Authors
Javier Horcajo, Borja Paredes, Guillermo Higuero, Pablo Brinol, Richard E Petty
Publication date
2019/2/1
Journal
Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology
Volume
41
Issue
1
Pages
36-45
Publisher
Human Kinetics
Description
Research on self-talk has found that what athletes say to themselves influences their performance in sport settings. This experiment analyzed the relationship between positive and negative self-talk and physical performance in light of another variable: overt head movements. Participants were randomly assigned to first generate and then listen to either positive or negative self-statements. They were then randomly assigned to nod (up and down) or to shake (side to side) their heads while being exposed to the self-statements they had previously generated. Finally, physical performance was assessed using a vertical-jump task, a squat test, and a deadlift task. As expected, positive self-statements led to better performance than negative self-statements in 2 out of 3 physical tasks. Most relevant, the main effect of self-talk was significantly qualified by head movements. Consistent with the authors’ hypothesis, athletes …
Total citations
201920202021202220232024353936
Scholar articles
J Horcajo, B Paredes, G Higuero, P Brinol, RE Petty - Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 2019