The Effects of Strategic Self-Talk on Concurrent Training Exercise Performance

Abstract

Self-talk is a multidimensional construct comprised of self-statements that provide instruction or motivation to complete a task. The matching hypothesis suggests that instructional cue words are beneficial for tasks involving precision and accuracy, whereas motivational cue words are effective for tasks involving endurance, strength, and power (Theodorakis et al., 2000). Exploring the effects of strategic self-talk through concurrent training (i.e., a combination of endurance and precision exercise tasks) provides a unique opportunity to test the differential predictions of the matching hypothesis. The purpose of the present study was to analyze the effects of instructional and motivational cue words during concurrent exercise training on a task that consisted of running and overhead squatting. Thirty participants were divided into three groups (i.e., control, instructional, and motivational) and examined across two exercise sessions. A 3 x 2 repeated measures ANOVA revealed a significant interaction for overhead squat mechanical scores and group. Post hoc testing revealed the instructional cue words group performance improved and the control group's performance declined, all other analyses were not significant. The results provide minimal support for the matching hypothesis, with instructional cue words benefiting the precision motor task. A unique finding was that participants in the control and strategic self-talk groups reported using organic self-talk during the training task that served either motivational or instructional functions, despite not being directed to do so. Further research is needed to examine the interaction between strategic and organic self-talk during concurrent training tasks. O ver the past several decades the effects of self-talk have been examined on motor learning, sports performance, and the psychological variables (e.g., confidence, anxiety, arousal regulation, etc.) associated with effective sports performance. The results of these investigations have shown that self-talk can effectively enhance motor learning, performance, and critical psychological characteristics associated with motor performance (see Hatzigeorgiadis et al., 2011; Hardy et al., 2018; Tod et al., 2011; Van Raalte et al., 2016). Self-talk has been defined as the overt or covert verbalizations made to oneself that are motivational or instructional, and occur either organically or strategically (Latinjak et al., 2019). Organic self-talk (i.e., talk that occurs naturally) can be further broken down into spontaneous self-talk or goal-directed self-talk. Spontaneous self-talk consists of statements that occur unintentionally that are linked to the task at hand (Latinjak et al., 2019). For example, a golfer might unintentionally say, "what a stupid mistake" after hitting the ball into a sand bunker or, "great shot" after hitting the green from the fairway. Goal-directed self-talk refers to intentional statements that are used to self-regulate, enhance performance, solve a problem, or make progress on a task (Latinjak et al., 2019). An example would be a pitcher saying, "relax, be patient" during their pitch sequence during a game, or "I am going to throw this fast, high, and inside" while facing a batter during a game. Organic self-talk can serve multiple functions during motor task performance. For example, Latinjak et al. (2018) collected questionnaire data examining organic self-talk in novice ultimate frisbee players and found that the players provided self-instruction prior to task performance, pointed out technical errors and gave self-adjustments during task performance, and purposefully used negative reinforcement self-talk to improve performance. Despite the recent growth of organic self-talk research, more is known about strategic self-talk.