The Effects of a Psychological Skills Training Program on Maintenance of Use and Self-Efficacy in Psychological Methods

• Other Authors: Klein, Tyler Gregory (authoraut)
• Format: Others
• Language: English; English
• Published: Florida State University
• Subjects: Educational psychology
• Online Access: http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_SUMMER2017_Klein_fsu_0071E_14076

This study explored maintenance of psychological method use and self-efficacy of method use during and following a systematic psychological skills training (PST) program. A sample size of 44 division-I collegiate athletes (27 males, 17 females) competing in baseball (n=19), softball (n=14), and track and field (n=11) sports participated in a quasi-experimental, two-group, untreated control group design study with dependent pretest-posttest and three-month follow-up. The PST program, titled AIM (Adopt, Integrate, Maintain), combined evidence-based practices with pragmatic psychological method use recommendations, and was implemented using systematic protocols for each session. Participants received four successive and cumulative PST sessions consisting of goal setting, relaxation, imagery, and self-talk that emphasized education, skill building, self-monitoring, and regulation of psychological methods. Participants were measured on use of psychological methods via the Test of Performance Strategies-2 (TOPS-2; Hardy, Roberts, Thomas, & Murphy, 2010) and self-efficacy in use of psychological methods via a scale constructed based on Bandura’s (2006) recommendations. Both measures were administered pretest (pre-intervention), posttest (one week following fourth session), and at six-week follow-up. Repeated measures MANOVAs conducted for method use and method efficacy separately, revealed nonsignificant interaction effects. Conversely, within-subjects contrasts revealed treatment group participants significantly increased (pre- to posttest) and maintained (posttest to follow-up) method use in relaxation, imagery, and self-talk. Control group contrasts indicated significant increases in imagery from posttest to follow-up. For method efficacy, the treatment group significantly increased and maintained efficacy for all four methods with no significant changes for the control group. To the author’s knowledge, this is the first sport psychology study to employ intervention fidelity monitoring, revealing full adherence and adequate intervention quality. Overall, findings from the study revealed support for increasing and maintaining method use and efficacy treatment gains three months following PST. === A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. === Summer Semester 2017. === July 10, 2017. === Maintenance, Psychological Skills Training, Psychological skill use, Self-Efficacy, Self-Regulation, Sport Psychology === Includes bibliographical references. === Graig Chow, Professor Directing Dissertation; Lynn Panton, University Representative; Gershon Tenenbaum, Committee Member; Jeannine Turner, Committee Member.