Date of Award
2025
Degree Type
Open Access Dissertation
Degree Name
Psychology, PhD
Program
School of Social Science, Politics, and Evaluation
Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair
Jeanne Nakamura
Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member
Kendall Bronk
Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member
Saida Heshmati
Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member
Jérémie Verner-Filion
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
© 2025 Derrick C. McLean
Subject Categories
Psychology
Abstract
Excellence can be found in every goal-directed pursuit aiming to improve abilities. The present dissertation integrates goal setting theory, achievement goal theory, and deliberate practice into a conceptual model describing how excellence is achieved. It is argued that future research using this model for excellence should operationalize excellence as "the process of surpassing a standard that had been previously inaccessible." These standards can refer to one’s previous performance, another’s performance, or performance against an objective standard of the task; the excellence for one may not be excellence for another. The stated definition is aspirational, goal-directed, process-oriented, and grounded in empirical literature. Researchers should define performance standards, set goals beyond current abilities, and measure performance longitudinally to build a robust body of knowledge. This research explores excellence among elite adult curlers in the United States. Curling teams compete internationally, aiming to enhance skills, win prize money, and qualify for events like the World Curling Championships and Winter Olympics. The study involved 28 elite curlers (female n = 14) from the US National and Junior National teams during the 2019-2020 season who participated in an intensive longitudinal study. Participants completed twice daily surveys in which they reported their general mental and physical wellness, and their training activities for the day. These training activities were matched with tournament game outcomes from each team to understand the relationship between practice and performance through the season. Skill development was assessed using Elo ratings, with excellence being operationally defined as a team surpassing their previous highest Elo rating for the season. This procedure resulted in 69 total season best Elo scores across 454 games (15% of total games) with each team averaging 8.6 games demonstrating performance improvement ( SD = 6.1 games) with a range from 0-19 game instances of demonstrated improvement across the season. The first set of analyses explored predictors of team performance. There was no demonstrated relationship between excellence and achievement goals, nor was there a meaningful relationship between training activities and excellence. The next set of analyses sought to understand predictors of skill development activities in athletes. Athletes with higher levels of obsessive passion, where the activity overwhelmingly influences their psyche, reported slightly more frequent ( b = 0.26, p = .009) and marginally longer practice sessions ( b = 4.80, p = .091) compared to their less obsessively passionate peers. Supplemental analyses further investigated the role performance plays on future training for athletes. Winning resulted in a significantly more positive affect ( b = 0.26, p < .001) and an increase in athletes’ motivation to train the following day ( b = .28, p < .001), but lower cumulative practice time the following week ( b = -3.86, p = .017). Interestingly, both positive affect ( b = 46.51, p < .001) and motivation to train ( b = 55.41, p < .001) were found to be positively associated with total training times across the following 7 days. These two constructs were found to represent a fully mediated relationship such that an increase in positive affect can increase one’s motivation to train, and this motivation to train results in more training hours being logged. While initial expectations linking excellence to a blend of training and psychological factors were not fully supported, the study introduced the idea of excellence as a recursive process influenced by competitive outcomes. The current research supports the process model of excellence to some extent but suggests future studies may be needed to refine the model, as the researcher-defined performance metrics might not fully capture athlete-driven standards; allowing individuals to set their own benchmarks could better reflect their pursuit of excellence. The study's findings suggest that while winning boosts motivation and positive affect, it paradoxically reduces subsequent practice duration and frequency. This "practice paradox" underscores the intricate relationship between positive affect, motivation, and training activities post-competition. It aligns with theories like Broaden-and-Build, suggesting that winning broadens training activities while losing narrows them to skill-specific drills. The dissertation contributes to understanding how elite athletes navigate the complexities of skill development and performance improvement in competitive contexts.
ISBN
9798314895290
Recommended Citation
McLean, Derrick C.. (2025). Excellence and Performance Improvement: The Goals and Standards Guiding Skill Development in USA Curling. CGU Theses & Dissertations, 954. https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/954.
