Module SPRT1261: INTRODUCTION TO SPORT PSYCHOLOGY

Department: Applied Social Sciences (Sport)

SPRT1261: INTRODUCTION TO SPORT PSYCHOLOGY

Prerequisites

• None.

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• Provide students with a basic knowledge and understanding of the field of sport and exercise psychology, including familiarity with the major theories, intervention strategies and methods of data collection
• Prepare students with sufficient understanding of the body of knowledge of sport and exercise psychology to effectively deal with psychological content offered as part of other modules at Levels 2 and 3, in particular the Level 2 module Exercise Psychology and the Level 3 module Advanced Sport and Exercise Psychology.

Content

• The module will introduce students to the study of the psychological aspects relevant to participation and performance in sport .
• The following areas will be examined: Major theoretical approaches underpinning sport psychology; History, organisations and journals of sport psychology; Some research tools in sport psychology (especially inventories); Motivation, in relation to both participation and achievement; Attitudes and beliefs underlying participation and achievement; Issues around personality, group dynamics and leadership; Performance-related psychological factors, including arousal, anxiety, and self-confidence
• Mental skills, their applications, and their role in performance and athlete well-being
• Psychological reactions to and risk factors for athletic injury

Learning Outcomes

• Explain a range of psychological concepts relevant to sports participation and performance, with their theories and applications.
• Demonstrate basic knowledge and understanding of conventional methods of data collection in sport and exercise psychology;
• Identify the major theoretical approaches within psychology and some of their manifestations in sport and exercise psychology.

• Use scoring keys and relevant literature to interpret results from sport psychological inventories
• Find and identify different types of source materials used in sport psychology
• Apply the basic principles of several mental skills

• Demonstrate basic skills in literature search and interpretation, writing, and referencing

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Teaching and learning will be centred on lectures and seminars.
• Lectures serve to provide general outlines of the concepts and theories and to direct students to relevant literature.
• Seminar Sessions serve to provide students with opportunities to more fully engage with the theoretical concepts, and to gain hands-on experience with psychological measurements and mental skills. Some seminar time will be devoted to familiarising students with the structure and jargon of research communications in Sport Psychology;
• Assessment will entail a 2,500 word assignment and a two hour examination.
• The assignment will allow students to combine theoretical knowledge with some basic methodological principles of data collection. At the same time, it will encourage students' writing skills, basic literature search, independent learning, and time management skills.
• The examination will test students' knowledge and understanding of the relevant theories and concepts addressed in the module.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

1,000 word written report.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University