Using Ethnography in Applied Sport Psychology

The acceptance of qualitative research in applied sport psychology is growing steadily, yet there are continued calls for greater methodological diversity in this research. To this end, we offer ethnography to extend and enhance our understanding of applied sport psychology. Ethnography is aimed toward understanding the culture of a particular group from the perspective of the group members. The group culture, then, will lend insight into the behaviors, values, emotions, and mental states of group members. Ethnographers employ multiple methods to gain a comprehensive understanding of the social environment and perceptions of the members of the social group. In this paper, we discuss the epistemological and methodological foundations of ethnography. Then, using research examples related to applied sport psychology, we describe processes involved ethnographic research. Finally, we explore the issues of representation and legitimacy in ethnography.     

Examining a Gender Stereotype: Menopausal Women1

Two studies evaluated whether there was a subtype of menopausal women and, if so, how it differed from the global gender stereotype. Study 1 had participants generate items associated with women going through menopause, midlife women, and midlife men. Results showed that there is a menopausal women stereotype, and it is mostly negative in content. Moreover, this stereotype differs from the perceptions of women in general. Study 2 examined the effects of the menopausal women stereotype by employing the illusory correlation paradigm (e.g., McConnell, Sherman, & Hamilton, 1994) and found that participants greatly overestimated the number of times that menopausal women and negative moods appeared together. This research highlights the importance of examining stereotype subtypes and subgroups     

Applied Sport Psychology Supervision Experience: A Qualitative Analysis

We examined the supervision experience of graduate trainees in applied sport psychology. Semistructured interviews conducted with sport psychology trainees were analyzed through the use of consensual qualitative research methodology. Three domains emerged from the analysis: programmatic factors, supervision process, and supervision content. The results provide insights (e.g., desired supervisor qualities) into the aspects of supervision that trainees feel address their needs, as well as instances in which the supervision experience could be improved. The findings may have implications (e.g., areas of potential growth for sport psychology supervision) for future research directions on supervision in applied sport psychology and could offer potential areas of consideration for current supervisors.     

Negotiating Gender and Sexuality: A Qualitative Study of Elite Women Boxer Intersecting Identities and Sport Psychology Implications

There is a lack of research on the social construction of gender and sexuality in elite women's boxing and the social psychological implications. Building on research that theorizes gender and sexuality as intersecting identities, this study explored elite women boxers' (n = 10) identities in relation to inclusion and marginalization on the Canadian National Boxing Team. Constructionist thematic analysis identified a central theme, “boxing as empowering and constraining,” encompassing multiple meanings of gendered identities related to physicality and sexualities. These were tied to inclusion and exclusion. Sport psychology recommendations are made for facilitating sport climates that encourage intersecting identity expression.     

Powerless Men and Agentic Women: Gender Bias in Hiring Decisions

Sex Roles - We examined male power-roles as a potential moderator of gender bias in hiring decisions. Drawing from previous work on perceptions of agentic women and precarious manhood theory, we...     

Social Psychology of Women and Gender1

A selective overview of work in the field from 1970 to 1985 is presented. Sex comparisons are presented as an extensive research area needing theory-based empiricism. In another major area, gender belief systems, important progress has been made in studying the effects of stereotypes on subsequent behavior. Methodological critiques and advances are discussed. Two sources of research are highlighted: women's experience and theory. Examples are given of research advances stemming from women's experience and a case study is provided of the value of personal experience to the researcher. Theories focusing on individual differences are critiqued. Theory focusing on situational factors such as power and status are highlighted. Sherif s (1982) delineation of the self-system is presented as a major integrated theory. Directions for future work are provided focusing on inclusion of women of color, lesbians, and women from all social strata to understand the varieties of women's experience. A move to knowledge that is “gendered” rather than female-centered is proposed.     

Gender Bias in Asylum Adjudications: Evidence for Leniency toward Token Women

Gender is one of the most frequently studied variables in the literature on judicial decision-making. We add to this literature by hypothesizing that the impact of applicant gender is conditional on the gender balance in a judge’s caseload. We expect that female applicants receive more favorable decisions from judges whose caseload skews strongly male. Analyzing over 40,000 rulings by the Austrian Asylum Court between 2008 and 2013, we find support for direct gender effects for applicants and judges (yet no significant interaction between the two). We also show that gender balance in the caseload is a strong moderator of applicant gender. Judges with predominantly male caseloads are strongly biased toward female applicants, whereas judges facing a gender-balanced set of applicants display hardly any gender bias at all. These findings tackle essential questions of democratic rule of law and human rights. They indicate that applicants’ fundamental rights to a fair and equal trial may have been compromised. We discuss institutional remedies to reduce the potential for gender bias in Austrian asylum adjudication.

     

Sport Psychology Consulting Effectiveness: The Sport Psychology Consultant's Perspective

The aim of this study was to examine sport psychology consultants’ (SPCs) perceptions of the influence of SPC characteristics on consultant effectiveness, while determining the conditions necessary for establishing an effective consulting relationship. Thirteen accredited SPCs participated in semi-structured interviews. Thematic content analysis identified three characteristics of SPC effectiveness: (a) build a connection with the athlete to create positive change, (b) build a professional consulting relationship with athlete, and (c) consulting relationship meets athletes’ needs. Two aspects emerged as essential for an effective consulting relationship: (a) athlete is an active participant, and (b) SPC awareness of client boundaries of confidentiality.     

Perspectives of Women College Athletes on Sport and Gender

Although sport access for females has greatly improved, certain behaviors continue to be considered more or less appropriate for females depending upon how compatible they are with biologically or socially constructed female characteristics. However, young women who have grown up playing sports and continue participation at the college level have constructed meanings about being a young woman and an athlete. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed to investigate how seven gymnasts and seven softball players competing in NCAA Division I athletics view and contend with a “female/athlete paradox.” These women recognized preferred femininity and at times constructed images based on this notion. However, they also embraced their athleticism and felt at ease choosing not to perform femininity in some contexts.     

Exploring Gender Bias Against Women: Ethics for Marriage and Family Therapy

During the past 15 years, the negative implications of the female gender role, as demonstrated by marital dissatisfaction and mental health problems, have been documented extensively in the social science, psychology, and feminist literatures. In this article, developmental and psychological assumptions about women that are fundamental to current marriage and family therapy practice are explored. The authors call attention to the absence of substantive knowledge about women's development and to the ethical risks associated with reliance on traditional gender role notions in work with female clients. Ethical guidelines for reducing bias in therapy, especially with couples and families, are offered to counselors and therapists for evaluation and refinement of professional gender role sensitivity.     

Evaluation of Women in Economics: Evidence of Gender Bias Following Behavioral Role Violations

Sex Roles - Drawing on social role theory (Eagly & Wood, 2016), this paper seeks to understand the nature and causes of gender bias in student evaluations of teaching (SETs) by looking at...     

How to Improve Athletes' Return of Investment: Shortening Questionnaires in the Applied Sport Psychology Setting

In counseling settings we need short and understandable, as well as valid and reliable, questionnaires. However, test construction focuses primarily on the latter, resulting in rather long tests and athletes' perception of low return on time investment. We address this problem by explaining how questionnaires can be shortened (i.e., using three selection criteria) and validated (e.g., by calculating interitem correlations). As an example we shortened the Thought Occurrence Questionnaire Sport from 17 to three items. We argue why this short version still satisfies quality criteria and why such short(ened) questionnaires should be more appreciated (e.g., by publishing and using them in counseling settings).     

Raising Our Game: The Necessity and Progression of Expertise-Based Training in Applied Sport Psychology

At present, training in applied sport psychology chiefly targets and accelerates professional competence. However, theory and evidence suggests that our clients would experience significant benefit if our training targeted and accelerated professional expertise rather than just competence. Specifically, we argue that expertise-based training can (a) help trainees to go on to break the “thinking ceiling” of competence; (b) foster a more independent, flexible, and creative form of practice; and (c) support a longer term and more practitioner-centered training philosophy. To deliver these benefits, we then conclude by outlining some key principles for the progression of expertise-based training in applied sport psychology.

Lay Summary: In light of the inconsistencies that still surround professional training in ASP, we discuss the merits that a more expertise-based agenda can bring to practitioners and, most important, our clients. We also discuss ways in which this agenda can be progressed to support an evidence-informed evolution of ASP training systems.     

High School Coaches’ Coaching Efficacy: Relationship with Sport Psychology Exposure and Gender Factors

Coaching efficacy (CE) is largely influenced by mastery experiences such as formal education and coaching experience. However, specific education has not previously been considered in relation to CE. Therefore, examining specific educational experiences, such as those related to sport psychology, which have previously been reported to increase self-efficacy, may prove helpful in advancing CE. Also, previously reported gender differences in CE and perceptions of sport psychology advocate for gender consideration. The purpose of this study was to explore high school coaches’ coaching experience to determine whether sport psychology exposure and gender factors relate to CE. Participants (N?=?2,018) completed the Coaching Efficacy Scale II–High School Teams. An analysis of covariance revealed that more sport psychology education and more frequent contact with sport psychology practitioners resulted in statistically higher CE (p < .05). Analysis of covariance indicated that female coaches reported significantly lower CE than males (p < .05), and coaches of only female athletes reported significantly lower motivation efficacy and physical conditioning efficacy than their peer groups (p < .05). Sport psychology consultants and coach educators should consider these differences when consulting and when developing educational materials and workshops.     

Gender Inequality in Europe and the Life Satisfaction of Working and Non-working Women

Empirical analysis of data drawn from the European Social Survey reveals that—after individual characteristics are controlled for—women engaging in market work and housework have similar life satisfaction levels. Complementing the micro-level data from the survey with country-level variables, namely GDP per capita and gender inequality (measured by the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index, GGGI), we estimate a multilevel regression model to shed light on the contextual factors of the life satisfaction of women in Europe. We find that working women’s well-being relative to housewives is greater in countries where the GGGI indicates a smaller gender gap, i.e. where women are in a better position in terms of equality with men in the public domains. We interpret this finding to mean that the so-called ‘paradox of declining female happiness’ is in part due to persistent gender roles which appear to have a larger impact on the well-being of working women.     

A Tale of Two Traditions in Applied Sport Psychology: The Heyday of Soviet Sport and Wake-Up Calls for North America

This paper is the second of two essays designed to acquaint English-speaking readers with the work of Avksenty Tcezarevich Puni (1898–1986), one of the fathers of Russian sport psychology. In our previous essay “The Russian origins of sport psychology: a translation of an early work of A. Tc. Puni” (Ryba, Stambulova, & Wrisberg, 2005 Ryba, T. V., Stambulova, N. B. and Wrisberg, C. A. 2005. The Russian origins of sport psychology: A translation of an early work of A. Tc. Puni. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 17: 157–169. [CSA][Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), we discussed Puni's innovative ideas of psychological preparation of athletes based on his classic paper “Psychological preparation of athletes for a competition” that was published in 1963. In that essay, we grounded Puni's pioneering work within the specific socio-political and historical context of his era by providing a brief overview of his life (including extensive explanatory footnotes) in pre- and post-Socialist Revolution Russia. In this paper, we attempt to further historicize the work of Puni on the psychological preparation of athletes by discussing his ground-breaking model of Psychological Preparation for a Competition (PPC) and contrasting that work with the activity of sport psychology consultants taking place in North America during the same time period (i.e., 1960s and 1970s). In a concluding section, we will discuss some of the lessons sport psychology consultants have learned in the decades since Puni developed his model and suggest some ways future models might expand on Puni's view of the provision of psychological assistance for athletes.     

Gender Bias in the Personality Disorders Criteria: An Investigation of Five Bias Indicators

This study examined possible gender bias in personality disorder criteria by considering a number of potential empirical indicators of bias: prevalence differences in a nonclinical sample; the implications of gender differences as perceived by nonprofessionals; the internal consistency of criteria as a function of gender; and the gender-normativeness of criteria. One hundred one participants familiar with the DSM-IV completed questionnaires assessing the presence of each criterion, and the perceived implications of the criteria for men and women. Results showed that the global mean self-rating for the criteria did not differ as a function of gender although there were some differences for individual criteria. Criteria that were more prevalent in one gender appeared to be viewed as a greater problem for that gender. The criteria also appeared to be measuring abnormal rather than gender-normative behaviors. Twelve criteria demonstrated differential convergence with other indicators of disorder as a function of gender, with most converging better for men than for women.     

Gender Bias Produces Gender Gaps in STEM Engagement

We explored whether the existence of gender bias causes gender gaps in STEM engagement. In Experiment 1 (n?=?322), U.S. women projected less sense of belonging, positivity toward, and aspirations to participate in STEM than did men when exposed to the reality of STEM gender bias. These gender differences disappeared when participants were told that STEM exhibits gender equality, suggesting that gender bias produces STEM gender gaps. Experiment 2 (n?=?429) explored whether results generalized to a specific STEM department, and whether organizational efforts to mitigate gender bias might shrink gender gaps. U.S. women exposed to a biased chemistry department anticipated more discrimination and projected less sense of belonging, positive attitudes and trust and comfort than did men. These gender differences vanished when participants read about an unbiased department, again suggesting that gender bias promotes STEM gender gaps. Further, moderated mediation analyses suggested that in the presence of gender bias (but not gender equality), women projected less positive attitudes and trust and comfort than did men because they experienced less sense of belonging and anticipated more discrimination. Results were largely unaffected by whether departments completed a diversity training, suggesting that knowledge of diversity initiatives alone cannot close STEM gender gaps.