Journal of Sports Sciences

ISSN: 0264-0414 (Print) 1466-447X (Online) Journal homepage: www.tandfonline.com/journals/rjsp20

BASES Conference 2019 – Programme and

Abstracts

To cite this article: (2019) BASES Conference 2019 – Programme and Abstracts, Journal of
Sports Sciences, 37:sup1, 1-93, DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2019.1671688

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2019.1671688

Published online: 08 Nov 2019.

Submit your article to this journal

Article views: 1812

View related articles

View Crossmark data

Citing articles: 1 View citing articles

Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at

https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=rjsp20
 gold supporter gold supporter gold supporter gold supporter

RJSP_COVER_37-P1(C1).indd 1 11/7/2019 1:25:39 AM

46 ABSTRACT
psychological (higher self-efficacy) indices of how athletes
respond positively to pressure. Moreover, the developing
field of irrational beliefs (IBs) and rational beliefs (RBs) is also
considered a mitigating factor towards the ability to cope and
thus, posits that IBs and RBs could therefore mediate athletic
performance. Subsequently, this study aimed to identify the
influence of rational and irrational beliefs on physiological
and psychological indices of challenge and threat appraisal
states within varsity netballers. This ethically approved study
utilised a repeated measures double-blind cross-over design
in which twelve active varsity netballers (mean ± SD: Age,
19.9 ± 1.6 years; Height, 169.8 ± 7.1 cm; Mass, 66.9 ± 6.5 kg)
were exposed to three randomised self-selected conditions
(control – no script, rational script, irrational script). Prior to
and during script readings, participants were fitted to a
Finopress for the collection of cardiovascular markers relevant
to TCTSA theory and completed personalised psychometrics
booklets before conducting a netball free-throw task. One-
sampled t-tests observed task engagement, a key prerequisite
to appraisal formation, to be significantly higher than median
values across all conditions (P < 0.01), confirming participant
engagement. After a Friedman’s test, a Wilcoxon signed ranks
test identified RBs to augment greater self-efficacy than IBs
(Z = 2.111, P = 0.035) as well as greater perception of “chal-
lenge” (Z = 2.608, P = 0.007) compared to “threat” within the
IB condition. Physiologically, by summing z scores a “chal-
lenge and threat index” demonstrated both IBs and RBs
stimulated a threat response contrary to theory. Finally, RB
performance was minorly but not significantly greater than IB
performance (Z = 1.355, P = 0.176, η2 = 0.28). Notedly, IB
performance was also inferior compared to control perfor-
mance (Z = 1.443, P = 0.152, η2 = 0.29). These data exhibit
the combined psycho-physiological response to beliefs
wherein findings purport that RBs promote one’s self-efficacy
and perceived challenge compared to IBs. However, covert
physiological measures of appraisal conflict psychometric
data and previous research theory. Lastly, although insignif-
icant, performance after RBs was superior to both control and
IBs, therefore sporting environments and coaches that convey
more rational language may enhance athlete’s self-efficacy
and potentially facilitate superior performance.
D2.S3.4(4). Effect of eye dominance on coincidence
anticipation in professional rugby players and non-
athletes
ZOE WIMSHURST1* & GREG NEIL2
1
AECC University College, 2Solent University
*Corresponding author: zwimshurst@aecc.ac.uk
@zoewimshurst
Previous research has discussed the interaction of eye dom-
inance and sports performance with particular reference
made to aiming sports (Laborde, Dosseville, Leconte, &
Margas, 2009, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 108, 558–564).
However, in sports which do not require aligning to a
target it is unclear how eye dominance may have an effect.
In this study, the aim was to assess the impact of eye
dominance on coincidence anticipation time on both pro-
fessional rugby players and non-athletes. After institutional
ethics approval, 59 male participants (31 rugby players, 28
non-athletes) were tested for eye dominance and then
undertook a coincidence anticipation test using the Bassin
Anticipation Timer. Participants were required to depress a
button to indicate when they thought a moving stimulus
would reach a marked target. The stimuli moved at a con-
stant speed of 7mph across all trials. After familiarisation
participants each had 5 trials leading with their dominant
eye and 5 trials leading with their non-dominant eye (coun-
terbalanced). Scores were recorded (in m/s) to show how
far away from the correct timing participants were. Scores
were combined for each of the 5 trials with each eye.
Results of ANOVA analysis showed that participants were
better at coincidence anticipation when leading with their
dominant eye (M = 0.9, SE = 0.01) when compared to their
non-dominant eye (M = 0.2, SE = 0.4), F(1, 54) = 10.08,
p = 0.002. Rugby players (M = 0.24, SE = 0.03) were also
found to have better coincidence anticipation than non-
rugby players (M = 0.24, SE = 0.03), F(1,54) = 20.30, p < .001.
This is one of the first studies to demonstrate the impor-
tance of eye dominance in sport for a non-aiming task. The
better performance of rugby players to novices could sug-
gest an adaptation of the perceptual system to the con-
straints encountered during performance. The application
of the findings to sport suggest that positioning the head
so that the dominant eye always has a clear view of the
action will improve coincidence anticipation timing which
may be important for skills such as tackling and catching in
rugby.
D2.S3.4(5). Performance strategies’ moderation of
the interaction between adaptive and maladaptive
narcissism on athlete training
SHUGE ZHANG1*, ROSS ROBERTS1, AMANDA
PITKETHLY2 & CEDRIC ENGLISH2
1
Bangor University, 2Edinburgh Napier University
*Corresponding author: pep61f@bangor.ac.uk
Literature suggests that grandiose narcissism may be debil-
itative to athlete training because the opportunity for self-
enhancement that motivates grandiose narcissists to strive
for their best is not normally present in training environ-
ments (Roberts, Woodman, & Sedikides, 2018, International
Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 11, 190–213).
However, this view is rather simplistic as it ignores the
potentially differential effects of the so-called adaptive
and maladaptive components of grandiose narcissism.
Also, it is unclear that whether performance strategies of
imagery and goal-setting that provide athletes with inspir-
ing visions may protect against the potential adverse
effects of narcissism on training. With institutional approval,
we explored interactions between adaptive and maladap-
tive components of narcissism and performance strategies
(specifically goal-setting and imagery), on athlete quality of
training. A sample of 175 athletes (M age = 21.83,
SD = 5.16; 129 males) from different levels (seven university
teams, two premier league teams, three national-level
teams) and sports (two individual sports, five team sports)
in the UK completed measures of narcissism and perfor-
mance strategy use. Coaches of the athletes completed a
measure of athlete training behaviour (assessing

distractibility, quality of preparation, and coping with
adversity). We demonstrated consistent three-way interac-
tions between narcissism components and each perfor-
mance strategy on training behaviours. Specifically, when
athlete goal-setting was low (i.e., one SD below sample
means), adaptive narcissism contributed to increased dis-
tractibility (β = .23, p = .001, 95% CI = [.11, .35]) and poorer
quality of preparation (β = −.11, p = .036, 95% CI = [−.21,
−.01]) only when maladaptive narcissism was low but not
high. However, when athlete use of goal-setting was high,
adaptive narcissism was not associated with impaired train-
ing regardless of the level of maladaptive narcissism.
Results also demonstrated identical interaction effects
JOURNAL OF SPORTS SCIENCES 47
when considering imagery; that adaptive narcissism was
related to increased distractibility (β = .22, p = .001, 95%
CI = [.09, .34]) and poorer quality of preparation (β = −.09,
p = .089, 95% CI = [−.19, .01]) only when imagery use and
maladaptive narcissism were at low levels. The findings
suggest that maladaptive narcissism and performance stra-
tegies of goal-setting and imagery protect against the
potential adverse effects of adaptive narcissism on athlete
training. At a broader level the work underscores 1) the
importance of considering grandiose narcissism beyond a
simple uni-dimensional construct and 2) the exclusive ben-
efits for athletes high in adaptive narcissism of using goal-
setting and imagery skills to enhance training.