Behavioral assessment and interventions in youth sports

Behavioral assessment and interventions have found an increasing range of applications in both research and applied work with youth sport populations. Behavioral assessment has been used for both descriptive and program evaluation purposes, and one of its major uses has been in the study of coaching behaviors and their effects on young athletes. Operant and cognitive-behavioral interventions have been targeted at both athletic and psychosocial outcomes, and they have proven to be effective in both areas. Unresolved issues and promising areas for future research are discussed, and it is concluded that the sport environment is an ideal naturalistic laboratory for behavioral research and interventions.