Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 13, 2026
10:31
A Multi-Modal Approach to Assessing Recovery in Youth Athletes Following Concussion
Published on: September 25, 2014
Pre-competitive confidence, coping, and subjective performance in sport
A R Levy1, A R Nicholls, R C J Polman
1Centre for Sport & Exercise Science, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK. a.levy@leeds.ac.uk
Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports
|May 13, 2010
Summary
This study found that athlete confidence positively impacts performance. Coping strategies, like mental imagery, partially mediate this relationship, suggesting their importance in sports psychology.
Area of Science:
- Sports Psychology
- Performance Psychology
Background:
- Confidence is crucial for athletic performance.
- Understanding the role of coping strategies in the confidence-performance link is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between confidence and subjective performance in athletes.
- To explore whether coping strategies mediate the confidence-performance relationship.
Main Methods:
- 414 athletes completed measures of confidence, coping, and subjective performance.
- Correlational and mediational analyses were employed.
Main Results:
- Confidence was positively associated with subjective performance.
- Coping strategies, specifically task-oriented (mental imagery) and disengagement-oriented (resignation), partially mediated this relationship.
- Mental imagery use was linked to more effective coping than resignation.
Conclusions:
- Mental imagery may enhance confidence and subsequent performance.
- Resignation coping may negatively impact confidence and performance.
- Findings support Vealey's integrated sports confidence model.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Sources of Self-Esteem II: Performance Feedback
Self-esteem is intricately tied to our perception of competence and our ability to exert control over our lives. One of the primary sources of this perception is performance feedback — the ongoing evaluation of our actions in terms of success and failure. According to Franks and Marolla (1976), people derive self-worth from experiencing themselves as causal agents, capable of achieving goals and overcoming obstacles. This process nurtures a critical component of self-esteem: self-efficacy,...
01:28Self-Esteem
Self-esteem, a core aspect of psychological well-being, reflects an individual's positive and negative self-evaluation in terms of worth, competence, and overall value. It is both a stable trait and a dynamic process, influenced by experiences and social interactions across the lifespan. While global self-esteem offers a general assessment, research highlights that self-esteem is multidimensional and varies across specific life domains.Domain-Specific Self-EsteemResearchers have delineated...
01:29Self-Evaluation Maintenance Model
The Self-Evaluation Maintenance (SEM) model offers a psychological framework to understand how individuals’ self-esteem is influenced by the achievements of others, particularly those with whom they share close personal bonds. The SEM model operates when personal rather than social identity guides individuals. Central to this model is the notion that individuals have an inherent desire to preserve a favorable self-image, which is continuously shaped by interpersonal comparisons and...
01:04Social Facilitation
Not all intergroup interactions lead to negative outcomes. Sometimes, being in a group situation can improve performance. Social facilitation occurs when an individual performs better when an audience is watching than when the individual performs the behavior alone. This typically occurs when people are performing a task for which they are skilled.
01:27Protecting Self-Esteem
Self-esteem, a central component of psychological well-being, is actively maintained through various cognitive and behavioral strategies. Individuals employ specific mechanisms to preserve a positive self-concept and mitigate threats to their self-worth, particularly in contexts involving social evaluation or personal feedback. Four primary techniques are commonly used to sustain self-esteem.Manipulating AppraisalsOne prominent strategy involves manipulating appraisals from others. Individuals...
01:27Sources of Self-Esteem III: Social Comparison
Social comparison plays a fundamental role in the evaluation of personal success and self-worth. Rather than assessing our achievements in isolation, we interpret their significance relative to personal goals and critically in comparison to the performance of others. A grade of B in a mathematics exam might elicit pride if one's expectation was a C, yet result in disappointment if an A was anticipated or if peers achieved superior results. These comparative evaluations illustrate how both...