Psychometrics in sport: The good, the bad and the ugly

Abstract

Psychometrics, or at least the use of metrics to measure psychological aspects that are (presumed) pertinent to performance, has a rich history in sport. This chapter offers some guidelines for effective practice in both the development and the application of psychometrics in sport. It presents good and not so good features of usage, design and underpinning science in three categories namely, good, bad or ugly features. The chapter highlights the combination of ecological issues and underpinning science as being particularly important for sport. It considers the good elements of psychometrics in sport and more questionable examples and concerns the bad that revolves around issues of both theoretical and applied foundation. Taking theoretical issues first, the chapter focuses on the case of a previously dominant force in personality-related psychometrics in sport and its heir: the Myers-Briggs Types Indicator (MBTI) and Insights Discovery.