POMS and eye movement: Two indicators for performance in athletics

Area of Science:

• Sports Psychology
• Psychophysiology
• Athletic Performance Analysis

Background:

• Athletics participation benefits physical and mental health.
• Mood and emotions are key indicators of psychological well-being and impact physical responsiveness.
• Understanding the influence of emotional states on athletic performance is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between mood states and athletic performance.
• To explore how emotional states, assessed via eye movement, affect track and field performance.
• To determine if psychological factors predict athletic success.

Main Methods:

• Mood was assessed using the Profile of Mood States (POMS).
• Emotional state was measured by eye movement patterns (fixation counts, observation length).
• These psychological indicators were correlated with track and field performance during training and competition.

Main Results:

• Track performance improvement negatively correlated with total mood disturbance (TMD).
• Field performance positively correlated with emotional positivity, assessed by eye movement.
• Specific mood profiles and emotional responses (e.g., vigor, depression, anger, fixation on emotional pictures) were associated with good track and field performance.

Conclusions:

• Different psychological indicators predict different athletic performances: POMS for track, eye movement for field.
• A combination of mood state and emotional response measures offers a more comprehensive understanding of performance.
• Findings support the integration of psychological assessments into training programs for enhanced athletic outcomes.