Embedding the psychosocial biographies of Olympic medalists in a (meta-)theoretical model of dynamic networks

doi:10.1016/bs.pbr.2016.11.007

Progress in Brain Research

Volume 232, 2017, Pages 137-140

https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.pbr.2016.11.007 Get rights and content

Abstract

Based on in-depth interviews, Hardy et al. focused on the role of psychosocial factors in the development of elite and super-elite athletes. They reveal interesting differences and commonalities in the frequencies at which certain aspects related to life events, personality, contextual factors, etc. were reported. Here, we argue that insights in the development of (super-)elite athletes will advance if we go beyond explanations in the frequency-domain, and search for process explanations in the time-domain. This means that we should investigate how athletes develop from one time point to the next, and the next, etc., thereby examining how (psychosocial) factors change and combine across time, as well as how the timing of events can shape an athlete's further developmental trajectory. We therefore present a process-oriented dynamic network model of talent development, assuming that (super-)elite performance develops out of structures of dynamically interacting (psychosocial) factors, which we illustrate using the outcomes of Hardy et al.

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Therefore, researchers increasingly agree that excellence emerges through dynamic interactions between multiple components or systems across the lifespan (Bailey & Collins, 2013; Collins, MacNamara, & McCarthy, 2015). In evolving dynamic human systems, critical life events are significant developmental components (Den Hartigh, Van Yperen, & Van Geert, 2017). Hence, the development of excellence might, to a relevant extent, be shaped by specific critical life events underscoring the idiosyncratic nature of pathways to excellence (Den Hartigh, Van Dijk, Steenbeek, & Van Geert, 2016).
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This enables us to identify the most important collection of attributes that discriminate between the SE and E athletes. Den Hartigh et al. (2017), Gucciardi (2017), and Hodges et al. (2017) all identify that our approach is essentially frequency focused and lacks a temporal component. This shortcoming is important because, as Gucciardi posits, to more fully understand the impact of any (negative critical life) event one needs to be able to describe the duration, frequency, and timing of the event(s).
Hardy et al. (2017) reported the findings of a large-scale, multisource, qualitative study that examined the commonalities of, and discriminators between, a group of super-elite (SE) and a group of elite (E) athletes who were matched on gender, sport, discipline, and era. Fifteen research teams who are actively engaged in research in the domain then provided critical commentaries on the target paper. In our response to these commentaries, we briefly remind the reader of the primary findings of the original paper and then deal with the commentaries under the subheadings: Necessary and Sufficient Conditions for Elite Performance; Mediating and Moderating Variables; Methodological Issues; Omissions; and Alternative Approaches. Finally, we discuss the very small number of disagreements that we have with any of the commentaries.
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Chapter 5 - Embedding the psychosocial biographies of Olympic medalists in a (meta-)theoretical model of dynamic networks

Abstract

Network Science

A dynamic network model to explain the development of excellent human performance

Front. Psychol.

Controllability of complex networks

Nature