PSY-FPX6820 moves from the foundational science of PSY-FPX6810 into the applied design of performance enhancement programs. Assessments require you to design, justify, and evaluate evidence-based mental skills interventions for athletes and teams — going well beyond describing techniques to demonstrating how to individualize, sequence, and evaluate them. This guide explains what the course actually demands and where assessment support for PSY-FPX6820 helps most.
Course Overview
The course is organized around the core mental skills that performance enhancement practitioners target: goal setting (process, performance, outcome goals), imagery (internal vs. external perspectives, PETTLEP model), self-talk (instructional vs. motivational, cognitive restructuring), arousal regulation (breathing techniques, progressive muscle relaxation, activation strategies), attentional control, and self-confidence enhancement. Each skill is examined for its empirical foundation and then applied to program design.
A recurring theme is individualization — evidence consistently shows that mental skills programs must be tailored to the athlete's sport, position, current skill level, and psychological profile rather than applied generically. Assessments test whether students can apply this principle in practice.
Common Assessment Focus Areas
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1Mental Skills Training Needs Analysis
A structured psychological needs assessment for a specific athlete or team, using validated instruments (OMSAT-3, PSIS-R, CSAI-2R) to identify priority mental skills gaps. Must connect assessment findings to evidence-based intervention priorities — not just list scores.
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2Goal Setting and Self-Talk Intervention Design
Design of a goal-setting program and self-talk intervention for a specified athlete, integrating SMART goal frameworks, the distinctions between process/performance/outcome goals, and instructional vs. motivational self-talk types with a rationale grounded in current research.
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3Imagery and Arousal Regulation Program
A combined imagery training and arousal regulation protocol — using the PETTLEP model for imagery design and selecting arousal management techniques (diaphragmatic breathing, PMR, activation routines) appropriate to the athlete's performance demands and IZOF profile.
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4Integrated Performance Enhancement Program
A comprehensive, periodized mental skills training program integrating all core skills for a specific athlete or team across a competitive season. Must include implementation timeline, progress monitoring, and an evaluation plan using validated outcome measures.
How We Help With PSY-FPX6820
- Designing mental skills needs analyses using validated instruments rather than informal observation
- Applying SMART goal frameworks and correctly distinguishing process, performance, and outcome goals
- Building PETTLEP-based imagery protocols matched to the athlete's sport and specific performance demands
- Selecting arousal regulation techniques based on the athlete's IZOF profile — not a generic "relaxation is better" assumption
- Constructing integrated, periodized programs with evaluation plans tied to validated psychological outcome measures
Common Challenges in This Course
The most common weakness in PSY-FPX6820 is designing a generic mental skills program rather than one individualized to the athlete's specific sport, position, and psychological profile — which rubrics consistently penalize. Goal setting assignments frequently lose points for conflating process and outcome goals rather than designing a hierarchy where process goals drive performance goals, which drive outcome goals. Imagery protocols often omit the kinesthetic and emotional components of the PETTLEP model, which reduces their validity. The integrated program assessment loses points when the evaluation plan lacks validated measurement tools.
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PSY-FPX6820 FAQ
PETTLEP (Physical, Environment, Task, Timing, Learning, Emotion, Perspective) is a functional equivalence model for sport imagery that goes beyond simple visualization. It guides imagery protocol design to maximize neural overlap with actual performance. Most assessments in this course that involve imagery design will require PETTLEP application.
Most assessments allow composite athletes or case scenarios. You need enough specificity (sport, position, performance level, psychological profile) to justify individualized interventions — a vague "basketball player" isn't enough detail for a full program design.
Common acceptable instruments include the Ottawa Mental Skills Assessment Tool (OMSAT-3), the Psychological Skills Inventory for Sport (PSIS-R), and the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 Revised (CSAI-2R). Check your rubric for any requirements or restrictions.
Periodization in mental skills training means phasing skill development across the competitive season — foundation skills (goal setting, self-awareness) in pre-season, integration of imagery and self-talk in mid-season, automatization and competitive application during peak competition. The integrated program assessment typically requires this periodized structure.