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CSCS Psychology: key points

Psychology has fewer questions, but most simply ask you to match a theory to its meaning. It is an easy topic to secure with a little memorization.

Points that often appear

The inverted-U hypothesis

Performance drops when arousal is too low or too high and peaks at a moderate level. Drive theory, by contrast, says performance rises with arousal.

Optimal arousal depends on the skill

Skills requiring fine control and decision-making, like a golf putt, have a lower optimal arousal level. Gross, forceful skills like a deadlift or a tackle have a higher one.

Reinforcement and punishment

Adding something pleasant to increase a behavior is positive reinforcement; removing something unpleasant to increase it is negative reinforcement. Punishment decreases behavior: adding something is positive punishment, removing something is negative punishment.

Types of goals

Process goals (executing skills or behaviors) are within the athlete's control, while outcome goals (winning, placing) depend on opponents and conditions.

Quick reference

	Increase (reinforcement)	Decrease (punishment)
Add (positive)	Positive reinforcement	Positive punishment
Remove (negative)	Negative reinforcement	Negative punishment

Watch for this trap

Confusing negative reinforcement with punishment is the most common mistake here. Think in two axes: positive/negative = add/remove, reinforcement/punishment = increase/decrease.