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An Index Approach to Early Specialization Measurement: An Exploratory Study
The methodological underpinnings of studies into early specialization have recently been critiqued. Previous researchers have commented on the variety of, and over-simplified, methods used to capture early specialization. This exploratory study, therefore, suggests a new direction for how early spec...
Autores principales: | , , |
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Formato: | Online Artículo Texto |
Lenguaje: | English |
Publicado: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2020
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Materias: | |
Acceso en línea: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7265620/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32528375 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00999 |
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author | Downing, Charlotte Redelius, Karin Nordin-Bates, Sanna M. |
author_facet | Downing, Charlotte Redelius, Karin Nordin-Bates, Sanna M. |
author_sort | Downing, Charlotte |
collection | PubMed |
description | The methodological underpinnings of studies into early specialization have recently been critiqued. Previous researchers have commented on the variety of, and over-simplified, methods used to capture early specialization. This exploratory study, therefore, suggests a new direction for how early specialization can be conceptualized and measured. We aim to create an index approach whereby early specialization is measured as a continuous variable, in line with commonly used definitions. The continuous variable for degrees of early specialization is calculated from a questionnaire which captures the four key components of early specialization; (1) intensity, (2) year-round training, (3) single sport, and (4) commencing age 12 or younger. The proposed index approach is illustrated in a sample of 290 Swedish aesthetic performers aged 12–20 years (M = 15.88), whose descriptive statistics are used to discuss the suitability and usability of the measure. The proposed index approach functions as a guideline to future researchers. We hope that introducing a new index approach we will encourage further discussion around the measurement of early specialization. Additionally, we hope to pave the way for future research to explore more complex research questions. |
format | Online Article Text |
id | pubmed-7265620 |
institution | National Center for Biotechnology Information |
language | English |
publishDate | 2020 |
publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
record_format | MEDLINE/PubMed |
spelling | pubmed-72656202020-06-10 An Index Approach to Early Specialization Measurement: An Exploratory Study Downing, Charlotte Redelius, Karin Nordin-Bates, Sanna M. Front Psychol Psychology The methodological underpinnings of studies into early specialization have recently been critiqued. Previous researchers have commented on the variety of, and over-simplified, methods used to capture early specialization. This exploratory study, therefore, suggests a new direction for how early specialization can be conceptualized and measured. We aim to create an index approach whereby early specialization is measured as a continuous variable, in line with commonly used definitions. The continuous variable for degrees of early specialization is calculated from a questionnaire which captures the four key components of early specialization; (1) intensity, (2) year-round training, (3) single sport, and (4) commencing age 12 or younger. The proposed index approach is illustrated in a sample of 290 Swedish aesthetic performers aged 12–20 years (M = 15.88), whose descriptive statistics are used to discuss the suitability and usability of the measure. The proposed index approach functions as a guideline to future researchers. We hope that introducing a new index approach we will encourage further discussion around the measurement of early specialization. Additionally, we hope to pave the way for future research to explore more complex research questions. Frontiers Media S.A. 2020-05-26 /pmc/articles/PMC7265620/ /pubmed/32528375 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00999 Text en Copyright © 2020 Downing, Redelius and Nordin-Bates. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. |
spellingShingle | Psychology Downing, Charlotte Redelius, Karin Nordin-Bates, Sanna M. An Index Approach to Early Specialization Measurement: An Exploratory Study |
title | An Index Approach to Early Specialization Measurement: An Exploratory Study |
title_full | An Index Approach to Early Specialization Measurement: An Exploratory Study |
title_fullStr | An Index Approach to Early Specialization Measurement: An Exploratory Study |
title_full_unstemmed | An Index Approach to Early Specialization Measurement: An Exploratory Study |
title_short | An Index Approach to Early Specialization Measurement: An Exploratory Study |
title_sort | index approach to early specialization measurement: an exploratory study |
topic | Psychology |
url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7265620/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32528375 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00999 |
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