Octavio Alvarez

University of Valencia | UV · Social Psychology Department

This work examines athletes’ and coaches’ perceptions and observed behavior in training and matches of the motivational climate created by the coach over the course of a season and whether these sources of information can inform the engagement of young basketball and volleyball players. A longitudinal design and multilevel mixed-effects linear regr...

Transformational coaching has been shown to increase the personal and social skills of adolescent athletes. Nevertheless, the latter’s dispositional characteristics, such us personal values, could have a moderating effect on this relationship. The main objective of this work was to examine perceptions of coaches’ transformational behaviors and the...

A través de 10 temas se presentan los fundamentos de una práctica de la actividad físico-deportiva de calidad, con beneficios bio-psico-sociales para sus practicantes. Cada capítulo se ha estructurado partiendo de los más actuales enfoques teóricos de la materia, pasando por múltiples ejemplos, instrumentos de evaluación, actividades y preguntas de...

Exploramos las variables psicosociales relacionadas con el control de peso en adolescentes de México y España. Estos estudios ponen de manifiesto que la motivación controlado, bajo sentido de eficacia y miedo a engordar son factores que llevan a estos adolescentes a iniciar el control de peso. We explored psychosocial variables related to weight c...

On the basis of the spillover or transfer effect and the transtheoretical model of change, this study assessed the association between amount of physical activity, healthy and unhealthy weight control behaviors, and motivational types, as well as their variability across stages of change. A total of 1219 randomly selected Mexican adults from 18 to...

Health behaviours are gendered, so men and women may behave in different ways in pursuit of health. Weight control is primarily about losing excess weight or maintaining a healthy weight, and both healthy and unhealthy ways are involved in these goals. The healthy way of weight control refers to exercising, eating less food high in fat and sugar, e...

Given the increasing percentage of overweight and obesity worldwide, weight control is a primary health-promoting behaviour. Integrating Grit personality, self-determination theory, and the transtheoretical model of change, this study evaluates Grit personality and motivation as psychological antecedents of the stages of change towards weight contr...

Ante el aumento del porcentaje de sobrepeso y obesidad a nivel mundial, el control de peso es una conducta primordial de promoción de salud. La presente investigación integra el modelo de personalidad Grit, la teoría de la autodeterminación y el modelo transteórico del cambio para tratar de comprender la conducta del control de peso: El objetivo de...

Video game overuse and addiction among athletes is a recent and growing concern. Anxiety sensitivity is a risk factor for addictive behaviors, just as mental toughness, widely associated with athletes, is a protective element. The present study examines the relationships between anxiety sensitivity, mental toughness and video game addiction in th...

El uso excesivo de los videojuegos y la adicción a los mismos entre los deportistas es una preocupación reciente que va en aumento. La sensibilidad a la ansiedad es un factor de riesgo para las conductas adictivas, del mismo modo que la dureza mental, ampliamente asociada a los deportistas, es un elemento protector. El presente trabajo examina las...

Objective In order to understand the psychological antecedents or personal factors that lead to weight control behaviours that can help to develop more effective prevention strategies. Design The present correlational study has a non-experimental, quantitative, cross-sectional design. A model was tested considering types of motivation (autonomous...

The aim of the study was to examine the controlling style in two contexts of social influence: the team (i.e., coach and teammates) and the family (i.e., father and mother), as well as the mediational role of motivation (autonomous, controlled, and amotivation) and its relationship with boredom and burnout in young swimmers. To this end, 267 swimme...

In the sport context, an essential aspect of an athlete's development and performance happens during the interaction with the coach while receiving information on the aspects of performance that need to be modified (corrective feedback). Grounded in the Self-Determination Theory and particularly on the basic psychological needs theory, a structural...

In the context of education, this study examined the relationship between perceiving a transformational physical education (PE) teacher and student's leisure-time physical activity (PA). Furthermore, we tested the potential mediation role of motivational learning climate, passion and self-determined motivation in this relationship. The sample was c...

In this study with 746 basketball players (M age = 14 .63, SD = 1 .4), we examined the relationship between the personal values that guide their lives and their moral attitudes when they play basketball, and we explored how this relationship is mediated by both personal values towards sports practice and goal orientations. In addition, we analyzed...

In this study with 746 basketball players (M age = 14 .63, SD = 1 .4), we examined the relationship between the personal values that guide their lives and their moral attitudes when they play basketball, and we explored how this relationship is mediated by both personal values towards sports practice and goal orientations. In addition, we analyzed...

Despite the well-known positive consequences of transformational coaches in sport, there is still little research exploring the mechanisms through which coaches' transformational leadership exerts its impact on athletes. Multilevel SEM was used to examine the relationship between coaches' transformational leadership style, a task-involving climate,...

Within the framework of the theory of human values (Schwartz, 1992; Schwartz et al, 2012), and the selfdetermination theory (Deci and Ryan, 1985, 2000), the aim of the study was to test a model, in a sample of 115 young basketball players (Mage = 13.98, SD = 0.13), which hypothesized that different types of motivation (autonomous motivation, contro...

The aim of this research was to examine the relationships between transformational parenting, autonomy support displayed by mothers and fathers, and sport burnout in 360 junior soccer players (324 males, range age = 12-18 years). To this end, four steps were followed. Steps 1 and 2 tested the psychometric properties (i.e., factorial structure, inte...

The authors examined leisure-time physical activity (LTPA), body mass index (BMI), and perceived physical ability as body dissatisfaction antecedents, and analyzed their relationship to well-being. The sample comprised 501 university students. Data were collected using a selfadministered survey. Path analysis revealed that LTPA positively predicted...

Within the framework of the theory of human values (Schwartz, 1992; Schwartz et al, 2012), and the self-determination theory (Deci and Ryan, 1985, 2000), the aim of the study was to test a model, in a sample of 115 young basketball players (Mage = 13.98, SD = 0.13), which hypothesized that different types of motivation (autonomous motivation, contr...

Few studies have examined exercise adherence in the Mexican population using self-determination theory proposals and the stages of change model. The objectives of this study were:(a) to translate and adapt the Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire-3 (BREQ-3) to Mexican Spanish and examine its internal consistency and factorial structure (...

Background: Based on the refined theory of basic individual values and transformational leadership theory, this study focuses on the associations between coaches’ value priorities and their transformational leadership behaviours, exploring the potential mediation versus moderation effect of two alternative variables in this relationship: perceived...

Background: Based on the refined theory of basic individual values and transformational leadership theory, this study focuses on the associations between coaches’ value priorities and their transformational leadership behaviours, exploring the potential mediation versus moderation effect of two alternative variables in this relationship: perceived...

The purpose of this study was to consider if the interaction between the perception of Physical Education (PE) teachers' support of their students' needs of autonomy, competence and relatedness, teachers gender and students gender predicts autonomous motivation during PE classes.

Drawing from the transformational leadership theory, this study aims to translate and analyse the psychometric properties of a Spanish ver-sion of the Transformational Teaching Questionnaire (TTQ). A cohort sample of 2107 adolescents (997 males and 1110 females) from 82 secondary schools voluntarily participated in the research. In Study 1 (n = 106...

Based on Self Determination and Achievement Goal theories, in this study we tested the relationship between perceptions of coaches’ interpersonal styles, athlete’s goal orientations, mental toughness (MT) and future intention of sport practice, as well as self-perception of achievement in sport in a sample of 155 athletes (82 men and 73 women) with...

Objective A positive perception of motor competence (MC) is important for children's health trajectory. It is purported that young children's perception is not well aligned with their actual ability. Alternative sources of perceptions are postulated from children's social context such as their parents or teachers. This study aims to analyse the ass...

The aim of this study was to translate into Spanish spoken in Mexico and examine the psychometric properties of the Mexican version of the basic psychological needs satisfaction in physical education scale (ESNPB-EF) in Mexican high school students. In the Study 1, translation and adaptation of the scale were done, factorial structure and reliabili...

Self-efficacy refers to confidence in one’s ability to perform specific behaviors in specific situations such as exercising. The aims of the present study were: to translate a Self-Efficacy for Exercise Questionnaire (SEEQ); to adapt it to the Mexican context; to examine its factorial structure; and to assess its internal consistency and nomologica...

Abstract / Resumen: Physical activity practice is a classic behaviour of the healthy lifestyle. Nonetheless, it is difficult for general population to have this behaviour among their habits. From the decision-making model, decisional balance has been identified as a relevant process in relation to doing physical activity. On the other hand, self-ef...

Abstract / Resumen: The aim of the present study was to examine the role of decisional balance and different types of motivation in predicting exercise enjoyment in a sample of 419 participants from the metropolitan area of Monterrey (Mexico), aged between 18 and 55 (Mage= 31.02 years; SD = 11.32; 50.1% males). A hierarchical regression analysis wa...

The Self-determination theory suggests that the persons can be involved in an activity (e.g. exercise) internalizing different reasons and these reasons can be detected in the form of motivational regulations more or less self-determined. At the same time the stages of change model explain how people change from being inactive to active behavior. T...

The absence of social support and the low perception of self-efficacy have been identified as two important barriers to physical exercise on a regular basis, meanwhile enjoyment is probably the most important correlate that has been positively associated with the addition and maintenance of a structured exercise program. The purpose of the present...

The Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD) is a process-oriented scale that provides qualitative information on children’s motor competence. The aim of the current study was to analyze the psychometric properties by examining the internal consistency and construct validity of the Spanish version of the TGMD-3. A sample of 178 typically developed ch...

Introduction Self-Determination Theory (SDT) suggests that individuals with autonomous regulations hold greater levels of optimal functioning than those with controlling regulations. In addition, SDT underlines the importance of social aspects within motivational processes. In the educational setting, teachers' interpersonal style while giving inst...

Introducción: La teoría de la autodeterminación sugiere que los sujetos con regulaciones autónomas mostrarán mayores niveles de funcionamiento óptimo que aquellos con regulaciones controladoras. Asimismo, la teoría ha defendido la importancia que tienen los factores sociales en los procesos motivacionales. En el contexto educativo, uno de los facto...

Objective: To examine the reliability and validity of a scale to measure perceived barriers to active commuting to school among Spanish young people. Method: The validity of the scale was assessed in a sample of 465 adolescents (14-18 years) using a confirmatory factor analysis and studying its association with self-reported active commuting to...

This paper provides a comprehensive review of the international literature that used the paradigm of transformational leadership in the context of physical activity (PA) and sport. A bibliometric and content of all international publications (N = 28) analysis is performed by classifying research based on various parameters such as the contexts (hig...

Resumen. Dentro del contexto deportivo, las personas pueden presentar dos tipos de creencias implícitas sobre la habilidad deportiva, creencias incremental y de entidad, las cuales tienen un papel importante en la conformación de las orientaciones de meta cuando practican deporte. Hasta la fecha no se conocen estudios con población mexicana que hay...

This research investigates the performance and self-perception by observational and self-efficacy analysis according to the gender and success in a taekwondo. Two studies were developed: Study 1 aimed to (i) test the psychometric properties of the perceived self-efficacy in taekwondo actions questionnaire (CAPAT) and (ii) the taekwondo athletes' se...

In sport contexts, people can display two different types of implicit beliefs about athletic skills: Incremental beliefs and entity beliefs, both playing an important role in setting a particular goal orientation while practicing any sport. There are no studies that examine the relationship between implicit beliefs and goal orientations in Mexican...

The purpose of this study was to identify tactical characteristics of successful athletes who competed in a National University Championship. Results from the study allow taekwondo coaches and competitors to orient their training towards evidence-based practice to achieve success in competitions. Overall, taekwondo athletes performed more attacks t...

Based on the transformational leadership theory (Bass, 1985), the aim of the present study was to analyze the differences in leadership styles according to the various leading ranks and the organizational follower-leader distance reported by a representative sample of 975 local police members (828 male and 147 female) from Valencian Community (Spai...

Se presenta el perfil de habilidades psicológicas y su poder predictivo sobre el éxito deportivo en taekwondistas universitarios de competición. Para ello se evaluó una muestra representativa de 89 taekwondistas (50 hombres y 39 mujeres) con edades entre 18 y 34 años (M = 22,2; DT = 3,34) que competían en el Campeonato de España Universitario 2011....

The paper presents the psychological profile of skills and its predictive power on sport success in a sample of university taekwondo competitors. To that end, a representative sample of 89 taekwondo athletes (50 men and 39 women) aged between 18 and 34 years (M = 22.2, SD = 3.34) participating at the Spanish University Taekwondo Championship (2011)...

Development of self-efficacy scales allows the analysis of athletes’ perceptions and examination of the relationship between perception and performance. The aim of this paper was to: (1) develop a specific self-efficacy scale in a taekwondo task, the roundhouse kick, and (2) analyse the sport performance and its relationship with two self-efficacy...

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of target distance on temporal and impact force parameters that are important performance factors in taekwondo kicks. Forty-nine taekwondo athletes (age = 24.5 +/- 5.9 years; mass = 79.9 +/- 10.8 kg) were recruited: 13 male experts, 21 male novices, 8 female experts, and 6 female novices. Impact...

Objectives: To analyze the effects of an aquatic exercise program on indicators of psychological wellbeing in sedentary women. The study also addresses the influence of social context on the psychological wellbeing of participants. Material and methods: 36 women were assigned either to the control group (n = 12) or the experimental group (n = 24)....

We present an intervention programme with a female rhythmic gymnastics team (N =7), with members aged 15 to 21 (M = 18, SD = 2) competing in the senior national category. Fourteen psychological group sessions were conducted between September and December 2011. The motivational climate, approaches to goals, team cohesion, the coach’s leadership styl...

Based on Self Determination Theory in this study we tested the relationship between perceived coach autonomy support, satisfaction of the three basic needs and three outcomes or components define coaching effectiveness in a sample of 159 elite taekwondo athletes (Mean age = 18.63 + 4.05 years). Results revealed that perceived coach autonomy support...

We present an intervention programme with a female rhythmic gymnastics team (N =7), with members aged 15 to 21 (M = 18, SD = 2) competing in the senior national category. Fourteen psychological group sessions were conducted between September and December 2011. The motivational climate, approaches to goals, team cohesion, the coach's leadership styl...

A large body of research demonstrates the benefitial effects of physical activity for both physical and psycological health of the individual (f. ex., Blair & Morris, 2009; Stephenson, Bauman, Armstrong, Smith & Bellew, 2000; Strong et al., 2005). However, and despite the fact that during the three last decades there has been an 15% increase of phy...

Based on Self Determination Theory in this study we tested the relationship between perceived coach autonomy support, satisfaction of the three basic needs and three outcomes or components define coaching effectiveness in a sample of 159 elite taekwondo athletes (Mean age = 18.63 ± 4.05 years). Results revealed that perceived coach autonomy support...

On the basis of the Transformational Leadership Theory (Bass, 1985), the patterns of behaviour found in leadership styles are examined, and also their relation to three outcome variables: leader efficacy, satisfaction with the leader and extra effort by subordinates. The study also deals with the augmentation effect in transactional leadership when...

On the basis of the Transformational Leadership Theory (Bass, 1985), the patterns of behaviour found in leadership styles are examined, and also their relation to three outcome variables: leader efficacy, satisfaction with the leader and extra effort by subordinates. The study also deals with the augmentation effect in transactional leadership when...

Effect of Olympic Weight Category on Performance in the Roundhouse Kick to the Head in Taekwondo In taekwondo, kick performance is generally measured using impact force and time. This study aimed to analyse performance in the roundhouse kick to the head according to execution distance between and within Olympic weight categories. The participants w...

On the basis of the Transformational Leadership Theory (Bass, 1985), the patterns of behaviour found in leadership styles are examined, and also their relation to three outcome variables: leader efficacy, satisfac-tion with the leader and extra effort by subordinates. The study also deals with the augmentation effect in transactional leadership whe...

The execution distance is a tactic factor that affects mechanical performance and execution technique in taekwondo. This study analyzes the roundhouse kick to the head by comparing the maximum impact force, execution time, and impact time in 3 distances according to the athletes' competition level. It also analyzes the relationship between impact f...

Abstract Taekwondo is a combat sport where the competition is based on weight categories. The aim of the present study was to examine the impact force, the relative impact force, the execution time and the relative execution time, of a roundhouse kick to the chest among three Olympic taekwondo weight categories. Twenty male taekwondo athletes parti...

Resumen El taekwondo es un deporte de combate donde se compite por categorías de peso. El presente estudio analiza la fuerza de impacto, la fuerza relativa de golpeo, el tiempo de ejecución y el tiempo relativo de ejecución, de la patada circular al pecho, en tres categorías olímpicas de taekwondo. Veintiún taekwondistas masculinos participaron en...

OBJECTIVE. This research analyzes the direct and indirect relationships among self-motivation, perceived competition and psychological well-being and ill-being. MATERIAL AND METHODS. Data from 491 Spanish college students (299 men and 192 women) who practice sports were collected using a cross-sectional design. Statistical analyses were carried out...

This research analyzes the direct and indirect relationships among self-motivation, perceived competition and psychological well-being and ill-being. Data from 491 Spanish college students (299 men and 192 women) who practice sports were collected using a cross-sectional design. Statistical analyses were carried out using structural equation modeli...

ResumenEste trabajo pretendió analizar el tiempo de ejecución (TE), el tiempo de impacto, la fuerza máxima de golpeo (FMG) y la fuerza relativa de golpeo (FRG), según tres distancias de ejecución, en la patada circular al pecho y a la cara, y analizar la relación entre TE-FMG, y FMG-peso. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 23 taekwondistas: medallista...

Interest is growing in conducting research on the role of coaches as agents of influence. Within the context of sport, transactional and transformational leadership styles (Bass, 1985) have not been explored very often. This study extends previous research within this context, specifically in high performance taekwondo. The purpose of this study wa...

Interest is growing in conducting research on the role of coaches as agents of influence. Within the context of sport, transactional and transformational leadership styles (Bass, 1985) have not been explored very often. This study extends previous research within this context, specifically in high performance taekwondo. The purpose of this study wa...