Psychology Commons^™

Associative / Dissociative Cognitive Strategies In Sustained Physical Activity: Literature Review And Proposal For A Mindfulness-Based Conceptual Model, Paul Salmon, Scott Hanneman, Brandon Harwood

Faculty Scholarship

We reviewed and summarize the extant literature on associative/dissociative cognitive strategies used by athletes and others in circumstances necessitating periods of sustained attention. This review covers studies published since a prior publication by Masters and Ogles (1998), and, in keeping with their approach, offers a methodological critique of the literature. We conclude that the distinction between associative and dissociative strategies has outlived its usefulness since initially proposed in an earlier era of ground-breaking research by Morgan and Pollock (1977) that was influenced to some extent by psychodynamic thinking. In recent years there has been an evolutionary shift in concepts of …