COURSE TITLE: Introduction to Sport and Exercise Psychology
COURSE CODE: SPKN 1104
LEVEL: UG 1
NO OF CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITE(S): None
RATIONALE
Persons working in sports and exercise must understand human behaviour and motivations to ensure that persons are functioning at an optimal level. This course provides that basic introduction to human behaviour and the complex interactions between cognition, affect and behaviour.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course exposes students to a psychological approach to understanding human responses and adaptations to sport and exercise. Lectures, case studies, and seminars provide a platform for discussion and understanding of cognitions, affect and behaviour and the complex interactions between these. Students will acquire knowledge and understanding of sport and exercise performance and psychological factors that impact on exercise adherence. A key aim is to provide an understanding of the application of theory to real ‘applied’ situations within sport and exercise settings.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
On successful completion of the course, students should be able to:
- Discuss cognitive and social psychological factors that influence behaviour in a sport and exercise environment.
- Describe the theoretical principles of sports psychology underpinning applied practice.
- Describe group and individual behaviour in sport and exercise environments.
- Design group and individual exercise programmes showing clearly how specific psychological factors have been integrated to ensure success.
- Outline strategies that could be used to accomplish behaviour change with regards to engaging in exercise.
- Analyse sports and exercise case studies using psychological theories and factors to identify and propose solution to issues related to motivation, arousal, burnout, group dynamics
