Leader: TBA

Offered

Not offered in 2008

Synopsis

This unit examines the involvement of individuals in physically demanding activities; including organised individual and team sports, personal training, and individual adventurous pursuits. The unit is pitched at both the practitioner and the individual so that they might better understand the psychology of the athlete. A practitioner should find the content useful for coaching, teaching physical or outdoor education, or facilitating adventurous activity such as Outward Bound-type courses. The individual should find the content useful for augmenting their training regimes, pursuing higher levels of performance or tackling greater challenges.

Objectives

On completion of this unit students should be able to:-

1. demonstrate an understanding of a range of psychological theories as they apply to sport psychology and the pursuit of adventurous activities;

2. outline various research techniques used in the fields of sports and adventure psychology;

3. appreciate how psychology can be used to understand and alter the performance of athletes at all levels of competition and fitness;

4. explain the biopsychosocial benefits of exercise and fitness and how they relate to individual performance in a range of circumstances.

Assessment

Report (1500 words): 30%
Case study (1000 words): 20%
Examination (2 hours): 50%

Contact hours

2 hours (1 x 1 hour lecture and 1 x 1 hour laboratory) per week

Prerequisites

48 points of study in any discipline

Prohibitions

BHS3716