Psychological Differences between Athletes and Nonparticipants in Athletics at Three Educational Levels

Abstract The California Psychological Inventory was administered to 334 ninth grade, twelfth grade, and college team sport athletes and nonparticipants in athletics. Statistically significant differences between the means of the athletes and the nonparticipants were found on eight of the CPI scales of the ninth grade subjects, on four scales of the twelfth grade subjects, and on nine scales of the college subjects. At the ninth and twelfth grade levels all the significant differences involved scales on which the athletes had the higher means with the exception of two scales at the twelfth grade level. At the college level eight of the nine significant differences involved scales on which the nonparticipants had the higher means.