Single-Subject Designs for Evaluation of Sport Psychology Interventions

1987 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 283-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne J. Bryan

The case is made for using single-subject designs in evaluating psychological interventions for sport skills acquisition and performance enhancement. Advantages of single-subject designs are discussed, along with examples and considerations in the use of the A-B-A-B and multiple-baseline designs.

2008 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patsy Tremayne ◽  
Debra A. Ballinger

Ballroom dance has resurfaced worldwide as a highly popular competitive sport and might be added to Olympic medal competition for the 2012 London Games. This resurgence presents opportunities for sport psychologists to provide psychological-skills and performance-enhancement training for ballroom dancers at all competitive levels. Few sport psychologists have the personal experience, expertise, or an adequate knowledge base about the competitive-ballroom-dance environment to provide meaningful intervention strategies for participants. This article was developed to provide initial guidance for sport psychology professionals interested in working in this environment. An overview of the competitive-dance and ballroom-dance environment, strategies used by dance couples for enhanced mental preparation before and during dance competitions, and excerpts from an interview with an Australian championship-level couple provide readers insight into performance-enhancement strategies for DanceSport.


Author(s):  
Christopher M. Bader ◽  
Scott B. Martin

As a field of study, sport psychology is relatively young, gaining its formalized start in the United States in the 1920s. Then and now, the practice of sport psychology is concerned with the recognition of psychological factors that influence performance and ensuring that individuals and teams can perform at an optimal level. In the past 30 years, sport psychologists have made their way into intercollegiate athletics departments providing mental health and performance enhancement services to intercollegiate student-athletes. The differentiation between mental health practice and performance enhancement practice is still a source of some confusion for individuals tasked with hiring sport psychology professionals. Additionally, many traditionally trained practitioners (in both mental health and performance enhancement) are unaware of the dynamics of an intercollegiate athletic department. The interplay of the practitioner and those departmental dynamics can greatly influence the efficacy of the practitioner.


Author(s):  
Jeffrey Bond ◽  
Tony Morris

Australian sport psychology was effectively “launched” in conjunction with the establishment of the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in 1981. Prior to this date, sport psychology sat within the realm of a small number of research academics in tertiary institutions and many more unqualified practitioners with backgrounds in sport, hypnotherapy, medicine, and marketing and sales. The commencement of the legitimacy of the profession in the early 1980s correlated with the co-location of the AIS Sport Psychology Department with other sports medicine and sports science disciplines. From this rather humble but significant beginning, Australian sport psychology quickly became integrated into the training and competition plans of the vast majority of Australian Olympic sports and the developing professional football, tennis, golf, and cricket codes. The rapid growth of the AIS and its team of qualified and experienced sport psychology practitioners, combined with international competition exposure, international conference presentations, reciprocal visits to international sports institutes, and Olympic training centers culminated in the inclusion of sport psychology within the auspices of the Australian Psychological Society (APS) and the accreditation of undergraduate and postgraduate tertiary programs in Australian universities. Applied sport psychology services are now a regular inclusion in most, if not all, Australian sports programs. An increasing emphasis on athlete and coach mental health in conjunction with the performance enhancement capability associated with sport psychology support has firmly entrenched the profession within the Australian sporting milieu.


1990 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 341-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harvey A. Dorfman

This article describes the delivery of personal and performance enhancement consulting services to the major league and minor league teams in the Oakland Athletics baseball organization over a 6-year period. The use of a combined clinical, educational approach is discussed as well as the range and type of services provided in the role as a full-time instructor/counselor. Factors affecting the effectiveness of delivering sport psychology services to professional baseball players are discussed, with special emphasis on developing trust and a good connection in the player/consultant relationship.


1997 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 243-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
William B. Strean ◽  
Kim L. Senecal ◽  
Stephen G. Howlett ◽  
J. Mark Burgess

Critical thinking can be defined most simply as thinking that assesses itself (Paul, 1995). We explored the degree to which coaches engage in critical thinking about strategy. We used Brookfield’s (1995) critical thinking model to examine coaches’ strategic thinking processes. The merit of the model as a tool to facilitate research and intervention in team sports was considered. We examined whether identifying and examining paradigmatic, prescriptive, and causal assumptions, as well as exploring alternatives for thinking and acting, can improve team strategy. The results provide examples of these various conceptual categories. The data support the use of Brookfield’s (1995) model for understanding and intervening with coaches and athletes. Examples of how sport psychology and performance enhancement consultants might use this model in their work are offered.


1995 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
David P. Templin ◽  
Ralph A. Vernacchia

Recent technological developments in applied sport psychology that utilize videotaping and playback techniques to enhance athletic performance have become increasingly attractive to coaches, athletes, and sport psychologists. This study of 5 male intercollegiate basketball players was designed to examine the effectiveness of highlight peak performance music videotapes on competitive offensive field goal percentage. Videotapes incorporating each player’s best and most effective plays were supplemented by inspirational music and were viewed by the athletes throughout the competitive season. Treatment effects were determined by a single-subject multiple-baseline-across-subjects design. Although a causal relationship between highlight videotapes and offensive field goal percentage was not established, the results did demonstrate a mean increase of 4.7% in overall field goal percentage for 3 of the 5 participants. Social validity was explored through the use of imagery evaluation sheets, individual player logs of introspective thought, and personal interviews.


2004 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Garry L. Martin ◽  
Kendra Thompson ◽  
Kaleigh Regehr

1991 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 304-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jodi Yambor ◽  
Deidre Connelly

This article discusses issues related to the delivery of personal and performance enhancement consulting services to male student-athletes by female sport psychology consultants. A holistic, developmental, educational philosophy is described as a basis for providing services. Ethics, delivery, and consultant effectiveness are discussed relative to the male client/female consultant situation. A number of prevalent attitudes and stereotypes that may present obstacles to the successful delivery of services are discussed, along with the authors’ experiences and suggested tactics to minimize or confront and cope with these potential barriers.


2010 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul J. McCarthy ◽  
Marc V. Jones ◽  
Chris G. Harwood ◽  
Laura Davenport

Positive affect is linked to enhanced motivation, commitment, and performance among youth sport performers; yet, few psychological interventions have specifically attempted to enhance positive affect among these athletes. To address this circumstance, we implemented a single-subject multiple-baseline design to examine the effects of a goal-setting intervention on the positive and negative affective responses of three competitive youth athletes. Statistical analysis coupled with visual inspection criteria revealed a significant overall increase in positive affect for participants 1 and 2. A statistically significant increase in positive affect also emerged for participant 3, yet it was not possible to detect a significant experimental effect using visual inspection criteria. No statistically significant decreases in negative effect emerged for any of the three participants. These results show some support for the hypothesis that goal setting may enhance positive affect among junior multievent athletes.


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