Artistic and sport performances require the ability to master a complex integration of highly specialized motor, cognitive and perceptual skills, developed over years of practice, in dynamic environments which often involve also being able to deal with a large amount of pressure. Every instrumental or vocal performance is a situation where stakes are high. These feelings are very similar to the most important sports events: the candidates have only a few minutes to convince the jury, the “opponents” are very strong.
In such situations, what role could flow have and what are the conditions to reach flow? What are the concurrent variables that are crucial for determining flow? When studying these phenomena, the self-regulation efforts that individuals use to alter their interaction with the environment to meet their goals should also be considered. Even though, there is increasing evidence sustaining the role of optimal experiences during artists’ and artistic sport performances, as is the case of the experience of flow.
Several additional aspects could be considered in association to flow such as anxiety. Most science-based intervention programs focusing on emotional experiences during a performance are mainly concerned with dealing with the negative symptoms and cognitive disruptions of performance anxiety.
Thus, this Research Topic aims to assemble both applied or theoretical research in flow from experts within the field of performance psychology related to musicians, singers, artistic sports, and sport performance.
Original Research, Hypothesis & Theory, Review, Perspective, Conceptual Analysis will be encouraged. Research of an empirical nature, qualitative, quantitative or mixed analyses, and case studies involving performance-related phenomena will be considered. Longitudinal or cross-sectional studies that deal with distinctions among cultures will equally be considered.
Artistic and sport performances require the ability to master a complex integration of highly specialized motor, cognitive and perceptual skills, developed over years of practice, in dynamic environments which often involve also being able to deal with a large amount of pressure. Every instrumental or vocal performance is a situation where stakes are high. These feelings are very similar to the most important sports events: the candidates have only a few minutes to convince the jury, the “opponents” are very strong.
In such situations, what role could flow have and what are the conditions to reach flow? What are the concurrent variables that are crucial for determining flow? When studying these phenomena, the self-regulation efforts that individuals use to alter their interaction with the environment to meet their goals should also be considered. Even though, there is increasing evidence sustaining the role of optimal experiences during artists’ and artistic sport performances, as is the case of the experience of flow.
Several additional aspects could be considered in association to flow such as anxiety. Most science-based intervention programs focusing on emotional experiences during a performance are mainly concerned with dealing with the negative symptoms and cognitive disruptions of performance anxiety.
Thus, this Research Topic aims to assemble both applied or theoretical research in flow from experts within the field of performance psychology related to musicians, singers, artistic sports, and sport performance.
Original Research, Hypothesis & Theory, Review, Perspective, Conceptual Analysis will be encouraged. Research of an empirical nature, qualitative, quantitative or mixed analyses, and case studies involving performance-related phenomena will be considered. Longitudinal or cross-sectional studies that deal with distinctions among cultures will equally be considered.
