PSY FPX 8841 Assessment 2 Analyzing TAIS Results

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Capella University

PSY FPX 8841 Performance Enhancement in Sports

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Date

Analyzing Athlete Selection Through TAIS Results

Professional sports teams allocate substantial resources to scout and select athletes who align with their team dynamics. Various assessment tools are employed to evaluate athletes’ mental, physical, and emotional characteristics, providing comparative data for further analysis. This paper explores the findings of a TAIS Inventory report concerning an athlete being considered for drafting by team leadership. It focuses on specific subcategories of the report, such as awareness, distractibility, and self-recognition, comparing test levels against world champion standards and offering insights into the results.

The TAIS Inventory

The Attentional and Interpersonal Style (TAIS) Inventory is a detailed self-report questionnaire consisting of 144 items, designed to measure 20 concentration skills and personal attributes (Nideffer, 1990). This assessment tool enables researchers and sports analysts to gain insights into athletes’ psychological profiles, providing indications of their potential for elite or champion-level performance. Although some critics question its theoretical basis, research indicates a strong correlation between cognitive processes, emotional arousal, and competitive performance (Nideffer, 1990).

The TAIS evaluates distractibility and awareness, which are critical factors influencing professional and elite athletes (Vealy et al., 2017). It measures both internal and external distractibility, assessing susceptibility to internal emotional distractions and external interruptions. Additionally, awareness gauges an individual’s ability to perceive non-verbal emotional cues and their attention to detail within their sporting environment. Other components include expression, introversion/extroversion, and analytical attention, which help identify well-rounded candidates for sports teams.

Analyzing Athlete’s Results

Andrew Athlete’s TAIS Inventory scores are presented as percentiles in comparison to a standard group norm and world champion athletes. Notably, his self-confidence score is low at 23%, while his self-critical score is exceptionally high at 98%. Such extremes are detrimental to an athlete’s performance, falling significantly below the average norm and the World Champion Range (WCR). Andrew’s high levels of internal and external distractibility, both exceeding the WCR by over 30%, raise concerns for potential teams. These distractibility issues correlate with his confidence and self-criticism challenges, indicating substantial obstacles to athletic success.

Moreover, Andrew’s physical competitiveness score of 39% is below the average norm and the WCR’s competitive range of 61%. Combined with his high expression of criticism and anger (94%), observers may expect aggressive reactions to feedback. However, his balanced introversion (44%) and extroversion (54%) suggest potential for learning and skill development without coming across as overbearing.

Conclusion

While Andrew Athlete demonstrates competitive skills and a likable personality, his TAIS Inventory results indicate he may not be prepared for professional athletics. Deficiencies in critical-thinking skills, which do not align with his intellectual capacity, and coping mechanisms raise concerns about his readiness for elite competition.

References

Jago, A., & Pain, M. (1998). Creating interventions for athletes based on TAIS and PDS scores. Journal of Sports Psychology, 25(3), 30-39.

Nideffer, R.M. (1990). Use of the test of attentional and interpersonal style (TAIS) in sport. The Sport Psychologist, 4(3), 285-300.

Nideffer, R. (2007). The attention and interpersonal style (TAIS) inventory. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Multi-Health Systems, Inc.

Vallerand, R. (2003). Attention and decision making: A test of the predictive validity of the test of attention and interpersonal style (TAIS) in a sports setting. Journal of Sports and Exercise Psychology, 5(4), 449-459.