Important

• Goals of the Discipline – It is critical to consider why the discipline exists, which encompasses understanding how psychological factors affect performance and how physical activity affects psychological development and health.
• Automaticity in Performance – A key finding that will be revisited repeatedly is that high-performance athletes train until skills become automatic, meaning they are “doing” rather than “thinking” during performance.
• Holistic Development – A central theme of the course, reflected in the CSPA vision, is the holistic development of individuals as “persons performing in life,” not just athletes performing in sport.
• Sport Psychology as Art and Science – Applied practice is an art because it requires knowing when and how to individualize general scientific principles to a specific athlete’s context and situation.
• Need for Certification – Because “sport psychologist” is not a licensed specialty in itself, it is essential to have certification bodies (like CSPA or AASP) to maintain standards and prevent unqualified individuals from practicing,.

Core Concepts

• Definition of Sport and Exercise Psychology: It is the interdisciplinary scientific study of people and their behaviours in sport and exercise contexts, involving the application of that knowledge to explain, predict, and influence behaviour,,.
• Kinesiology Context: Sport psychology typically resides within kinesiology (the study of human movement), positioned between the physical sciences (biomechanics, physiology) and social sciences (sociocultural studies),,.
• Historical Development: The field evolved through six specific periods: Early Years (1895–1920), Griffith Era (1921–1938), Isolated Research (1939–1965), Establishing Academic Sport Psych (1966–1977), Development of the Discipline (1978–1999), and Contemporary Sport Psych (2000–Present),.
• Professional Roles: Career paths typically involve a combination of three roles: conducting research to advance knowledge, teaching university courses, and consulting (either educational mental training or clinical/counselling support),,.
• Certification vs. Licensing: While the term “psychologist” is legally protected and requires licensure, “sport psychologist” is not; organizations like the CSPA and AASP certify “mental performance consultants” based on specific competency standards,,.
• Sources of Knowledge: Effective practice integrates scientifically derived knowledge (controlled, objective, but slow and sometimes reductionist) with professional practice knowledge (holistic and innovative, but susceptible to bias and less reliable),,.
• Top Trends in the Field: Current shifts include increased demand for mental health support, the rise of online consulting, the growth of specializations (e.g., performance psychology for business or arts), and the use of qualitative research methods,,,.
• Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Modern high-performance environments utilize “performance enhancement teams” where sport psychologists collaborate with nutritionists, physiologists, and coaches to support the athlete holistically,.

Theories and Frameworks

• Social Facilitation Theory: Based on early experiments with cyclists and children winding fishing reels, this concept suggests that individuals perform faster or at a higher level in the presence of others compared to when they are alone,.
• Interactionist Paradigm: A shift in research focus that considers the interaction between an individual’s personality traits and their specific environmental situation or context to explain behaviour,.
• Positive Psychology: A framework embraced by sport psychology that focuses on prevention rather than treatment, emphasizing processes that enable thriving, such as resilience, optimism, flow, and subjective well-being,.
• Corporate Athlete Model: A performance psychology framework that applies sport psychology principles—such as goal setting, confidence, and arousal regulation—to business executives and other high-performance non-sport professions.

Notable Individuals

• Norman Triplett: Conducted the first sport psychology experiment in 1898 on social influence and performance using cyclists,.
• Coleman Griffith: Known as the father of North American sport psychology; established the first research lab and worked with the Chicago Cubs,,.
• Franklin Henry: A key figure at UC Berkeley responsible for the scientific development of the field and training many future physical educators,.
• Ferruccio Antonelli: An Italian psychiatrist who founded the International Society of Sport Psychology (ISSP) and organized the first World Congress in Rome.
• Bruce Ogilvie: Regarded as the father of North American applied sport psychology and co-authored Problem Athletes and How to Handle Them.
• Rainer Martens: Called the father of modern sport psychology; famously criticized lab-based research in his “Smocks and Jocks” paper, urging a move to field research,.
• Dorothy Yates: An early researcher who focused on applied mental training and relaxation techniques with boxers and aviators.
• George Wells Fitz: A Harvard researcher in the early years who studied reaction times and speed-accuracy trade-offs.
• Angus Mumford: A sport psychologist who established a collaborative, interdisciplinary high-performance department for the Toronto Blue Jays.
• Jim Loehr: Prominent for applying sport psychology to business settings through the concept of the “corporate athlete”.
• Kate Hays: A pioneer in performance psychology who adapted mental skills training for performing artists like musicians and dancers.