| dc.description.abstract | The research assessed: a) negative and positive mood states; b) coping styles in every day life; c) differences in playing at home and away contests, and d) attribution style of female collegiate softball athletes. Subjects were recruited from four Midwest Universities with Division 1 level softball programs. There were 72 total participants ranging from freshman to senior school level status. The subjects completed four surveys, a mood assessment, coping assessment, attributional assessment and home, away, win and loss information. Data analysis included descriptive indices, multi-factor ANOVA, and t-test reliability analysis. The findings of this study add to the existing knowledge that there is such thing as home advantage, that positive and negative moods do affect performance, and that all individuals attribute and cope with their successes and failures differently. Therefore, within the limitations of this study, it can be concluded that this information could be valuable in assessing athletes. Researchers as well as coaches may be able to use the information gathered in this study to learn what players attribute to their successes and failures. It can be used to learn about coping with success and failure and adversity. Positive and Negative moods can affect performance and the research suggests it is an important part of how the athletes approach competition. The study may also help to inform coaches concerning the importance of learning to understand their players at a different level beyond athleticism. It suggests that venue locations make for different mind set of play, and how wins and losses can be directly affected. This study could be very useful for future studies specifically concerning positive negative affect, attribution style, coping strategies and home advantage studies. | |
