The course aims to provide students with basic knowledge of the theoretical and methodological foundations of sport psychology, in a perspective of multidisciplinary integration aimed at the educational objectives of the Master's Degree in Sport Sciences.

The program is divided into the following areas of knowledge and expertise of sport psychology:

1.  Scientific foundations of sport psychology

- what is sport psychology

- history of sport psychology

- the sport psychologist: competencies and contexts of intervention

2.  Perception, action and motor imagination

- human perception

- the relationship between perception, action and behavior

- motor imagination and mirror neurons

3.  Attentional processes

- what is attention

- attentional processes

- attentional style

4.  Learning and memory

- the mnestic process

- learning processes

- memory

5.  Executive functions and excellence in sport

- the concept of intelligence

- executive functions

- the concept of "talent", the analysis and training of "talent"

6.  Emotions and sport

- emotional processes and basic emotions

- the evolutionary value of emotions in reference to sports performance

- anxiety, activation and stress

7.  Motivation and personality

- motivational processes in sport

- participation and achievement of objectives

- personality and behavior in sport

8.  Improving performance through mental training

- stress management in the training of performance excellence

- management of internal states of the athlete

- interpersonal relationships between players, coaches and staff members in a group/team

9.  Sport, physical activity and psychological well-being

- sports culture as a vehicle of values

- the benefits of the game-sport on growth

- doping, addictions and unhealthy behaviors

There are no propaedeutics.

Knowledge and understanding:

Upon completion of the coursework, the student will be expected to demonstrate:

a. the knowledge and mastery of the theoretical and methodological principles of sport psychology applied to sport and exercise activity;

b. knowledge of the main psychological factors that condition and modify the experience and performance in sports and physical exercise;

c. an understanding of the relevance of the multidisciplinary contribution of sport psychology to the development of knowledgeable and operational professionals in the motor sciences, both with developmental age persons and adults, in amateur, amateur, educational and professional contexts.

Applying Knowledge and Understanding:

The student will have to demonstrate that he/she has acquired the ability to apply the knowledge learned in the field of sport psychology in relation to the areas and skills of his/her relevance, in order to formulate analysis and hypotheses of intervention argued also through constructs (explicit in the course program) of sport psychology and related scientifically structured contributions.

Autonomy of judgment (making judgements):

The student will have to demonstrate that he/she has acquired the basic ability to critically analyze the role of psychological factors involved in both sport and exercise, and to independently deepen his/her knowledge.

Communication Skills:

The student will have to demonstrate that he/she has acquired the ability to expose in a clear and coherent way the notions learned and to master the specific terminology related to sport psychology, also in order to adequately understand the scientific literature of reference.

Learning skills:

The student will have acquired a good ability of autonomy in the integration of the study material, in reading and interpreting information related to multidisciplinary aspects of sport psychology applied to sport and exercise, in finding scientific information useful to deepen and update their knowledge.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Possible in-depth seminars are under evaluation and possible organization.

Teaching

The course includes lectures, presentation and discussion of sports projects in the field of sport psychology, dedicated to the deepening of the topics covered, film screenings, participatory activities in the classroom.

Attendance

Attendance of lectures is not mandatory.

Course books

Course reference manual:

- Mandolesi, L. (2017). Manuale di psicologia generale dello sport. Il Mulino: Bologna.

Supplementary texts selectable by the student (n° 1 option out of 3):

- Option 1: Rossi, B. (2020). Il supporto indispensabile. Psicopedagogia e neuroscienze in aiuto dello sport giovanile. Calzetti-Mariucci: Perugia.

- Option 2: Sighinolfi, L. (2016). Antifragile Basketball. Training sports unpredictability. Calzetti-Mariucci: Perugia.

- Option 3: Trabucchi, P. (2018). Opus. Per raggiungere uno scopo la nostra risorsa più grande è l'automotivazione. Corbaccio: Milano.

In the examination all students will be evaluated with reference to the Handbook " Mandolesi, L. (2017). Manuale di psicologia generale dello sport. Il Mulino: Bologna.", and to one of the three supplementary texts (see previous list "option 1; option 2; option 3") chosen by the student (to be made explicit to the teacher in the initial phase of the oral examination).

The slides of the lectures, available on the Moodle platform (Blended Learning Uniurb), are not part of the study material that will be requested during the exam.

Assessment

The expected learning outcomes will be assessed through an oral interview based on the following evaluation criteria: relevance and effectiveness of the answers in relation to the contents of the program; level of articulation of the answer; adequacy of the disciplinary language used; ability to critically discuss the topics covered. The final evaluation is expressed in thirtieths.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

Teaching methods

Non-attending students are invited to refer to the texts made explicit in the "Study Texts" section.

Course reference manual:

- Mandolesi, L. (2017). Manuale di psicologia generale dello sport. Il Mulino: Bologna.

Supplementary texts selectable by the student (n° 1 option out of 3):

- Option 1: Rossi, B. (2020). Il supporto indispensabile. Psicopedagogia e neuroscienze in aiuto dello sport giovanile. Calzetti-Mariucci: Perugia.

- Option 2: Sighinolfi, L. (2016). Antifragile Basketball. Training sports unpredictability. Calzetti-Mariucci: Perugia.

- Option 3: Trabucchi, P. (2018). Opus. Per raggiungere uno scopo la nostra risorsa più grande è l'automotivazione. Corbaccio: Milano.

In the examination all students will be evaluated with reference to the Handbook " Mandolesi, L. (2017). Manuale di psicologia generale dello sport. Il Mulino: Bologna.", and to one of the three supplementary texts (see previous list "option 1; option 2; option 3") chosen by the student (to be made explicit to the teacher in the initial phase of the oral examination).

The slides of the lectures, made available on the Moodle platform (Blended Learning Uniurb), are not part of the study material that will be requested during the exam.

Attendance

Attendance of lectures is not mandatory.

Course books

Course reference manual:

- Mandolesi, L. (2017). Manuale di psicologia generale dello sport. Il Mulino: Bologna.

Supplementary texts selectable by the student (n° 1 option out of 3):

- Option 1: Rossi, B. (2020). Il supporto indispensabile. Psicopedagogia e neuroscienze in aiuto dello sport giovanile. Calzetti-Mariucci: Perugia.

- Option 2: Sighinolfi, L. (2016). Antifragile Basketball. Training sports unpredictability. Calzetti-Mariucci: Perugia.

- Option 3: Trabucchi, P. (2018). Opus. Per raggiungere uno scopo la nostra risorsa più grande è l'automotivazione. Corbaccio: Milano.

In the examination all students will be evaluated with reference to the Handbook " Mandolesi, L. (2017). Manuale di psicologia generale dello sport. Il Mulino: Bologna.", and to one of the three supplementary texts (see previous list "option 1; option 2; option 3") chosen by the student (to be made explicit to the teacher in the initial phase of the oral examination).

The slides of the lectures, available on the Moodle platform (Blended Learning Uniurb), are not part of the study material that will be requested during the exam.

Assessment

The expected learning outcomes will be assessed through an oral interview based on the following evaluation criteria: relevance and effectiveness of the answers in relation to the contents of the program; level of articulation of the answer; adequacy of the disciplinary language used; ability to critically discuss the topics covered. The final evaluation is expressed in thirtieths.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Foreign students, if they wish, can take the exam in English by making a request to the teacher via e-mail at least one week before the call.