Current Methodological Problems and Future Directions for Theory Development in the Psychology of Sport and Motor Behavior

Based on Lander's (1982) analysis, a brief hisrory of research in sport psychology is presented. Subsequent, an argument in favor of a systematic approach to theory building unique to the psychology of sprt and motorskills is adavanced. Using the exemplars of observation learning and anxiety, previous methodological inadequacies are identified, experimental alternatives are offerd, and current theoretically based experiments are discussed. Finally, the intradisciplinary nature of our perspective is explored.