Assessing cognitive interference in sport: Development of the thought occurrence questionnaire for sport

This paper outlines the development of an instrument to assess cognitive interference athletes may experience during competition. The investigation was based on an instrument developed in educational settings, namely the Thought Occurrence Questionnaire (TOQ). At the initial stage of the investigation interviews with athletes were conducted to establish items for TOQ item modification. The face validity of items was evaluated through a content analytic method. The pool of items which was selected was factor analysed. Finally, the psychometric properties of the questionnaire which emerged were evaluated through examination of convergent validity, discriminant validity, concurrent validity, and reliability. The results provide adequate psychometric support for the instrument. The modified questionnaire (Thought Occurrence Questionnaire for Sport) seems a promising tool for the investigation of the role that thoughts athletes experience during competition play in sports.