral sources of sport-confidence. The purpose of these surveys was to determine whether the type of strategy used to gain sport-confidence has any effect on how confident an athlete is, as well as whether different types of sport-confidence are used more by individual or team sport athletes. The results of this study showed no effect between types of confidence preferred and level of confidence or type of sport an athlete plays. These results suggest that individual differences are the most influential factor for sport-confidence.

Major

Psychology

Honors

Psychology, 2019

First Reader(s)

Clark, Rodney D.