Assessing Mental Skill and Technique Use in Applied Interventions: Recognizing and Minimizing Threats to the Psychometric Properties of the TOPS

Charlotte Woodcock, Joan L. Duda, Jennifer Cumming, Lee-Ann Sharp, Mark J.G. Holland

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    5 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Drawing from the experiences of the authors in developing, conducting, and evaluating sport psychology interventions, several considerations are highlighted and recommendations offered for effective psychometric assessment. Using the Test of Performance Strategies (TOPS; Thomas, Murphy, & Hardy, 1999) as a working example, opportunities for bias to undermine a measure’s validity and reliability are discussed with reference to a respondent’s four cognitive processes: (a) comprehension, (b) retrieval, (c) decision-making, and (d) response generation. Further threats to an instrument’s psychometric properties are highlighted in the form of demand characteristics athletes perceive in the environment. With these concerns in mind, several recommendations are made relating to the process of questionnaire administration and how possible compromises to the psychometric soundness of measures used in applied interventions can be minimized.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)1-15
    JournalThe Sport Psychologist
    Volume26
    Publication statusPublished (in print/issue) - 2012

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