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The "Russian roulette" of soccer?: Perceived control and anxiety in a major tournament penalty shootout

April 2006
International Journal of Sport Psychology 37(2):281-298

Authors:

Geir Jordet

Norwegian School of Sport Sciences

Marije T Elferink-Gemser

University of Groningen

Koen A.P.M. Lemmink

University Medical Center Groningen/University of Groningen

Kicks from the penalty mark (official term for the "penalty shootout") are regularly featured in major soccer tournaments to determine the outcome of tied games. Based on the contingency-competence-control (CCC) model (Weisz & Stipek, 1982), this study provides an examination of the control beliefs and anxiety experienced by W elite soccer players in the context of a major tournament penalty shootout. Measures included interview questions and CSAI-2R (Cox, Martens, & Russell, 2003) with direction instructions (Jones & Swain, 1992 The results gave some support to the model's predictions. The quantitative analyses demonstrated that perceived contingency and competence correlated with anxiety. For example, believing that outcome is based on luck was associated with debilitative interpretation of somatic anxiety symptoms. Most findings were supported by the qualitative analyses. The CCC-model can be useful for researchers endeavouring to learn more about perceived control in competitive sport.

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Artikelomschrijving: Aantal kopieën: 18

Artikel: PART III - THE "RUSSIAN ROULETTE" OF SOCCER? : PER

Auteur: JORDET, GEIR (ED.)

Titel: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPORT PSYCHOLOGY

Jaar: 2006 Vol. 37 Nr. 2-3 Pag. 281

Plaatsnummer:S-TS

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Jan 2020

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Oct 2018
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The paper analyses sequences of penalty kicks during football shoot-outs in French cup competitions. We consider in detail the psychological effects to which the kicker is subject: the fear of winning, the fear of losing, the expected outcomes and how much is at stake. Our main conclusion is that the performance (the probability of scoring) is negatively affected by both what is at stake (the impact of my scoring on the expected probability that my team will eventually win) and the difficulty of the situation (the ex ante probability of my team eventually losing). We find no advantage for the team that takes the first kick.

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INT J SPORT PSYCHOL

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Article

Full-text available

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Full-text available

Feb 1987

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JR WEISZ

Recent developments in the study of perceived control suggest that control-related beliefs may predict problem-solving behavior in psychotherapy if two conditions are met. First, distinction must be made among beliefs about outcome contingency, personal competence, and control (denned as the capacity to cause intended outcomes). Second, beliefs must be assessed for the specific behavioral domain that is the object of prediction (rather than global locus of control). This notion was tested among 8-17-year-olds referred for outpatient therapy. At the outset, children answered probes assessing contingency, competence, and control beliefs about solving problems at home and at school. At the outset and again 6 months later when therapy had ended, parents reported the children's problems at home and at school, using the Child Behavior Checklist. Perceived contingency and perceived control accounted for 29% of the variance in total problem reduction, indicating that the two beliefs were related to problem solving during therapy. This suggests that the effects of child psychotherapy may be enhanced by targeting children's contingency and control beliefs for intervention.

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The learned helplessness hypothesis is criticized and reformulated. The old hypothesis, when applied to learned helplessness in humans, has two major problems: (a) It does not distinguish between cases in which outcomes are uncontrollable for all people and cases in which they are uncontrollable only for some people (univervsal vs. personal helplessness), and (b) it does not explain when helplessness is general and when specific, or when chronic and when acute. A reformulation based on a revision of attribution theory is proposed to resolve these inadequacies. According to the reformulation, once people perceive noncontingency, they attribute their helplessness to a cause. This cause can be stable or unstable, global or specific, and internal or external. The attribution chosen influences whether expectation of future helplessness will be chronic or acute, broad or narrow, and whether helplessness will lower self-esteem or not. The implications of this reformulation of human helplessness for the learned helplessness model of depression are outlined.

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The purposes of the present investigation were twofold: (a) to investigate the fluctuations of anxiety and self-confidence throughout competition by measuring these variables retrospectively before, during, and after competition and (b) to investigate the relationship between the intensity and directional interpretation of anxiety and perceived performance across competition. Field hockey players (N = 62) completed the modified Mental Readiness Form-Likert (MRF-2) within 30 minutes after competition using the method of retrospective recall. Results indicated significant fluctuations across competition for cognitive anxiety intensity and direction, somatic anxiety intensity, and self-confidence intensity. Results also revealed that the strongest predictors of performance across both halves were self-confidence intensity and direction and cognitive anxiety direction. These findings should have important implications for practitioners and sport psychologists because anxiety measurement and confidence are critical parts of most psychological skills training programs.

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Article

Jul 2000
PSYCHOL SPORT EXERC

Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to explore psychological performance crises under time pressure towards the end of basketball games. Three hypotheses were tested: (a) situations in the end phase of the game would be evaluated as highly critical; (b) crisis probability will increase within the end phase of the game, from its beginning towards its end; (c) players' decision behaviour would be of lesser quality under high- versus low-criticality situations.Design and Methods: A panel of six experts observed elite basketball players at the end phase of 10 close games at the highest international level. In the study's first stage, three experts evaluated the criticality of each possession during the observed game intervals. In the second stage of the study, three experts' evaluations of team- and player-decision making behaviour in offense, defense and scoring attempts were analyzed.Results: In the study's first stage, experts' judgments indicated that the final phase of the game was characterized as comprising twice as many highly critical possessions than low-criticality possessions. In addition, the number of highly critical possessions grew dramatically towards the end of the phase. In the study's second stage, results indicated that highly critical possessions were characterized by a lower quality of decision making compared to low criticality possessions.Conclusions: Results in both stages supported all three hypotheses, in accordance with crisis theory. It is recommended that researchers further observe athletes' decision behaviour within the framework of crisis theory, and practitioners are advised to direct athletes' mental preparation towards the end phases of games.

Intensity and direction dimensions of competitive anxiety and relationships with competitiveness

Article

May 1992

This study examined differences in intensity and direction of symptoms of competitive state anxiety in high and low competitive subjects from the sports of rugby union, basketball, soccer, and field hockey. The 69 men were dichotomized via a median-split into high and low competitive groups based on their scores on the Sport Orientation Questionnaire. All subjects completed a modified version of the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 30 minutes prior to competition. This inventory included the original intensity scale plus a direction scale on which subjects rated the extent the experienced intensity of each symptom was either facilitative or debilitative to subsequent performance. There were no significant group differences on intensity of cognitive anxiety or of somatic anxiety or on direction of somatic anxiety; however, the highly competitive group of 34 subjects reported their anxiety as more facilitative and less debilitative than the low competitive group (n = 35). This supports the proposal that sports performers' directional perceptions of their anxiety symptoms may provide further understanding of the competitive state-anxiety response.