Sport Social Psychology
Aggression
I. defining aggression: two parts
  1. a behavior aimed at another person with the goal of inflicting physical harm
  2. a reasonable expectation that the attempt to inflict harm will be successful

II. types of aggression
  1. hostile aggression:

  2. instrumental aggression:

III. theories of aggression
  1. instinct theory:  (i.e., catharsis thru sport)

  2. social learning theory: we learn to be aggressive

  3. Bredemeir's theory of moral reasoning:

  4. frustration aggression theory: frustration can cause aggression

IV. measurement of aggression: it is considered a personality trait

V. fan violence
  1. common ingredients: intense rivalries, nationalism, and alcohol

  2. false consensus effect:

VI. aggression & performance

VII. what factors predict violence in sport
  1. e.g., high temperatures

VIII. curtailing aggression in athletes and fans

  1. for fans: restrict ETOH use, severely punish those who do
 

Audience Effects on Sports
I. social facilitation, social impairment, social loafing: observers increase our arousal

  1. social facilitation: performance increased in the presence of others

  2. social impairment: performance is hindered in the presence of others

  3. social loafing: people often exert less effort when performing as part of a group

II. why does playing at home help or sometimes hurt
  1. better sleep, no jet lag, routine eating habits, familiar with local playing conditions

  2. home fans arouse the home team making them faster & stronger

  3. characteristic of the crowd may be important

Leadership: this seems like mostly theory and no good data
I. trait theories: it was once thought that leader have certain traits

II. next it was theorized that successful leaders have developed specific behaviors that
     set them apart from those less successful
  1. consideration:

  2. initiating structure

III. Fiedler's contingency theory

  1. leader effectiveness is situational specific

  2. successful group functioning depends on the personality of the leader and the
      situation

IV. geographical location may promote becoming a leader
  1. centrality: refers to a location conducive to interactions with other team members

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
I. Rosenthal & Jacobson (1968): teachers were given expectations that a group of
   students were "late bloomers"

II. the expectation-performance process in sports
  1. coach develops expectations
  2. thus, the coach's behavior toward athletes differs according to his expectations
  3. the coaches behavior influences the athlete's performance
  4. the athletes behavior & performance conforms to the coaches expectations

III. Where do coaches get these expectations

IV. How can the coach's behavior vary among athletes?

V. How can the coach's behavior influence athletes?

VI. some athletes are likely influenced by the pygmalion process more than others

VII. possible racial differences

VIII. some coaches have this problem more than others

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