Catastrophe theory A theory which postulates that high levels of cognitive and somatic
anxiety will produce a sudden and dramatic (hence “catastrophic”) deterioration in
performance.
Choking under pressure The sudden deterioration of normally expert athletic
performance as a result of anxiety.
Chunk A well-learned, cognitive unit of information in memory that may contain several
smaller components.
Chunking The process of combining individual items into larger, more meaningful units
as an aid to remembering them.
Cognitive anxiety Worry—or having negative expectations about some current or
impending task or situation.
Cognitive appraisal (see also “primary appraisal” and “secondary appraisal”) The
process of interpreting or making judgements about a given event or situation.
Cognitive evaluation theory A theory of motivation which postulates that rewards
which are perceived as controlling tend to impair intrinsic motivation whereas those
which are perceived as informative tend to strengthen it.
Cognitive processes Mental activities, such as thinking, by which people acquire, store
and use their knowledge.
Cognitive restructuring A psychological technique that helps people to change the way
in which they think so that they can learn to perceive feared situations as controllable
challenges.
Cognitive sport psychology A branch of sport psychology that is concerned with
understanding how the mind works in athletic situations.
Cohesion (see also “task cohesion” and “social cohesion”) The extent to which a group
of people is united by a common purpose and bonds together to achieve that objective.
Concentration (see also “focus”) The ability to focus effectively on the task at hand, or
on what is most important in any situation, while ignoring distractions.
Confidence (see also “self-efficacy”) A belief in one’s ability to perform a certain skill or
to achieve a specific goal regardless of prevailing circumstances.
Conscious processing hypothesis A theory which proposes that performance may
deteriorate when people try to exert conscious control over skills that had previously
been automatic.
Construct An abstract or theoretical idea in psychology representing something that
cannot be observed directly.
Construct validity The extent to which a psychological test actually measures what it
purports to measure.
Controllability The ease with which mental images can be manipulated by the person
who experiences them.
Correlational research A research method that measures the relationship or degree of
association between two or more variables.
Declarative knowledge Knowledge of facts and rules that can be consciously retrieved
and declared explicitly.
Deliberate practice A highly structured, purposeful and individualised form of practice
in which the learner tries to improve a specific skill under the guidance of a specialist
instructor.
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