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Perfectionism includes various dimensions focused on different planes of psychological functioning, with both positive and negative elements that influence adaptation to the pursuit of achievement and personal satisfaction with efforts and their attainment. We examined participants' levels of perfectionism and the relationship between perfectionism and anxiety in young athletes, and we described the mediating factor of self-confidence as a determinant of sport performance. We utilized a non-experimental, descriptive, and transversal research design. A total of 263 Spanish young athletes ( M age = 15.79 years; SD = 1.07) who belonged to different sports clubs and engaged in different sports completed the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS) and the Competitive Anxiety Inventory (CSAI-2R). Our results confirmed our belief that self-confidence was a protective factor for diminishing the negative relationships between perfectionism, anxiety, and sport performance. Regarding the predictive power of these variables, the construction of exaggerated achievement expectations (or personal standards) by combining functional and dysfunctional resources was reflected in cognitive anxiety (dysfunctional) and was mediated by self-confidence (functional). Application of these elements into training via well planned communication may allow coaches to enhance young athletes' resources for mental and behavioral adjustment toward their sporting goal. In addition, this training approach may underscore athletes' self-perceived competence and enhance their self-confidence., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Our primary objectives in this study were to translate and provide psychometric support for the Coach Athlete Relationship Questionnaire (CART-Q) Portuguese version, assess its invariance across sex, and explore its nomological validity in relation to enjoyment. Our sample participants were 470 athletes (226 females, 244 males) aged between 16 to 39 years from various individual and team sports. We found that the translated Portuguese version of the CART-Q exhibited satisfactory test-retest reliability and can serve as a reliable tool for evaluating the core constructs of the coach-athlete relationship - closeness, commitment, and complementarity. Moreover, this instrument showed evidence of nomological validity through significant positive correlations between its underlying factors and athletes' enjoyment with their sport. The proposed model for explaining item variance was also found to be invariant between male and female respondents. We recommend further use of this instrument in research and practical applications., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Purpose: our aim was to analyze the characteristics of the off-the-wall smash in men´s and women´s padel, and to compare gender differences in the set-dependent frequency of these shots., Study Sample: through systematic observation, we analyzed 441 off-the-wall smashes from the Final Master of the 2022 season of the World Padel Tour., Results: showed that the women performed twice as many off-the-wall smashes as the men. This shot was executed most frequently (90%) from the center and right side of the court and from the dominant side, usually providing volley continuity (73%) and sometimes resulting in point winners (21.5%). Furthermore, there were gender differences, depending on the defense zone from which the wall smashes were defended ( p = .014) and on the final match result ( p = .018). In men's padel, the losing pair performed more off-the-wall smashes, while in women's padel, the winning pair performed more of these smashes. Finally, between both genders, most off-the-wall smashes occurred in the first set and decreased in number in the third set, with the second set containing the fewest off-the wall smashes., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

A recent systematic review reported positive associations between parents and children's physical activity participation. Moreover, parents' perceptions of the importance and value of physical activity can influence their children's participation in it. Our aim in this study was to develop and validate an instrument to assess parents' perceptions of the importance of physical activity and physical education. After first creating the instrument, we conducted content and exploratory factorial validation and reliability analyses of it with 93 parents ( M age = 44.76, SD = 6.05, range = 31-66 years; 73 females, 20 males). The result was a 9-item instrument, with items assessed on a 5-point Likert scale and grouped into three factors: (a) importance of physical education; (b) importance of engaging in physical activity or sport; and (c) importance of joining your children in physical activity or sport. In a second confirmatory factor analysis with 224 parents ( M age = 44.53, SD = 6.07; 174 or 77.7% females and 50 or 22.3% males) we confirmed the factor validity and reliability previously analyzed ( χ 2 = 42.77, df = 24, p = .011, GFI = 0.96, NFI = 0.98, NNFI = 0.99, CFI = 0.99, RMSEA = 0.06 (90% CI: 0,04, 0.08), SRMR = 0.04, ECVI = 0.04, CR = 0.70-0.87). Thus, the new Physical Activity and Physical Education Importance for Parents Scale (PAPEIPS) is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring parents' perceived importance of physical activity and physical education., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Sport commitment describes a psychological attachment to a sport that influences one's desire or resolve to continue involvement in it. Studying antecedents believed to influence long term commitment to sport among athletes with a disability will help ensure that participants gain those psychosocial and health outcomes from sport participation that benefit quality of life. Our purposes in this study were: (i) to examine the Sport Commitment Model (SCM) in terms of the magnitude of the contribution of antecedent factors (i.e., enjoyment, personal investment, involvement opportunities, social constraints, involvement alternatives) to sport commitment of athletes with disabilities; and (ii) to examine the model structure (i.e., original SCM, mediation, and direct/indirect model) that best reflects an understanding of the sport commitment antecedents for these athletes. A total of 157 adult athletes ( M age = 34.87, SD = 11.78) with physical disabilities from both team and individual sports across the United States, Europe, and Asia completed the Sport Commitment Questionnaire. Data analyses indicated that sport involvement opportunities, followed by personal investment, were the strongest predictors of these athletes' sport commitments (R 2 = .66). Based on the principle of parsimony, the original structural equation model (χ 2 (215) = 384.95; RMSEA = .07; CFI = .95; SRMR = .06) was deemed better for understanding the mechanism of sport commitment than the mediation or direct/indirect models. We address implications of applying the SCM to athletes with disabilities, and we offer suggestions for future research., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Multiple object tracking (MOT) and multiple identity tracking (MIT) each measure the ability to track moving objects visually. While prior investigators have mainly compared athletes and non-athletes on MOT, MIT more closely resembles dynamic real-life environments. Here we compared the performance and gaze behavior of handball players with non-athletes on both MOT and MIT. Since previous researchers have shown that MOT and MIT engage different eye movement strategies, we had participants track 3-5 targets among 10 moving objects. In MOT, the objects were identical, while in MIT they differed in shape and color. Although we observed no group differences for tracking accuracy, the eye movements of athletes were more target-oriented than those of non-athletes. We concluded that tasks and stimuli intended by researchers to demonstrate that athletes' show better object tracking than non-athletes should be specific to the athletes' type of sport and should use more perception-action coupled measures. An implication of this conclusion is that the differences in object tracking skills between athletes and non-athletes is highly specific to the skills demanded by the athletes' sport., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

'E-sports' refers to organized videogames. As the number of online gamers and interest in esports continue to rise in low and middle-income countries, mental health professionals need to be aware of their possible psychological and clinical implications. Only a small fraction of esports players present with gaming addiction, but a relatively larger proportion with subtle impairment impacting domains such as self-esteem, performance-related issues, family conflict, sleep-related issues or physical health. An adequate knowledge of esports, its concept, origins, genre and current status should equip mental health professionals in developing a good rapport with these young clients and correctly evaluate them. This review provides an overview of esports and how it pertains to mental health professionals.

Sport performance depends in part on psychological factors. Self-determination theory emphasizes that the satisfisfaction of basic psychological needs and autonomous motivation may be linked to positive behavioral results and positive perceptions of performance. Our main objective in this study was to analyze the predictive power of such variables as perceived autonomy support, the satisfaction of psychological needs, and autonomous motivation on perceived sport performance. We recruited 447 young Portuguese athletes/participants (340 males, 107 females; M age = 15.72 years, SD = 1.8). We had participants complete Portuguese sport versions of the Perceived Autonomy Support Exercise Climate Questionnaire, the Basic Psychological Needs in Exercise Scale, the Behavior Regulation Sport Questionnaire and the Perceived Performance in Sport Questionnaire. A gender invariant structural equation model showed that the coach's autonomy support significantly predicted the satisfaction of psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The satisfaction of these three psychological needs predicted autonomous motivation. Satisfying the need for competence positively predicted perceived sport performance, but autonomous motivation was not significantly related to perceived performance.

The purpose of this study was to examine distinct groups of athletes based on their gratitude and coach-athlete relationships (CAR) and to compare the groups on three dimensions of athlete burnout: sense of reduced accomplishment, emotional and physical exhaustion, and sport devaluation. Types of gratitude measured included general trait gratitude, general state gratitude, and sport state gratitude. Cluster analysis with 576 intercollegiate athletes showed four distinct groups: "ungrateful in life and sport, and disconnected from the coach" (Group 1), "highly grateful in life and sport, and well-connected with the coach" (Group 2), "generally less grateful in life, but connected with the coach" (Group 3), and "generally grateful in life, but disconnected from the coach" (Group 4). Group 1 reported the highest levels of burnout. In contrast, Group 2 reported the lowest levels of burnout. Athletes in Groups 3 and 4 (which were similar on sport state gratitude, but differed on other indicators) reported moderate levels of burnout, but Group 4 athletes were more burned out than Group 3 athletes. Specifically, both groups reported similar levels of devaluation; yet, Group 4 scored higher on reduced sense of accomplishment and emotional/physical exhaustion than Group 3. Examination of group composition revealed that male athletes were overrepresented in Group 2 and underrepresented in Group 4, and Group 1 athletes tended to identify as non-religious. Taken together, findings point to the protective role that gratitude and a positive CAR may play in athlete burnout prevention.

In a high-stakes conflict or dilemma situation, observers often feel empathy for one side versus the other. Using a high-profile conflict situation in a world-renowned spectator sport (the US Open) as context, the authors of this study examined the roles of personality and social-cognitive factors, specifically agreeableness and social identification, on empathic concern towards three individuals (a focal actor or instigator, a target, and an "innocent" bystander) involved in an emotionally charged conflict situation. Results showed direct and indirect effects of agreeableness on identification with the focal actor and empathic concern towards the individuals involved in the conflict situation. Participants' social-cognitive processes of identification with the focal actor or instigator fully mediated the effect of personality trait of agreeableness on empathic concern towards the focal actor, whereas agreeableness was directly related to empathic concern towards the target and the bystander without (full) mediation by social identification. Gender differences were found with women reporting higher empathic concern and identification towards the female focal actor and lower empathic concern towards the male target in the conflict situation, suggesting potential automatic or implicit in-group bias. Study results highlight the complex integration of personality and social-cognitive processes, including intersectionality of social identities, in the dynamics of empathic reactions during high-stakes and emotionally charged conflict situations.

This study analyzed independent and codependent effects of task- and ego-involving motivational climates on basic psychological need satisfaction and behavioral regulation (i.e., autonomous and controlled motivation) among young athletes. Participants were young Portuguese female ( n  = 114) and male ( n  = 324) swimmers, nested within four different clubs. Participants completed a multisection survey, assessing motivational climates, basic psychological needs satisfaction, and behavioral regulation. We used polynomial regression analysis with surface response methodology to analyze the interactions between these constructs. We found that perceived task- and ego-involving motivational climates were not mutually exclusive; rather, their relationship depended on how athletes perceived coaches' behaviors and how coaches emphasized one or both climates. Coaches who fostered both motivational climates promoted positive outcomes among male (but not female) athletes.

Humility is a desirable quality for leaders across different domains, but not much is known about humility in sports coaches. This study integrated positive and organizational psychology to define humility as it pertains to sports coaches and examined humble coaches' influence on player development and team climate. Additionally, trust was examined as a mediator between coaches' humility and the two outcomes. Participants ( N  = 184; M age  = 23.44, SD age  = 8.69; 73.4% women) rated their coaches' humility and reflected on the coaches' influence and their team climate. Results indicated that affect-based, but not cognition-based, trust mediated the relationship between humility and coaches' influence on players and team climate. Theoretical and practical implications for sports coaches are discussed.

The aim of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the original version of the Passion Scale (14 items, two factors). We tested it within a sample of mixed gender Portuguese athletes from different sports, including adapted sports. In addition to demonstrating reliability, validity, and confirmatory factor analyses of the Passion Scale, we sought to analyze the invariance of this measure between males and females and across six types of sports (soccer, futsal, swimming, surf, bodyboard, and adapted sports). We recruited 1,316 athletes to test this scale from both genders (1,109 males; 207 females), aged 14-59 years ( M  = 21.83; SD  = 8.67). Our main results revealed weaknesses in the factor model for the original instrument (14 items and two factors) leading us to reject the model. However, after adapting the model (to eight items and two factors), the psychometric properties of the Passion Scale improved substantially and then exhibited (a) good fit to the data and (b) invariance between gender and across sports. Our new proposed version of the Passion Scale can be used with confidence to analyze the passion athletes feel when practicing their sport.

Using multilevel analysis, this study examined a cross-level effect of paternalistic leadership and team cohesion on athletes' burnout. We called 900 athletes from 28 colleges to participate in this survey, with a return rate of 85.2% and found that paternalistic leadership of coaches had a cross level effect across schools on athletes' burnout. Based on these findings, we propose recommendations for coaches and school administrators.

This study aimed to analyze measurement invariance of the Behavioral Regulation Sports Questionnaire (BRSQ) across gender and four different sports. In addition, we examined nomological validity via basic psychological needs satisfaction. Participants totaled 1,812 Portuguese athletes (1,220 males and 592 females; aged 15-59 years, Mage = 17.72, SD = 5.51) from football ( n = 596), basketball ( n = 273), swimming ( n = 800), and parasport ( n = 143). The BRSQ measurement model was invariant across gender and these four sports. The scale confirmed nomological validity in that satisfaction of basic psychological needs positively predicted autonomous forms of motivation and negatively predicted more controlled motivation and amotivation as suggested by self-determination theory. In light of this evidence for BRSQ construct validity, composite reliability, nomological validity, and invariance across gender and four different sports, this scale is a useful tool for coaches of the aforementioned sports in their efforts to evaluate their athletes' motivation.

This study translated, adapted, and validated the Sport Commitment Questionnaire-2 (SCQ-2) for the Spanish language and cultural context. We utilized a cross-sectional design with 747 athlete participants (436 males, 311 females), ranging in age from 11-24 years ( M = 16.04; SD = 2.57). Participants were involved in a variety of individual and team sports and were from various autonomous regions of Spain. Participants completed the Spanish-language version of the SCQ-2 developed for this study. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated acceptable fit of the proposed factor structure and gender invariance for the new Spanish language scale. Test subscales were internally consistent, and the Spanish language version of the SCQ-2 was found to be a valid and reliable instrument for assessing the level of sport commitment in young athletes in the Spanish cultural context.

To fully understand human behavior, it seems inevitable to approach it from an evolutionary perspective. However, much of human behavior has been overwritten by culture and society, thus allowing little insight into how it might have evolved amid natural and sexual selection. Here, I argue that sports competitions, although a cultural phenomenon in themselves, strip away many of the cultural layers and reveal more primary, rudimentary aspects of human behavior. Fortunately, because they are ubiquitous, meticulously recorded, and often quantified in great detail, sports competitions provide a plethora of usable data. In this article I provide an evolutionary account of the cross-cultural existence and popularity of sports by reviewing evidence of four functional hypotheses that regard the omnipresence of sports as a by-product of fitness-related adaptations (skill acquisition and development, status seeking, courtship display, and coalition formation). Then I outline how the growing body of sports data and documentation can be exploited for increasing our understanding of human nature (e.g., on conflict and cooperation, lateral preferences, territoriality, and nonverbal communication). The article concludes by giving guidelines for future cross-disciplinary research to advance the understanding of how evolution has shaped human behavior.

The present study sought to extend existing literature by examining the longitudinal relationships between perfectionistic strivings, autonomous motivation, and engagement in sport-specific activities among youth athletes in three team sports. Participants were 172 team sports athletes (mean age = 15.2 years, SD = 0.5; males = 94, females = 78) who completed measures of perfectionistic strivings and autonomous motivation at the start and end of a competitive season. Players also completed a training diary during the season. Cross-lagged path analysis, found a reciprocal and positive relationship between autonomous motivation and engagement in sport-specific activities. In addition, higher perfectionistic strivings at the start of a competitive season were positively associated with engagement in sport-specific activities at the end of season and not the reverse. Autonomous motivation mediated this relationship between perfectionistic strivings and sport-specific activities engagement. Thus, this study supports the reciprocal association between motivation and engagement in sport-specific activities and unidirectional relations between perfectionistic strivings and sport-specific activities engagement among youth team sports athletes.

The present study examined extracurricular sport participation variables and developmental context in relationship to perceived self-efficacy among underserved adolescents. Participants ( n = 821, 13.6 ± 1.5 years) completed the Youth Experience in Sport questionnaire and General Self-Efficacy Scale. We used the Human Development Index (HDI) to characterize developmental contexts. Multilevel regression models were used to explore the relative contributions of age, sex, years of participation in extracurricular sport, HDI, and perceived positive experience in sport. Our results highlight that positive experience alone and in interaction with length of participation in the program fostered perceived self-efficacy. Participants from higher HDI contexts remained longer in the program. An implication of our research is that variables linked to positive sport experiences and perceived self-efficacy can be used as markers to evaluate the outcomes and impact of sport participation programs aimed at promoting positive youth development.

We investigated the contribution of perceived motivational climates created by coach, peer, and parent on the dispositional flow experience of young athletes. Eighty-six female ( M age  = 14.24, SD = 1.38 years) and 134 male ( M age  = 16.28, SD = 1.17 years) athletes completed questionnaires of perceived motivational climates created by coach, peer, and parent and the Dispositional Flow Scale-2. Results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that perceived task-involving coach (β = .40, p < .001) and peer (β = .28, p < .002) motivational climates were the only significant predictors of dispositional flow. These findings suggest that task-involving motivational climates should be strengthened to increase experience of flow.

The effect known as Ringelmann effect states that as group size increases, individual behavior may be less productive. If this decrease in productivity in groups is attributed to a decrement in individual motivation, it is called social loafing. We tested hypotheses that the collectivism associated with participation in team sports would reduce the level of social loafing compared to people who were not involved in team sports. In one experiment, participants (n = 72; M age = 21.7 years, SD = 2.0) had to pull a rope individually and collectively. Groups of two, three, four, and six persons were formed from among individuals with no previous sports experience, and of those who had engaged in individual and team sports. For each team, the sum of individual achievements of the individuals constituting a team was computed. This sum served as the anticipated result (expected value). The expected values were later compared to the actual achievements, i.e., the value achieved by the whole team. The results of the study suggested that previous experience in collective (team) sports eliminated the effect of social loafing., (© The Author(s) 2016.)

Objectives: It has been hypothesised that the very nature of the game predisposes elite cricketers to higher rates of suicide., Aim: We aim to estimate the suicide rate of male Test cricketers and to determine the reasons for suicide., Methods: The suicide rate in male Test cricketers was determined. A psychological autopsy was conducted using published biographical data., Results: Twenty suicides amongst 2794 male Test cricketers from 1877 to 2014 yielded a suicide rate of 715.4 per 100,000 for that period. Health, financial and relationship issues were prominent; depression and alcohol misuse were common., Conclusions: Most suicides in Test cricketers occurred post-retirement in mid to late life with similar correlates to those found in the general male population. The idiosyncrasies of cricket are unlikely to contribute to suicide; however, the post-retirement welfare of Test cricketers should remain a focus of concern and the greater supports available to contemporary Test cricketers needs to extend beyond retirement., (© The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2016.)

Positive mood can affect a person's tendency to gamble, possibly because positive mood fosters unrealistic optimism. At the same time, unexpected positive outcomes, often called prediction errors, influence mood. However, a linkage between positive prediction errors-the difference between expected and obtained outcomes-and consequent risk taking has yet to be demonstrated. Using a large data set of New York City lottery gambling and a model inspired by computational accounts of reward learning, we found that people gamble more when incidental outcomes in the environment (e.g., local sporting events and sunshine) are better than expected. When local sports teams performed better than expected, or a sunny day followed a streak of cloudy days, residents gambled more. The observed relationship between prediction errors and gambling was ubiquitous across the city's socioeconomically diverse neighborhoods and was specific to sports and weather events occurring locally in New York City. Our results suggest that unexpected but incidental positive outcomes influence risk taking., (© The Author(s) 2016.)

Resilience is important in sport performers to withstand the pressure they experience. This study analyzed the relationship among resilient qualities and coping strategies in 235 Spanish athletes (126 males, 109 females; M age = 20.7 yr) who practiced different sports (79.1% team sports, 20.9% individual sports). They were evaluated at the beginning of the last competitive mesocycle and after an important competition. Coping strategies and level of resilient qualities were measured by the Coping Inventory for Competitive Sport and the Resilience Scale. There was no significant difference in resilience scores between evaluations performed during the last mesocycle or competition. A significant increase occurred in the scores for emotion-oriented and distraction-oriented coping during competition. Resilience scores correlated positively to task-oriented coping and negatively to disengagement- and distraction-oriented coping during both periods. Analysis of variance indicated that athletes with high individual resilient qualities reached higher scores in task-oriented coping, using to a lower extent disengagement- and distraction-oriented coping. Results obtained suggest that resilient characteristics may associate in athletes to the use of more potentially adaptative coping strategies., (© The Author(s) 2016.)

The present study compared brain activity of adolescents with or without burnout during their responses to a computerized version of the Stroop Color and Word Test. The Sport Adaptation of the Maslach Burnout Inventory was administered to 460 Korean high school student athletes. Electroencephalographic data were recorded from frontal, central, parietal, and occipital brain regions while these participants were performing the Stroop Color and Word Test. A 2 (group) × 2 (condition) × 15 (electrodes) three-way analysis of variance was used to analyze the data. Results indicated that the athletes without burnout exhibited significantly higher accuracy than their counterparts with burnout on the Stroop Color and Word Test. The athletes without burnout also showed higher amplitudes for theta, alpha, and beta power in the frontal areas than the athletes with burnout.

This study investigated the relationship between athletes' personality characteristics and the quality of the coach-athlete relationship. 84 female (M age = 20.6 yr., SD = 2.8) and 129 male (M age = 22.0 yr., SD = 3.3) elite youth athletes competing at least for 7 yr. participated in this study. The Five-Factor Personality Inventory (short version) and the Quality of Relationships Inventory were administered to all participants. Stepwise multiple regression analysis assessed which of the five personality factors predicted scores for the different subscales of the Quality of Relationships Inventory (Depth, Support, and Conflict). Results indicated that depth of relationship was not predicted by personality factors. On the other hand, neuroticism and extraversion were significant predictors of support dimension of relationship. Analysis indicated that conscientiousness was the strongest predictor of conflict. In conclusion, athletes' personality characteristics may be important in determining the quality of the coach-athlete relationship.

Based on an integrative approach to the study of the emotional-cognitive-motor linkage in sport competition, the purpose was to examine the mediating role of emotion-related (psychobiosocial) states in the relationship between self-efficacy (technical and cognitive) and performance in carom billiards. Forty-five male players of master or intermediate categories, between 30 and 74 years of age (M=51.2, SD=10.8), participated in the study. Measures included scores of technical and cognitive self-efficacy, functional (i.e., facilitative to performance) and dysfunctional (i.e., debilitative to performance) psychobiosocial states, and performance outcome. The assessment took place prior to one game of a national or an international competition. Results showed technical self-efficacy, cognitive self-efficacy, functional states, and performance to be significantly and positively related among them. Functional psychobiosocial states mediated the effect of both technical and cognitive self-efficacy on performance. Overall, the findings supported an integrative approach to the study of the linkage among cognition, emotion, and action in sport.

This preliminary study developed pre-performance routines for tenpin bowlers and instructed them. To develop the routine, the situations before throwing the ball were divided into four phases; participants were examined through interviews and observations. This study used an A-B design; the A stage included the development of the routines for 3 wk., while the B stage included the instruction and two evaluations of the routine consistency. Practice was implemented for 4 hr. per day for 9 wk. The participants noted they understood the developed routine easily and experienced an atmosphere similar to that of a competition during training through the routines. They found it difficult to practice the relaxation phase, but emphasized that the relaxation phase was helpful. Consistent routines were associated with an improved mental state and performance in a competition. This study suggests that pre-performance routines stabilize the mental state of the athletes, apparently giving them a competitive advantage.

This exploratory study was designed to compare four types of exercise activities in Swiss university students. A sample of 201 medical students (136 women, 65 men; M age = 23.2 yr., SD = 2.4) and 250 exercise and health sciences students (144 women, 106 men; M age = 22.3 yr., SD = 2.2) participated in the study. They completed the Perceived Stress Scale, the Depression Scale, and the Office in Motion Questionnaire. Interaction effects between stress and exercise activities were analysed using hierarchical regression analyses, after controlling for age, sex, and academic discipline. Frequent participation in ball sports and dancing were associated with decreased depressive symptoms among students with elevated perceived stress, whereas no such relationship existed among their peers with lower perceived stress. No stress-moderating effect was found for aerobic exercise. Weight lifting was only associated with lower depressive symptoms among students with low perceived stress. The present findings suggest that, among Swiss university students, certain exercises may have better potential to moderate the relationship between perceived stress and depressive symptoms than others. Future research could analyze whether personalized exercise programs created to satisfy participants' individual needs are more beneficial for stress management.

The importance of psychological skills to an athlete is widely recognized. The Athletic Psychological Skills Inventory (APSI) was developed to evaluate psychological skills in the Taiwanese sports environment. This study employed the APSI model to refine the psychological skill factor structure. The model was supported as a reliable and valid form of measurement. A second-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) confirmed the factor structure of the APSI in Taiwanese collegiate athletes. Peaking under pressure and coping with adversity were combined into a simplified factor, coping with adversity.

The purpose of the current study was to (a) examine the measurement invariance of the Constraint Scale of Sport Participation across sex and physical activity status among the undergraduate students (N = 630) in Hong Kong and (b) compare the latent mean differences across groups. Measurement invariance of the Constraint Scale of Sport Participation across sex of and physical activity status of the participants was examined first. With receiving support on the measurement invariance across groups, latent mean differences of the scores across groups were examined. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the configural, metric, scalar, and structural invariance of the scale was supported across groups. The results of latent mean differences suggested that the women reported significantly higher constraints on time, partner, psychology, knowledge, and interest than the men. The physically inactive participants reported significantly higher scores on all constraints except for accessibility than the physically active participants.

Five studies examined the relationship between talent and team performance. Two survey studies found that people believe there is a linear and nearly monotonic relationship between talent and performance: Participants expected that more talent improves performance and that this relationship never turns negative. However, building off research on status conflicts, we predicted that talent facilitates performance-but only up to a point, after which the benefits of more talent decrease and eventually become detrimental as intrateam coordination suffers. We also predicted that the level of task interdependence is a key determinant of when more talent is detrimental rather than beneficial. Three archival studies revealed that the too-much-talent effect emerged when team members were interdependent (football and basketball) but not independent (baseball). Our basketball analysis also established the mediating role of team coordination. When teams need to come together, more talent can tear them apart., (© The Author(s) 2014.)

More than 20 years ago, researchers proposed that individual differences in performance in such domains as music, sports, and games largely reflect individual differences in amount of deliberate practice, which was defined as engagement in structured activities created specifically to improve performance in a domain. This view is a frequent topic of popular-science writing-but is it supported by empirical evidence? To answer this question, we conducted a meta-analysis covering all major domains in which deliberate practice has been investigated. We found that deliberate practice explained 26% of the variance in performance for games, 21% for music, 18% for sports, 4% for education, and less than 1% for professions. We conclude that deliberate practice is important, but not as important as has been argued., (© The Author(s) 2014.)

The present paper assesses the relationship between sex and motivation in triathletes utilising a multidimensional measurement of motivation in sports. Data were collected from 138 triathlon participants (age range 17-72 years): 95 men (M = 36.7 yr., SD = 10.7) and 43 women (M = 34.6 yr., SD = 9.9). Measures included the Sport Motivation Scale, a multi-dimensional measure to assess different types of athletes' motivations for practising their sport. Results showed a significant sex difference in amotivation, with women displaying lower scores; but amotivation scores were very low. The results were not dependent on competition level or age. Men and women competing at the international level in triathlon have similar motivational profiles.

This study investigated the relationship between parents' passion for sport/exercise and children's self- and task-perceptions in sport and exercise. Paired samples of 312 children, 312 fathers, and 312 mothers were collected using two-stage sampling; parents were classified based on their passion for sport and exercise as high concordance if both parents had a high passion for sport and exercise, low concordance if neither parent had a passion for sport and exercise, or discordant. Intrinsic interest value, attainment value/importance, extrinsic utility value, ability/expectancy, task difficulty, and required effort were measured, as well as harmonious and obsessive passion. Children's self- and task-perceptions in sport and exercise were examined with respect to parents' passion for sport and exercise. The results of the study indicated that children of parents with high concordance in harmonious passion for sport and exercise scored higher on intrinsic interest value, attainment value/importance, extrinsic utility value, ability/expectancy, task difficulty, and required effort in sport and exercise than counterparts with discordant and low concordance parents. Similar patterns were found for obsessive passion in parents.

The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the differences in adolescents´ objective physical activity levels and perceived effort in physical education, school recess, and extra-curricular organized sport by motivational profiles in physical education. A sample of 102 students 11-16 yr. old completed a self-report questionnaire assessing self-determined motivation toward physical education. Subsequently, students' objective physical activity levels (steps/min., METs, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity) and perceived effort were evaluated for each situation. Cluster analysis identified a two-cluster structure: "Moderate motivation toward physical education profile" and "High motivation toward physical education profile." Adolescents in the second cluster had higher physical activity and perceived effort values than adolescents in the first cluster, except for METs and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in extra-curricular sport. These results support the importance of physical education teachers who should promote self-determined motivation toward physical education so that students can reach the recommended physical activity levels.

This study examined the relationship between physical activity, physical education class, and sports participation on the substance use practices of adolescents. Data was derived from the 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Survey study of adolescent behaviors. The results of this study indicated that recreational physical activity, attending PE class, and participating in sports were independent protective factors for many cigarette use behaviors but not for smokeless tobacco use. Additionally, recreational physical activity and sports participation appears to be a protective factor for marijuana use among females but not males. On the other hand, recreational physical activity and sports participation appears to be a risk factor for alcohol use behaviors among males.

Sport fans often foster very positive attitudes for their favorite teams and less favorable attitudes for opponents. The current research was designed to evaluate the consistency that might exist between implicit and explicit measures of those attitudes. College students (24 women, 16 men) performed a version of the Implicit Association Test related to their favorite and rival teams. Participants also reported their attitudes for these teams explicitly, via self-report instruments. When responding to the IAT, participants' responses were faster when they paired positive words with concepts related to favorite teams and negative words with rival teams, indicating implicit favorability for favorite teams and implicit negativity for rival teams. This pattern of implicit favorability and negativity was consistent with what participants reported explicitly via self-report. The importance of evaluating implicit attitudes and the corresponding consistency with explicit attitudes are discussed.

Some students who participate in athletic activities transfer the skills acquired in a sports context into other areas of life, while others do not. To identify the specific skills that are transferred or not from sports to the school environment, two inventories were developed: the "Psychological Skills Inventory for Athletic Clubs" and the "Psychological Skills Inventory for School Life." These inventories enable a comparison of skills in a sport context with skills in a school context. In the first stage, 307 Japanese first-year university students who had participated in high school athletic clubs volunteered to take part in a survey to develop these inventories. Analyses indicated that both inventories comprised identical subscales of intrapersonal and interpersonal skills. In the second stage, the reliability and validity of these inventories was confirmed for 531 Japanese high school students who were members of athletic clubs for sports such as soccer and baseball.

This paper adopts a methodology of asymmetrical analyses to investigate the relevant importance of spectator sport attributes in terms of their non-linear associations with the benefits that fans experience while watching sports. Questionnaires tapping 16 attributes (e.g., teamwork, sportsmanship, level of competition) and 16 benefits (e.g., good mood, exciting experience, support for my favorite team) were distributed to a sample of fans at the outdoor broadcast of the 2010 World Cup final game at the National Stadium in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. 427 participants rated the importance and benefit of each attribute experienced from watching the game. Attributes were categorized as core, exciting, or hybrid attributes. The star player was the core attribute; rivalry, popularity, and coach were the exciting attributes; and the other 12 attributes were hybrid. Two-dimensional space analyses showed that attributes "sportsmanship, teamwork, and supporting a team" were both explicitly and implicitly important attributes. The methodology of asymmetrical analyses can help managers prioritize the focus of attributes and allocate resources effectively.

The objective of this study was to identify the motives for sport participation in a sample of young Brazilian athletes according to sex, age, and training history. A total of 1,517 participants (714 girls, 803 boys) ages 12 to 18 years were included in the study. The Portuguese version of the Participation Motivation Questionnaire was used to identify motives for sport participation. The most important motives were Skill Development and Fitness, whereas the least important were Fun and Achievement/Status. Sex, age, type of sport, onset of training, duration of training, training volume, and competitive experience significantly influenced the motives for sport participation reported by the athletes. These results will contribute to establish intervention programs designed to reduce sport dropout rates among young athletes.

The goal was to examine the predictiveness of achievement goals for self-confidence, cognitive anxiety, and somatic anxiety using a prospective design. 160 high school athletes completed the 2 x 2 Achievement Goals Questionnaire for Sport after daily practice and the Revised Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 before an official competition. Using hierarchical regression analyses, mastery-approach goals were found as positive predictors of self-confidence and negative predictors of cognitive and somatic anxiety. In contrast, performance- and mastery-avoidance goals positively predicted cognitive and somatic anxiety. Also, performance-avoidance goals negatively predicted self-confidence. Generally, athletes who pursued task mastery and improvement of competence were less physically and cognitively anxious and more self-confident. However, athletes felt tense, worried, and had lower confidence when they endorsed avoidance forms of achievement goals.

Relations between ethnic backgrounds, family socioeconomic status, leisure participation, and psychological well-being were explored. Participants returned 827 valid pencil-and-paper surveys. An increase in student-athlete leisure participation was associated with better psychological well-being and sense of accomplishment. Compared with Aboriginal student-athletes, Han student-athletes had higher passive leisure participation; there was no correlation between their families' socioeconomic status and the student-athletes' leisure participation or psychological well-being.

Using archival and experimental data, we showed that vicarious defeats experienced by fans when their favorite football team loses lead them to consume less healthy food. On the Mondays following a Sunday National Football League (NFL) game, saturated-fat and food-calorie intake increase significantly in cities with losing teams, decrease in cities with winning teams, and remain at their usual levels in comparable cities without an NFL team or with an NFL team that did not play. These effects are greater in cities with the most committed fans, when the opponents are more evenly matched, and when the defeats are narrow. We found similar results when measuring the actual or intended food consumption of French soccer fans who had previously been asked to write about or watch highlights from victories or defeats of soccer teams. However, these unhealthy consequences of vicarious defeats disappear when supporters spontaneously self-affirm or are given the opportunity to do so.

This study examined the effects of age, target location, and stimulus speed on coincidence-anticipation timing in a catching task. Males aged 11 to 18 years made simulated catching movements toward a light stimulus that rapidly approached the head or chest at various speeds. Coincidence-anticipation timing accuracy, movement onset times, and movement times did not differ by age. However, 17- to 18-year-olds exhibited significantly faster movement speeds than 14- to 16-year-olds. Target location (head or chest) did not affect coincidence-anticipation timing accuracy or movement speed. However, movements toward the head were initiated earlier and took longer than movements to the chest. Finally, stimulus speed had statistically significant effects on all measures: faster stimuli were associated with longer delays in coincidence-anticipation timing responses, earlier movement onset times, shorter movement times, and faster movement speeds. These results underscore the adaptability of coincidence-anticipation timing abilities for responding to stimuli under varying temporal and spatial constraints.

Six studies explored the overlap between racial and gender stereotypes, and the consequences of this overlap for interracial dating, leadership selection, and athletic participation. Two initial studies captured the explicit and implicit gender content of racial stereotypes: Compared with the White stereotype, the Asian stereotype was more feminine, whereas the Black stereotype was more masculine. Study 3 found that heterosexual White men had a romantic preference for Asians over Blacks and that heterosexual White women had a romantic preference for Blacks over Asians; preferences for masculinity versus femininity mediated participants' attraction to Blacks relative to Asians. The pattern of romantic preferences observed in Study 3 was replicated in Study 4, an analysis of the data on interracial marriages from the 2000 U.S. Census. Study 5 showed that Blacks were more likely and Asians less likely than Whites to be selected for a masculine leadership position. In Study 6, an analysis of college athletics showed that Blacks were more heavily represented in more masculine sports, relative to Asians. These studies demonstrate that the gender content of racial stereotypes has important real-world consequences.

This study assessed the personality construct of hardiness within elite, male, full-time, professional motorcycle racers (n = 32) from the Federation Internationale de Motorcyclisme (F.I.M) Moto G. P Championship (n = 16) and World Endurance Championship (n = 16), as well as club level motorcycling competitors (n = 31). All riders completed Nowack's Cognitive Hardiness Inventory (1990), either before the start of official qualification during race week (elite professional riders), or prior to a club weekend meet (club racers). There was a significant group difference on hardiness. In the select group of professional riders, the top 10% performing, elite riders had a significantly higher mean score on hardiness than the bottom 10% of performers, providing further evidence of high hardiness scores amongst elite performers.

Because of problems with a previously published study, a re-analysis of data relating to home advantage in handball in Spain was made. The overall home advantage for 10,536 games played over 11 seasons (1997-98 to 2007-08) at the top two levels of play for both men and women was 60.4%. It was significantly higher for men (61.6%) than for women (59.2%). Contrary to a conclusion in the previous paper, it was also significantly higher for play at Level 2 (61.3%) than at Level 1 (59.4%), representing the top two divisions of play for each sex. A three-way factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that there was no difference between seasons, nor an interaction between seasons and gender as claimed previously. For individual teams, there was a clear negative correlation between home advantage and ability, as quantified by the overall performance of each team each season. This reversed the previous conclusion of a positive correlation. Because the previous study incorrectly claimed no prior research had been done on home advantage either in handball or between sexes, a review of the literature relating to these topics is included.

High-level sport can be analyzed using the complex system model, in which performance is constrained by many factors. Coaches' and athletes' perceptions of important positive and negative factors affecting performance were compared. Participants were 48 high-level international triathletes (n = 34) and their coaches (n = 14). They were personally interviewed via a questionnaire designed by four accredited experts, who selected groups of both positive and negative factors affecting performance. A list of factors was developed, in order of greater to lesser importance in the opinion of athletes and coaches, for subsequent analysis. Two ranked lists (positive and negative factors) indicated that athletes appear to rate personal environment factors (family, teammates, lack of support from relatives) higher, while the coaches tended to give more importance to technical and institutional aspects (institutional support, coach, medical support). There was complete agreement between coaches and triathletes about the top five positive factors. Negative factor agreement was somewhat lower (agreement on 3/5 factors). The most important positive factor for coaches and athletes was "dedication/engagement," while the most important factor adversely affecting performance was "injuries".