THE EFFECTS OF INSTRUCTIONAL AND MOTIVATIONAL SELF-TALK ON SELF-EFFICACY AND PERFORMANCE IN GOLF PLAYERS

Abstract: The objectives of this study were: (1) to examine the effects of instructional and motivational self-talk on self-efficacy in elite golf players; and (2) to examine the effects of instructional and motivational self-talk on performance in elite golf players. Participants involved were 9 elite golf players with a mean age of 20.4 years (SD = ± 1.1). A repeated measure design was implemented, and the putting experiment was completed in three sessions. Multiple one-way repeated measure analyses of variance revealed no significant differences across tries regarding self-efficacy and that instructional self-talk significantly improved performance compared to the baseline measure. Qualitative content analysis of after experiment debriefings revealed that participants found the task challenging, thought their self-talk affected their performance, and had issues with the absence of a hole. The results are discussed in relation to theory, previous research, and methodological issues. A revised version of the self-talk framework is suggested. Future research and practical applications of the results are suggested.