The growing interest and engagement in research in psychological health as it relates to sport and exercise is a testimony of its importance to the modern sport industry. The continuous new knowledge generated from data allows for informed psychological assessments which are geared toward educating athletes, coaches, sporting administrators and policymakers on enhancing performance, managing athletes, as well as having a psychological understanding of sport participation. This knowledge will complement other forms of knowledge such as drawn from sociology, economics and management of sport. Therefore, embracing the importance of psychology is a critical component for the overall development of a scientific community in the sport industry in T&T and the wider Caribbean, especially as it relates to elite athletes across all sporting disciplines.
Psychological assessment in sport is recognised by the American Psychological Association (APA) as a standardised comprehensive battery of tests which evaluate an athlete/individual’s strengths and weaknesses in the domains of:
i. Intelligence - verbal and visual reasoning abilities, attention and memory, motivation and processing speed skills which are crucial for learning and executing simple and complex tasks to enhance performance in sport. The most widely used tests are Wechsler’s Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-V) and Wechsler’s Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-1V).
ii. Academic achievement - is used to evaluate one’s literacy (oral, reading and written proficiency) to understand instructions when learning novel skills. The most widely used tests are Wechsler’s Individual Achievement Test (WIAT-111) and Wechsler’s Preschool and Primary Scale for Children (WPPSI-1V).
iii. Emotional/Behavioural - the ability to understand and become aware of factors which lead to wide-ranging emotions such as happiness, sadness, anger, as well as symptoms of anxiety and depression for instance, enjoyment of the game can lead to desirable performances, feelings of sadness can lead to poor performances, and anger can lead to irrational thoughts and decisions which can negatively impact on performances and results. Athletes who may have difficulties self-regulating their emotions may exhibit unwanted behaviour such as aggression, cheating, doping, etc. Those who are more able to self-regulate their emotions generally exhibit good sporting behaviour. As an example, English all-rounder Chris Woakes demonstrated sportsmanship when he consoled his opponent Martin Guptill after New Zealand narrowly lost to England in the recent 2019 ICC World Cup final. Two of the most widely used tests to understand one’s emotions and behaviour respectively are House-Tree Person (HTP) and the Behavioral Assessment System for Children (BASC-3).
iv. Personality tests - are used to determine stable and unstable personality traits. The most widely used test is the Big-Five Personality Inventory (BFI).
v Adaptability tests assess functional skills necessary for everyday living: communication and social skills etc. are assessed via the Adaptive Behaviour Assessment System (ABAS-3).
A highly qualified professional who holds a graduate degree, such as a sport psychologist or clinical psychologist and with experience in the field using their discretion, can administer these psychological tests to evaluate and develop individualised management plans to focus on the athlete’s strengths and improve on their weaknesses. Such psychological tests are not limited to athletes; managers and coaches can also benefit from assessment to determine effective leadership styles etc.
Early psychological assessment from the age of five (5) years is beneficial in the early detection of intellectual developmental disorder, communication and learning disorders, conduct disorders, anxiety, depression and personality disorders, which may affect the acquisition of learning new skills for physical activity by way of participation in sport and exercise. Identifying and treating these signs from an early stage is critical in enhancing performance and in addition one’s overall wellbeing.
Psychological assessment should be part of school sporting programmes, clubs and national teams to allow for athletes to best understand their mental strengths and weaknesses so as to find ways to maximise their sporting physical talent. The decision of Cricket West Indies (CWI) to include ‘mental ability’ as a criteria for selection is an acceptance that cricket talent needs to be complemented with a sound and clear mental approach so that all players will have the opportunity to maximise their output.
NB: Today’s column was collaborated with clinical psychologist Melissa Kanhai.