Relationship among the types and use of self-talk, free throw percentage, and anxiety of collegiate basketball players

Andrea Bobic

Graduation Date

2013

Document Type

Thesis

Program

Other

Program

Thesis (M.S.)--Humboldt State University, Kinesiology: Teaching/Coaching, 2013

Committee Chair Name

Sheila Alicea

Committee Chair Affiliation

HSU Faculty or Staff

Keywords

Free throw percentage, Anxiety, Close game, Collegiate Basketball Self-Talk Use Questionnaire (STUQ), Self-talk, Humboldt State University -- Theses -- Kinesiology, Sport performance, Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2R

Abstract

Problem: The types and use of self-talk and anxiety has been researched within athletics, identifying the overall influence on sport performance; however, this is first study to evaluate the use of self-talk and anxiety levels during close games. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among the types and use of self-talk, free throw percentage, and anxiety of collegiate basketball players during competition and close games. Method: Collegiate basketball players (N=26) completed a survey consisting of demographic information and questions adopted from the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2R (CSAI-2R) and the Self-talk Use Questionnaire (STUQ). Free throw percentages were obtained by accessing archived data from the previous season. Results: The mean free throw percentage was 66.7% (SD = 10.24) during competitions and 60.8% (SD = 30.27) during close games. Mean self-talk scores revealed "medium" use of self-talk in both settings, while mean anxiety scores shifted from a "low" anxiety level in competition to a "medium" anxiety level in close games. Correlations revealed the percentage of positive self-talk used by participants was positively correlated with free throw percentage during competition (r = .254, p = .210), and negatively correlated with anxiety during competition (r = -.304, p = .131) and close games (r = -.073, p = .722), but were not significant. The percentage of negative self-talk was negatively correlated with free throw percentage during competition (r = -.192, p = .348) and positively correlated with anxiety during competition (r = .444, p = .023) and close games (r = .182, p = .373), although only one correlation was significant. Conclusion: These findings suggest that there are benefits for collegiate basketball players using different types of self-talk during sport performance. The relationship among these variables have identified that the use of self-talk is related to an increase in free throw performance and a decrease in anxiety among the participants.

https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/concern/theses/wp988n14z

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