Twenty-five years of psychology in the Journal of Sports Sciences: A historical overview

Abstract

We provide an overview of some of the outstanding papers published in the Journal over the last 25 years within the discipline of psychology. Altogether, almost 300 papers had been published in the Journal under the psychology banner at the start of its silver anniversary year. The greatest contribution of papers has come from the motor control and learning and sport psychology sub-areas, with papers focusing on exercise psychology being a more recent addition. Prominent research themes that have emerged from each of the different sub-areas are reviewed and some notable omissions highlighted. Finally, some issues for sport and exercise psychologists to consider in coming years are briefly highlighted.

Keywords:

• Motor control and learning
• sport psychology
• exercise psychology

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the efforts of Dr. Jamie North, who helped collate the information presented, and Prof. Keith Davids who provided helpful comments on an earlier draft of this article.