Social Psychology and the Unconscious: Implications for Sports Science

Abstract

Previous social psychological research traditionally assumed that consciousness is a key determinant of human behavior. Contrary to this notion, the present article outlines empirical findings from the automaticity research suggesting that many of the higher order psychological processes responsible for complex human behavior operate unconsciously. The present article also discusses the possibility of integrating social psychology and sports science. In the recent years, sports have been a focus of social scientists as a fruitful opportunity for investigating ecological behavioral data generated in a controlled environment. Implications of such findings for understanding the mechanisms behind human behavior are discussed.