Journal of Sports and Motor Development and Learning
Year:2012 | Volume:- | Issue:8|Papers Count:11

The main aim of the present study was to examine the mediation effect of sport self-efficacy on the relationship between dimensions of perfectionism and competitive anxiety in a sample of Iranian athletes. 233 volunteer athletes (145 boys, 88 girls) from different sport fields participated in this study. All participants were required to complete the Competitive Perfectionism Scale (CPS), the Multidimensional Competitive Anxiety Questionnaire (MCAQ) and the Sport Self–Efficacy Scale (SSES). The results revealed that striving for perfection (positive perfectionism) was negatively associated with cognitive and somatic anxiety, and positively associated with self–confidence. The results also revealed that negative reaction to imperfection (negative perfectionism) was positively associated with cognitive and somatic anxiety, and negatively associated with self–confidence. Analysis of the data revealed that sport self–efficacy mediated the relationship between positive and negative dimensions of perfectionism and competitive anxiety.

The aim of this study was to compare gross motor skills development in two subtests (locomotors and object control) in preschool children in the deprived and rich environments. Participants in this study were 39 children (mean age: 5 yr). 19 children were selected from deprived environments without extensive motor experiences, and 20 children from a preschool with extensive motor experiences. Ulrich (2000) gross motor development test was used to collect data. Data were analyzed by independent t test. Results showed that there was a significant difference between two groups of rich and deprived in percentage score of locomotors (P=0.001), percentage score of object control (P=0.004), motor development quotient scores (P=0.001). The findings also showed that children with varied motor experiences and education compared with deprived children had higher qualified function in gross motor skills.

The aim of this investigation was to compare the level and the pattern of attention demands of a volleyball jumping serve using a probe reaction time (RT) technique. 14 junior elite volleyball players performed 60 jumping serves (JS) with their preferred hand. Jumping serve was performance as the primary task and verbal RT that was administered in four probe positions (PP) as secondary task. Results indicated a non-linear attention pattern in the performance of jumping serve so that probe RT was highest in pre-shot in run up (PP1) and in landing (PP4) while it was lowest in pre-jump stepping ahead (PP2) and pre-striking (PP3). According to the results, attention level in failed serves was lower than successful ones while the attention pattern was similar. It was concluded that attention deficit might be one reason for failing serves.

Reaction time (RT) is one of the psychomotor skills that determine athletes’ results and also in daily life. RT effective factors are divided into inherent (genetic) and environmental. Among those factors, psychological factors and mental abilities are more important due to the cognitive nature of RT. The aim of this research was to study the relationship between RT, anxiety and IQ of athletes in different skill levels. This relationship was investigated in 85 subjects (in elite and sub elite athletes and no athletes groups) by correlation method. To measure RT, Y1000 devise was used; Spielberger state / trait anxiety inventory (STAI) was used to evaluate anxiety and Raven’s progressive matrices to evaluate IQ. One-way analysis of variance and Pearson correlation coefficient were used to analyze the data. Results showed that there was a negative significant correlation between choice RT and IQ, and between CRT and state anxiety. Findings supported inverted U hypothesis and it proved the greater influence of IQ with higher complexity of task.

The aim of this study was to compare big five personality traits between male and female athletes and non-athletes. 200 athlete and non-athlete students (100 men and 100 women) were selected by simple random sampling method as the sample of the study. The subjects completed NEO-FFI. The data were analyzed by SPSS 16, two-way ANOVA to determine the differences among the groups and Tukey post hoc test to compare and determine the mean difference between each two groups. The results showed a significant difference among groups in neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness while no difference was observed among groups in flexibility. Also, there was no significant difference in neuroticism and flexibility between gender and sportsmanship while there was a significant difference in extraversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness.

Cognitive teaching methods facilitate the acquisition of motor skills; among these methods, the combination of physical, observational and imagery exercises has been the focus of recent investigations. The aim of this study was to investigate the facilitative effect of the combination of physical, observational and imagery exercises on immediate and delay retention of badminton high serve. The statistical population consisted of all male Razi University students. 84 students (mean age of 20.42±1.4 yr and score of imagery ability of 48.69±6.19) voluntarily participated in this study. Pretest included immediate and delay retention of badminton high serve using Scott and Fox test. Then, participants were assigned to homogenous groups according to their pretest (each group 12 participants): physical, observation, imagery, physical-observation, physical-imagery, observation-imagery, and physical-observation-imagery. Participants accomplished three sessions of 90 trials of badminton high serve. At the end of the final training session, an immediate test of retention was administered followed by a test of delay retention after 48 hours. One-way ANOVA test indicated that in both immediate and delay retention, the physical-observation-imagery group and the physical group significantly performed high serve better than other groups (p<0.05). Furthermore, the physical-imagery group obtained better results in comparison with the physical-observation group but these results were not statistically significant (p<0.05). Ultimate findings indicated that all groups improved significantly in the immediate and delay retention compared with their pretest. These findings imply the facilitative effect of combining cognitive teaching methods with physical exercises.

The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of goal setting on learning volleyball serve in novice female university students. The study included 20 female students (aged between 20 and 22 who were not physical education students with no volleyball history) who were randomly assigned to a goal setting or no goal setting group (n1=n2=10) using pretest scores. No goal setting group was provided with feedback on their performance while goal setting group received goal setting programs as well as feedback on their performance in training sessions. In the determined training condition, the two groups performed the task for 11 sessions, 20 trials each session. Both groups performed a pretest before the training protocol, acquisition tests during all sessions, an immediate retention test immediately after the last exercise session, and a delayed retention test after 10 days after the immediate test. AAHPERD volleyball serve (1976) was used to test the performance of the participants. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures, independent and paired t tests as well as SPSS software (version 11.5) were used to analyze the data. Results showed no significant difference in the task acquisition between the groups while the goal setting group showed significantly better task performance in the immediate and delayed retention tests indicating that goal setting training condition was much more beneficial for volleyball serve learning than no goal setting training condition.

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of external focus of attention instruction during walking training on old women’s gait kinematic parameters including stride length, velocity, variability of velocity, cadence and double support percent. For this purpose, 16 old women (mean age 69.8+4 years) were selected and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (each group 8 subjects). Pretest, posttest, control group design was used in this study. The experimental group preformed an easy secondary task including rehearsing random strings of digits during walking on a certain pathway; they had to verbally recall these strings at the end of the pathway. The control group performed the same procedure without the secondary task. The groups trained for 12 weeks and 3 sessions per week. Paired t test was used to compare the difference in the mean scores before (pretest) and after (posttest) intervention in each group. Independent t test was also used to evaluate the differences in means between experimental and control groups. The results showed no significant differences between pretest and posttest mean scores of stride length, velocity, variability of velocity, cadence and double support percent in control group (P>0.05), but the differences between pretest and posttest mean scores of stride length, velocity, variability of velocity for experimental group were significant (P<0.05). The results also showed significant differences in posttest mean scores of stride length, velocity, variability of velocity of gait between the two groups (P<0.05), but not in cadence and double support percent (P>0.05). It can be concluded that external attention instruction during walking training can influence some gait kinematic parameters of old women. It seems that the intervention used in this study could effectively influence old women’s gait pattern through modifying attention process.