Event Title
Late birthday benefits? The ‘underdog hypothesis’
Location
Room 320, Norman Bethune College, York University (Toronto, ON)
Start Date
17-10-2018 2:30 PM
End Date
17-10-2018 3:00 PM
Description
Relative age effects (RAEs) are a developmental issue assumed to disadvantage those who are relatively younger in a same-age peer group. While accepting this proposition is true in many cases, there is also evidence to suggest that relatively younger athletes may ultimately achieve greater performance success [1-3] if they are able to overcome a sport system that disadvantages them. The challenges encountered at young ages may ultimately facilitate overall athlete development [4] (e.g., through enhanced skill development, greater resiliency and coping skills, etc.), and may ultimately explain the absence of the RAE at professional levels in some sport contexts [5]. The Underdog Hypothesis [2] will be discussed with reference to qualitative and quantitative findings among Canadian female athletes.
Late birthday benefits? The ‘underdog hypothesis’
Room 320, Norman Bethune College, York University (Toronto, ON)
Relative age effects (RAEs) are a developmental issue assumed to disadvantage those who are relatively younger in a same-age peer group. While accepting this proposition is true in many cases, there is also evidence to suggest that relatively younger athletes may ultimately achieve greater performance success [1-3] if they are able to overcome a sport system that disadvantages them. The challenges encountered at young ages may ultimately facilitate overall athlete development [4] (e.g., through enhanced skill development, greater resiliency and coping skills, etc.), and may ultimately explain the absence of the RAE at professional levels in some sport contexts [5]. The Underdog Hypothesis [2] will be discussed with reference to qualitative and quantitative findings among Canadian female athletes.
Comments
Kristy Smith is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Windsor. She is currently funded by a SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship. Her previous work has examined the impact of relative age on female sport participation across the developmental spectrum (i.e., pre-adolescent, adolescent, and post-adolescent cohorts at various levels of competition). She recently completed a systematic review and meta-analysis of RAEs in female sport, which was presented at the 14th World Congress of Sport Psychology. Her current research interests include promoting physical activity participation across the lifespan and factors contributing to positive sport experiences.
Patricia (Patti) Weir is a professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Windsor. Her research interests include identifying changes in motor performance with age, factors that contribute to successful aging, and factors that influence the development of expertise across the lifespan. Patti has published articles in a variety of journals including, the Journal of Motor Behavior, Developmental Neuropsychology, The International Journal of Sport Psychology, Motor Control and the Journal of Physical Activity and Aging. She is a Past-President of the Canadian Society for Psychomotor Learning and Sport Psychology (SCAPPS). Since 2012 she has been the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and currently serves as Chair of the Ontario Council of Graduate Studies, and the Secretary-Treasurer for the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies.