A2 Psychology at Spalding Grammar School
Resources for OCR Forensic Psychology and Psychology of Sport & Exercise
SPORT & PERSONALITY
In 1999, Muhammad Ali was crowned Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC. And what a personality! As Cassius Clay, and an amateur boxer, he won 100 heavyweight bouts (including gold at the 1960 Olympics) and only lost 5. Unusually tall for a boxer (6'3") he relied on foot speed to dodge blows rather than guarding his face. Going professional, he made a reputation with his grandiose pre-match boasts, gaining the nickname "the Louisville Lip". After winning the world championship, he converted to Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali. He started to speak out for black rights, but when he refused to fight in the Vietnam War on grounds of conscience, he was arrested and stripped of his title. After appeal, he was allowed to box again and won back his championship title then defended it ten more times. Losing to Leon Spinks in 1978 and considered over the hill, he came back 7 months later to win it back again. Retired, he now suffers from Parkinson's but still travels the world campaigning for education and working to relieve poverty and hunger. Click the picture to watch a YouTube video on Ali's life, in his own words.
Your first Independent Study is on Personality and is divided into three areas:
- Theories about personality
- Ways of measuring personality
- The link between personality and sporting performance
THEORIES ABOUT PERSONALITY
In Dollhouse, the new SF series by Buffy-creator Joss Whedon, agents have their personalities wiped and replaced by new ones for each mission. The series focuses on one agent, Echo, whose personality is strong enough to resist the tampering. But what is personality and can it be changed? Click the image to visit the Personality Theories page. (a) Describe two different approaches to the study of personality in sport. [10 marks] (b) Evaluate the scientific basis for research into personality in sport [15 marks] This PowerPoint slideshow is for your class presentation on Theories About Personality |
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WAYS OF MEASURING PERSONALITY
The 1982 film Bladerunner deals with dangerous androids who are identical to humans. Only the Voight-Kampff Test can distingish a real personality from a fake replicant. But how can personality be measured in real life? Click the image to visit the Measuring Personality page. (a) Describe one way psychometric testing can be used in sport to measure personality [10 marks] (b) Discuss the validity of psychometric testing in sport [15 marks] This PowerPoint slideshow is for your class presentation on Ways Of Measuring Personality |
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THE LINK BETWEEN PERSONALITY AND SPORTING PERFORMANCE
The 1976 (and triple Oscar-winning) film Rocky pits Sylvester Stallone's good-hearted club fighter against the world heavyweight champion, Apollo Creed. Rocky is determined to "go the distance" (last 15 rounds without getting KO'ed) but can plucky idealism stand a chance against superior training and skill? Click the image to visit the Personality & Performance page. (a) Describe one study that looks at how personality afects sporting behaviour. [10 marks] (b) Assess the usefulness of research into personality in sport [15 marks] |
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Links
Visit the Spalding Grammar School website
Search the OCR Psychology A-Level Pages
Go look at the AS Psychology sister-site
