Athletes’ Self-Reports on Mind Wandering While Practicing Sports: An Exploratory Two-Study Project

in Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology

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Alexander T. LatinjakUniversity of Suffolk

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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1123/jcsp.2017-0023
Keywords:
attention; cognition; daydreaming; self-talk; thoughts
In Print:
Volume 12: Issue 3
Page Range:
432–447
Restricted access

This two-study project provided a brief description of athletes’ experiences with mind wandering. Study 1 aimed to quantitatively examine mind wandering in sports, in terms of frequency, effects and perceived control. Therefore, 94 athletes (Mage = 19.51, SD = 1.65) answered a specifically designed 19-item questionnaire. The results suggested that mind wandering is a common phenomenon in sports, with both beneficial and adverse effects on performance. Study 2 aimed to qualitatively explore when athletes use mind wandering. Accordingly, 115 athletes (Mage = 22.82, SD = 3.61) described one recent mind wandering situation while practicing sport. A hierarchical content analysis was performed by the first author and confirmed by an external expert. The results indicated that mind wandering occurred in a wide range of situations in sport and physical activity. Nonetheless, it was also argued that future studies should more carefully define mind wandering to avoid confusion with related terms.

Latinjak is with the School for Science, Technology and Engineering, University of Suffolk, Ipswich, United Kingdom.

Address author correspondence to Alexander T. Latinjak at a.latinjak@uos.ac.uk.
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Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology

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