Do elite youth gymnasts distinguish themselves by their personality? Personality traits of elite and non-elite youth gymnasts.

Werven, P.M. van (2011) Do elite youth gymnasts distinguish themselves by their personality? Personality traits of elite and non-elite youth gymnasts. thesis, Human Movement Sciences.

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Abstract

The main aim of this study was to determine the personality traits of youth gymnasts who participate in elite gymnast groups (selection groups with competition) compared to non-elite gymnasts of the same age and gender. A total of n=138 8- to-16-year youth old gymnasts (mean age 11.6, 50=2.2; 61 boys and 77 girls) participated. They were divided into groups according to level of performance, age and gender. The Hierarchical Personality Inventory for Children (HiP/C) was filled out by their parents to investigate the gymnasts five personality dimensions i.e., emotional stability, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness (Big Five). The results of the MANOVA show that elite youth gymnasts significantly differed from the non-elite youth gymnasts, regardless of their age or gender (p < 0.05). Post-hoc tests revealed that the elite gymnasts scored higher than the non-elite youth gymnasts on the dimension conscientiousness (p < 0.01). A logistic regression analysis showed that youth gymnasts who score high on 'conscientiousness' have a 17 times greater chance of belonging to the elite group; 54% of the elites score high on this aspect. Those who score high on 'agreeableness' or 'openness' were almost 5 times less likely to belong to the elite group. An overall correct classification of 74% was found. These findings highlight the importance of personality traits in talent identification and may point towards a change in the content of talent identification programs of elite youth gymnasts.

Item Type:	Thesis (Thesis)
Supervisor name:	Elferink-Gemser, M.T. and Hartman, E. and Visscher, C.
Faculty:	Medical Sciences
Date Deposited:	25 Jun 2020 10:54
Last Modified:	25 Jun 2020 10:54
URI:	https://umcg.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/1465

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