More than an academic critique, Performing Psychology offers a new methodology for understanding human life. Arguing that both psychological activity and its study are essentially performance, Neuman and his colleagues expose the myths of mainstream psychology and the limitations of its postmodern challengers.

This title describes current research findings in the study of human performance Experts from all fields of performance are brought together, covering domains including sports, the performing arts, business, executive coaching, the military, and other applicable, high-risk professions.

This edited book by two prominent professionals of Sport and Exercise and Performance Sciences addresses relevant issues and experiences as one becomes a sport, exercise and performance psychology practitioner. Chapters discuss the supervision and training involved along with models of practice, theory, techniques, and ethical issues.

Psychological Management of Individual Performance is a unique combination of contributions from an academic and a practitioner for each topic. Leading international authors come together in this integrative and comprehensive handbook, to combine academic research findings and to provide detailed practice-relevant information, on subjects such as performance concepts, work design, cognitive ability and personality as predictors of performance, performance appraisal and potential analysis, goal setting, training, mentoring, reward systems, strategic HRM as well as broader issues such as well-being and organizational culture. This Handbook is a valuable resource for researchers, academics and advanced students in psychology and related fields; as well as consultants, practitioners and professionals in HR, who want to contribute to the enhancement and maintenance of high individual performance.

Why are some performers exhilarated and energized about performing in public, while others feel a crushing sense of fear and dread, and experience public performance as an overwhelming challenge that must be endured? What are the factors that produce such vastly different performance experiences? Why have consummate artists like Frederic Chopin, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Pablo Cassals, Tatiana Troyanos, and Barbra Streisand experienced such intense music performance anxiety? This is a disorder that can affect musicians across a range of genres and of all standards. Some of the 'cures' musicians resort to can be harmful to their health and detrimental to their playing. This is the first rigorous exposition of music performance anxiety. In this groundbreaking work, Dianna Kenny draws on a range of disciplines including psychology, philosophy, phenomenology, psychoanalysis, and performance theory in order to explain the many facets of music performance anxiety that have emerged in the empirical and clinical literature. She identifies some unifying guiding principles that will enhance our understanding of the condition and guide researchers and clinicians in the development of effective treatments. The book provides a detailed conceptual framework for the study of music performance anxiety and a review of the empirical and clinical research on the anxiety disorders. In addition it presents a thorough analysis of the concepts related to music performance anxiety, its epidemiology, and theories and therapies that may be useful in understanding and treating the condition. The voices of musicians are clearly heard throughout the book and in the final two chapters, we hear directly from musicians about how they experience it and what they do to manage it. This book will lay a firm foundation for theorizing music performance anxiety and be of enormous value interest to those in the fields of music and music education, clinical psychology, and performance studies.

What type of practice makes a musician perfect? What sort of child is most likely to succeed on a musical instrument? What practice strategies yield the fastest improvement in skills such as sight-reading, memorization, and intonation? Scientific and psychological research can offer answers to these and other questions that musicians face every day. In The Science and Psychology of Music Performance, Richard Parncutt and Gary McPherson assemble relevant current research findings and make them accessible to musicians and music educators. This book describes new approaches to teaching music, learning music, and making music at all educational and skill levels. Each chapter represents the collaboration between a music researcher (usually a music psychologist) and a performer or music educator. This combination of expertise results in excellent practical advice. Readers will learn, for example, that they are in the majority (57%) if they experience rapid heartbeat before performances; the chapter devoted to performance anxiety will help them decide whether beta-blocker medication, hypnotherapy, or the Alexander Technique of relaxation might alleviate their stage fright. Another chapter outlines a step-by-step method for introducing children to musical notation, firmly based on research in cognitive development. Altogether, the 21 chapters cover the personal, environmental, and acoustical influences that shape the learning and performance of music.

This book integrates findings from across domains in performance psychology to focus on core research on what influences peak and non-peak performance. The book explores basic and applied research identifying cognition-action interactions, perception-cognition interactions, emotion-cognition interactions, and perception-action interactions. The book explores performance in sports, music, and the arts both for individuals and teams/groups, looking at the influence of cognition, perception, personality, motivation and drive, attention, stress, coaching, and age. This comprehensive work includes contributions from the US, UK, Canada, Germany, and Australia. - Integrates research findings found across domains in performance psychology - Includes research from sports, music, the arts, and other applied settings - Identifies conflicts between cognition, action, perception, and emotion - Explores influences on both individual and group/team performance - Investigates what impacts peak performance and error production

Anyone who has ever competed in a sport, taken an exam, or appeared on stage understands the importance of performing at the right time. Those who excel in these conditions often develop ways to cope with the stress involved, but what cognitive and emotional strategies allow some people to thrive under pressure whilst others are inhibited by it? In Performance Psychology: Theory and Practice, Stewart Cotterill examines not only how stressful situations can affect performance, but also the means by which we can reach our potential regardless. Featuring chapters on decision-making, emotion, resilience and mental toughness, cognition and perception, ageing and experience, confidence, and recovery, this is the definitive textbook in the field, mapping the core theoretical concepts but also offering practical guidance on how performance can be improved. Also including chapters on motor skills and nutrition, it is a complete and comprehensive overview of this growing field of study. Including study questions and further reading in each chapter, Performance Psychology: Theory and Practice will appeal not only to students and researchers across applied psychology, but also coaches and performers looking for ways to realize their potential when it really matters.

Why is performing under pressure often so difficult? What strategies can help us deliver our best performance? How can we boost our self-confidence? The Psychology of Performance explores the key psychological factors that affect our ability to cope under pressure, whether it’s competing in a sport, appearing in front of an audience, or meeting a tight deadline. It looks at how we develop skills through learning and practice, and how self-confidence and decision-making can be sharpened to boost our expertise. The book explains how to develop the best mindset for performance, and shows how factors such as sleep, nutrition, and rest and recovery can influence our moods and how we function. When we need to perform a task with little room for error, The Psychology of Performance helps us to understand how to do this to the best of our ability.

"This Handbook is sure to become a key resource for any researcher or professional looking for the latest and most innovative thinking from around the world on the full range of topics related to training, development, and performance management." Bradford S. Bell, PhD, Cornell University, USA. Editor, Personnel Psychology "I wish I could have accessed this book many years ago. Comprehensive and scholarly, the four sections training, e-learning, personal and professional development and performance management fit well together and address a gap in the literature that has been apparent for some time. The psychological perspective speaks to growing interest in the micro-foundations of strategic success, and the blending together of both formal and informal perspectives on learning in organizations ensures a holistic rather than piecemeal approach to the question of how to build individual knowledge, skills, and competences in organizations. I believe that this book will make a significant impact on its target audience in this critical area." Helen Shipton, Professor of International Human Resource Management, Nottingham Trent University, UK The Wiley Blackwell Handbook of the Psychology of Training, Development, and Performance Improvement provides up-to-date, contemporary information for researchers and professionals by reviewing the latest literature and research in the interconnected fields of training, development, and performance appraisal. It brings a psychological perspective to bear on a multidisciplinary field that links to management, human resources, and education. Unique to reference works in this area, it maintains a truly global focus on the field with top international contributors looking at research and practice from around the world, including South America, Europe, Canada, and Australia, as well as the United States and the United Kingdom. The chapters cover a diverse range of important contemporary topics, such as needs analysis, job design, active learning, self-regulation, simulation approaches, 360-degree feedback, and virtual learning environments. Together, they offer researchers and professionals essential information for building a talented organization, a critical and challenging task for organizational success in the twenty-first century.