Key Studies in Sport and Exercise Psychology

Key Studies in Sport and Exercise Psychology provides readers with a volume that examines in depth some of the most important and influential studies in sport and exercise psychology. Extensive examination of such studies has been historically difficult to achieve in general textbooks in the field. Also, students often wish to learn more about a particular article than textbooks offer or teachers provide in classroom settings. Invariably, interested readers are required to search for the original publication from other sources, which can be time-consuming. By bringing together a selection of important readings in sport and exercise psychology, this book fills a major gap in the academic literature. Each of the book’s 23 chapters includes a framework makes the most efficient use of the material originally published. A Background and Context section is initially provided in order to put the study into a theoretical, practical, and historical context. This is followed be an abridged version of the Key Study, itself. A Subsequent Research and Application section concludes each chapter and focuses on research developed since the original study was published, as well as relevant theoretical, methodological, and applied issues. A list of additional readings is provided in each chapter, along with study questions to stimulate readers to think critically about any theoretical, methodological, statistical, and ethical features of the studies.

David Lavallee is Professor and Head of Department of Sport and Exercise Science at Aberystwyth University, UK. His educational qualifications include a Master's degree in Psychology from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in Sport and Exercise Psychology from the University of Western Australia. He has published seven books, and is Editor of Sport & Exercise Psychology Review, Associate Editor of The Psychologist and International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, and Editorial Board Member of the Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology and Psychology of Sport and Exercise.

Jean Williams is a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Arizona. She teaches courses in stress and coping and psychology of excellence. She has been an active sport psychology researcher and consultant for over 30 years and has authored over 100 scholarly publications and edited three books. She is past president of the Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology.

Marc Jones is a Reader in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Staffordshire University where he is course tutor for the first on-line distance learning MSc in Sport and Exercise Psychology. He is an active researcher and has over 25 scholarly publications and edited two books. In addition Marc also works as a consultant and is accredited by the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences and a Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist with the British Psychological Society.