In this module students will be introduced to a number of psychological concepts that have applications in sport and exercise settings. The course provides a broad introduction to three main areas of sport and exercise psychology, detailing theoretical approaches to understanding human behaviour within sports settings; and, basic processes underlying learning and performance in sport using a human cognitive model and psychological theories that have been applied to exercise adoption, participation, adherence and motivation. Students will be provided with content that covers an array of key psychological theories so to understand the underlying constructs which help to explain exercise participation and athlete behaviours.

Students will complete a 90-minute unseen exam which will assess learning outcomes 1, 2, and 3. Specifically, students will be required to answer multiple choice questions which will assess the understanding of key theoretical approaches to human behaviour in sport and exercise settings (MLO1 and MLO2). A selection of short-answer questions will also be included to allow students to further demonstrate and apply knowledge of theoretical approaches of human behaviour in sport and exercise settings (MLO3) .

Students will attend a single lecture and seminar each week that will span an entire seminar. Lectures will be used to introduce a relevant sport and exercise psychology topic each week and seminars will then be used to expand upon this topic further in a more practical manner. An array of topics will be introduced including personality, anxiety, motivation, confidence, and group dynamics. During seminars, students will work to complete the module workbook, performing tasks such as completing performance profiles, assessing psychological measures, and performing psychological tasks (e.g., BATAK). The relevance of the tasks in relation to the module content will be discussed during these seminars to fully prepare students for the assessment.

1. Demonstrate the ability to apply a psychological mode of enquiry to analyse human behaviour in sport. Analysis, Application, Reflection

2. Describe, and be able to apply, different theoretical approaches to human behaviour and learning within sport settings. Knowledge and Understanding, Learning, Application

3. Understand and apply theoretical approaches to understanding human behaviour in exercise settings and the role of physical activity within a healthy lifestyle. Knowledge and Understanding, Learning, Analysis, Problem Solving, Application

Blackboard:
1. Access to lecture and seminar content
2. Access to tutor contact information

Essential - Weinberg, R. S., & Gould, D. (2019). Foundations of sport and exercise psychology, 7E. Human Kinetics.

Additional - Biddle, S., & Mutrie, N (2008). Psychology of physical activity: determinants, well-being and interventions (2nd ed). Routledge. – available as e-book via staffs library.

Additional - Cox, R. H. (2012). Sport psychology: Concepts and applications (7th ed.). Dubuque, IA: McGraw-Hill.

In this module students will be introduced to a number of psychological concepts that have applications in sports settings. Specifically, the selected theoretical approaches will be:
1. Approaches to understanding human behaviour within sport and exercise settings.

2. Basic processes underlying learning and performance in sport using a human cognitive model.

3. Psychological theories that have been applied to exercise adoption, participation and adherence.