KIN 354 Psychological Aspects of Physical Activity University of Waterloo Room: DC 1350

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1 KIN 354 Psychological Aspects of Physical Activity University of Waterloo Room: DC 1350 Tues/Thurs 8:30-9:50am COURSE OBJECTIVES/DESCRIPTION What are the personality traits that predict who will excel at individual and team sports? What facets of brain function are enhanced by exercise? Are competitive athletes with histories of head injuries more prone to substance abuse and suicide later in life? Can we motivate people to be more fit, or do can they only motivate themselves? What role does exercise play in eating disorders? These are some of the questions that you should be able to answer by the end of this course. In general, this class is designed to provide you with a broad survey of the psychological aspects of physical activity. However, we will also delve into specific content areas that include personality psychology, cognitive psychology, social psychology and cognitive neuroscience, as they pertain to topics in sport and exercise psychology. In terms of course content, there will be some overlap between the material presented in the text and that presented in the lectures. However, there will also be a considerable amount of unique material that will be presented only in the lectures, and some that will be presented in the form of supplementary readings. Lecture attendance is required technically, but attendance is really up to you (i.e., there is no attendance taken, and no specific penalty for non-attendance). However, most will find that consistent attendance is necessary to achieve a higher grade in the course. In all cases, students must minimally attend the classes wherein the mini-tests are presented (see below). All students are expected to check for course updates and communications on UW-ACE on a bi-weekly basis (i.e., on Mondays and Wednesdays). COURSE INFORMATION Instructor: Peter A. Hall, Ph.D. Office Hours: TUES or TH, by appointment (BMH 3028) Contact Information: Phone: ext [email protected] Lecture times: Tuesday/Thursday 8:30-9:50am Teaching Assistants: Last name A to G: Kayla Regan ([email protected] ) Last name H to P: Binh Ngo ([email protected]) Last name Q to Z: Khanh Tran ([email protected]) HOW TO REACH YOUR INSTRUCTOR OR TA: The preferred method for contacting your instructor is via . When contacting your instructor always use your UW , otherwise your may not get a response. Teaching assistants are also available by or by appointment.

2 REQUIRED TEXTBOOK: Moran, A. (2012). Sport and Exercise Psychology: A critical introduction (2 nd edition). Routledge: New York, NY. Gladwell, M. (2011). Blink. Little and Brown: New York, NY. CLASS FORMAT AND EVALUATION The course is primarily lecture-based. Evaluation will consist mini-tests! Evaluation: Value Mini-tests!!! 100% The above course requirements and weights are final and will not be adjusted. Requests for special consideration should be directed to the course instructor, not the teaching assistants. Exceptions may be made in extenuating circumstances provided the student presents legitimate and documented reasons for failing to complete stated course requirements. Final marks are final and will not be adjusted in order to boost students into the next letter grade. Lecture notes these will be posted on UWLearn, but do not expect them until 10pm the night of the class. Lecture notes do not replace note taking in class. MINI-TESTS! Who wouldn t like something with the word mini in front of it? Well, it s possible that the situation is different for tests than say, mini-cakes or mini-muffins. However, I do feel that bite size tests are probably more digestible than the supersized mid-term/final format. So, every two weeks, you will be given a mini-test on your Thursday lecture, in the first 10 minutes of class (please make sure you are on time on Thursdays in particular, in order to avoid losing writing time). These tests will consist of THREE questions. The format of the three questions will vary, and could include any combination of short answer, fill in the blank, and multiple choice. Mini doesn t mean easy! You will be required to think, process and remember information covered since your previous mini-test. These are non-cumulative. Rule #1 for mini-tests: There are no makeups or re-writes for mini tests. You can miss two mini tests for reasons of illness. As long as you only miss two, no documentation is required. Just show up for the next one like nothing happened. Rule #2 for mini-tests: Your grade at the end of the term will be your best 10 of the 12 mini tests. For this reason, even if you are never sick you have the option of simply skipping a mini test and your grade will be recorded as 0 for that test; it won t be included in your total, assuming that the rest of your grades are above 0 (hopefully they will be! That would be sad if not!). Rule #3 for mini-tests: Don t underestimate the mini-test. The mini test is indeed mini, but they will not always be easy, and the answers will not be obvious. The material can be drawn from anywhere chapter content, class discussions, lecture slides, multimedia, or even the back of your cereal box. (okay, maybe not that last one, but the first four).

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4 LECTURE SCHEDULE (note: dates and topics may change) (week of ) Sep 10 Introduction (Ch 1) Sep 17 Personality and sport Sep 24 Social psychological aspects (Ch 7) Oct 1 Mental health: Depression (readings) Oct 8 Mental health: Anxiety/Arousal (Ch 3) Oct 15 Mental health: Eating disorders (readings) Oct 22 Sport psychology: Color (readings) Oct 29 Sport psychology: Motivation/Concentration (Ch 2; Ch 4) Nov 5 Sport psychology: Imagery (Ch 5) Nov 12 Sport psychology: Expertise (Ch 6) Nov 19 Exercise neuroscience: brain injury (readings) Nov 26 Exercise neuroscience: cognitive enhancement (readings) Dec 3 Special topic TBA * readings will be posted on UWLearn. A NOTE ON AVOIDANCE OF ACADEMIC OFFENSES Students are expected to know what constitutes academic integrity, to avoid committing academic offenses, and to take responsibility for their actions. Students who are unsure whether an action constitutes an offense, or who need help in learning how to avoid offenses (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about rules for group work / collaboration should seek guidance from the course professor, TA, academic advisor, or the Undergraduate Associate Dean. For information on categories of offenses and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy #71, Student Academic Discipline, Students who believe that they have been wrongfully or unjustly penalized have the right to grieve; refer to Policy #70, Student Grievance, The Associate Dean for the Faculty of Arts has a web site that provides students with valuable information about avoiding plagiarism. NOTE FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES The Office for Persons with Disabilities (OPD; located in Needles Hall, Room 1132, collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with the OPD at the beginning of each academic term.

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