Effects of Sports Participation + Video
Effects on Sports Participation
Hancock, Adler & Côté propose the three main influences on the relative age effect are contributed by parents through the Matthew effect, coaches through the Pygmalion effect and players themselves through the Galatea effect. Each of these effects become more prevalent throughout various stages of development.
Matthew Effect
The impact of a parent’s perception of a sport in relation to their child’s size, strength, abilities and safety. This influences their decision on what sport/s their child participates in.
Pygmalion Effect
The greater the expectation placed on an individual, the greater the result the individual will attain. The reverse impact is the lower the expectation placed on an individual, outcomes will be inferior. Compounding this is parents/coaches/selectors may place expectations and determinations of “talent” based on physical maturity rather than skill or potential.
Galatea Effect
Closely linked to the Pygmalion Effect whereby a recipient of high/low expectations, typically aligns their beliefs and actions with the expectation. As with the Pygmalion Effect, these beliefs and actions may be misplaced.
Research
Return to Framework
Find out more about the Player Development Framework (PDF).