THE INVESTIGATION OF A COGNITIVE-MEDIATION TRAINING PROGRAM TO IMPROVE ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE
Abstract
Cognitive-mediation theory specifies that an individual's thoughts, judgements, perceptions, and expectations function as mediators for impending behavior. These cognitions are thought to represent an active process that guides or directs behavior. While having early historical roots, the theory has received popular attention in the academic literature during recent years as an outcome of some inadequacies that have been noted in the application of stimulus-response theory to complex human behavior. A training program based upon cognitive-mediation theory that focused on the cognitions of athletes while performing in their sport was developed for this study. An 11 session program was devised for male basketball players and female volleyball players. The program began by identifying a subject's maladaptive thoughts and perceptions. Subjects learned how they could alter these cognitions and how to change inhibiting physical responses (i.e. muscle tension or heart rate of high frequency) with the aid of physiological feedback equipment. They also were instructed in the use of mental rehearsal as a way of changing symbolic cognitions. In Study I, pre-host measures of game performances (i.e. field goal percentage, free throw percentage and assists) were used to assess the effectiveness of the training program for improving athletic performance. Three ratings were made at one-week intervals both before and after the program. A contact-control group was used for comparison. The treatment groups performed better on all of the posttraining variables, but only one performance variable (i.e. assists) was significantly better than that of the controls. However, the magnitude of these changes, especially for assists and free throw percentage, was considered to exhibit practicable utility within the context of the sport. The experimental hypotheses and statistical designs were the same in Study 2. A statistically significant groups by ratings interaction was obtained for serving efficiency and passing efficiency. The difference between the groups at posttraining ratings 5 and 6 was found to be statistically significant. The groups' performance on hitting efficiency was not statistically different across the ratings. The differential improvement noted by the six measures of athletic performance, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and assists for basketball and serving efficiency, passing efficiency, and hitting efficiency for volleyball, could be related to several factors. These include biomechanical characteristics of each skill, time allotted to change cognitive set before the performance of a skill, the small sample size, and individual differences in the interaction of specific cognitive-mediation techniques and personality styles. Recommendations for future research were made in these areas.
Degree
Ph.D.
Subject Area
Psychotherapy
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