Experimental studies on the influence of functional and dysfunctional cognitions on performance.

• Applicant: Dr. Alena Michel-Kröhler
• Subject Area: Personality Psychology, Clinical and Medical Psychology, Methodology
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 454608048

Rumination (also repetitive thinking) can be triggered by the perception of a discrepancy between individual goals and the current situation. Therefore, rumination can occur in the in the everyday goal achieving process. It is assumed that this has a general influence on performance, which can affect well-being, mood, perceived stress and behavior. However, previous studies show very heterogeneous results across contexts, so that the relation between rumination and performance is not yet finally clarified. Therefore, the aim is to apply the concept of rumination in a non-clinical population and to test its influence on objective performance. Due to the easy recording of actual performance and the explicit formulation of goals, competitive sport offers an optimal model sample for this purpose. First, a laboratory experiment will investigate to what extent the context of an unsolved problem plays a role in the individual goal achievement process. For this reason, differences between four groups with different foci –sports-specific, general, neutral and no focus– are tested to identify the most effective form of induction. In the second study, the implementation in sports practice will be carried out. It is expected that spontaneous rumination, triggered by the perception of unsolved problems in the individual goal achievement process, will have a negative influence on performance. In a further field experiment, we will examine whether self-distancing (the ability to reflect adaptively on negative events) is a potential strategy for dealing functionally with persistent unsolved problems. For this purpose, athletes are assigned to either a self-distant or a control group after identifying a persistent problem and the influence on performance is measured. It is assumed that self-distancing promotes a constructive approach to the perceived discrepancy in the individual goal attainment process and minimizes its potentially negative impact on performance. In summary, the research project investigated causal relationships between rumination and performance as well as self-distancing and performance through experimental settings. The success of the described experiments could (1.) contribute to the expansion of clinical psychological knowledge, (2.) be transferred to the application and testing in other performance areas of the general population in the future and (3.) offer potential starting points for interventions in applied sports psychology.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigators: Professor Dr. Stefan Berti; Professorin Dr. Michèle Wessa