Sport And Exercise Psychology: A Critical Introduction

Summary

We have long been fascinated by the exploits of expert performers in any field—those
who display exceptional talent, knowledge and/or outstanding skills in a particular
domain such as sport. Until relatively recently, however, little was known about the
psychological differences between expert and novice athletes. Therefore, the purpose of
this chapter was to investigate the nature and significance of research on athletic
expertise in sport psychology.

• We began by explaining the meaning of the term “expertise” and indicating some
  reasons for its current popularity as a research topic.


• The second part of the chapter explored the general question of whether athletic success
  is determined more by hardware (i.e., physical) or by software (i.e., psychological)
  characteristics of sport performers. As we learned, available evidence largely supports
  the latter approach.


• In the third part of the chapter, we reviewed a variety of research methods and findings
  on expert-novice differences in sport.


• The next section examined the question of how athletic expertise develops over time. A
  special feature of this section was an explanation and critique of Ericsson’s theory that
  expertise is largely due to the amount of deliberate practice accumulated by the
  performer.


• In the fifth part of the chapter, we evaluated the significance of, as well as some
  problems and new directions in, research on expertise in athletes.


• Finally, some ideas were provided for research projects in this field.

What lies beneath the surface? Investigating expertise in sport 181