The Flow-Clutch Scale: Translation and validation study of the Chinese version

The psychology of optimal performance has attracted great attention in the scientific community since it was proposed by Csikszentmihalyi and Csikzentmihaly [1]. Flow, as the primary construct in the field of optimal experience, refers to a highly positive and intrinsically rewarding psychological state [1]. The concept of flow has been explored and widely applied in sport, exercise, and performance psychology [[2], [3], [4]]. In this regard, several studies [e.g., [5], [6], [7]] have shown that flow experience is closely associated with measures of athletic performance and mental reward. The traditional nine-dimensions framework of flow proposed by Csikszentmihalyi [8] has been widely recognized, including: (1) challenge-skills balance (i.e., the balance between perceived challenge and perceived skills), (2) clear goals (i.e., a clear set of goals that can provide direction and purpose), (3) unambiguous feedback (i.e., clear feedback to actions), (4) action-awareness merging (i.e., a merged awareness with one person's actions), (5) concentration on the task at hand (i.e., a centering of attention on the present task without distraction), (6) sense of control (i.e., a lack of anxiety about losing control), (7) loss of self-consciousness (i.e., the self as an object of awareness fades), (8) time transformation (i.e., altered sense of time), and (9) autotelic experience (i.e., intrinsically rewarding experience without goals or rewards external to itself) [9]. These nine dimensions have been the basis of two frequently used instruments to assess flow states, namely the Flow State Scale-2 (FSS-2) and the Dispositional Flow Scale-2 (DFS-2) [10].

Several studies [[11], [12], [13], [14]] have noted that the flow state is not the only psychological state that is associated with optimal experience during physical exercises. For instance, Swann et al. [11] observed, based on reports from golfers, that there are two distinct kinds of psychological states underlying superior athletic performances, namely “letting it happen” and “making it happen”. The former occurs in situations matching the definition of flow state, while the latter was perceived in situations where a performance increment occurs under pressure (i.e., also known as clutch performance) [13,15,16]. The psychological state underlying clutch performance is termed as clutch state [12]. As described by Hibbs [16], a clutch state can occur in challenging situations (e.g., competitions being of importance for the athlete), in which the athlete copes with the stress and performs successfully largely due to her/his skills and efforts. This psychological state is characterized by intrinsic rewards such as a sense of achievement, confidence, and a motivational boost when the activity/task is successfully completed [17]. Clutch has been widely investigated and explored in the field of sport and exercise psychology, such as in basketball [18], tennis [19], or baseball [20].

Comparable to the flow state, the clutch state is characterized by a deliberate absorption in the performed activity, intense efforts, enhanced motivation, and a heightened awareness of the situational demands [21]. However, although flow and clutch share a number of overlapping characteristics, both states are actually separate psychological concepts occurring in different contexts of athletic performance. In particular, a clutch state occurs during pressure situations, whereas the flow state is characterized by an effortless and autotelic experience in the absence of critical thinking about the results of the actual performance [21]. Based on the analysis of the current state of the evidence on flow and clutch states in sport, Swann et al. [22] proposed an integrated model of flow and clutch states. Compared to the traditional approach to the psychology of optimal experience (e.g., Csikszentmihalyi's conceptualization of flow), this model provides a broader and more dynamic perspective towards the psychological states (i.e., flow and clutch) underlying superior athletic performance.

Based on this integrated model, the Flow-Clutch Scale (FCS) was developed by Swann and colleagues [23] to assess those psychological states. The 22-item FCS consisted of four conceptual categories, namely “characteristics of flow”, “characteristics of clutch”, “effortlessness of flow” and “overlapping characteristics”. The validity and reliability of the original FCS were reported to be acceptable, even with an imperfect model fit (indicating that RMSEA and CFI failed to meet the recommended cutoffs) [23]. Thus, the FCS is a unique and promising instrument to investigate the associations between flow and clutch states in the context of athletic performance. However, so far, the FCS has not been translated into other languages (e.g., Chinese). To address this gap in the literature, the current study has two aims. The first aim was to translate and evaluate the psychometric properties of the FCS in a sample of Chinese athletes. Specifically, examinations of the factor structure, validity (structural and concurrent validity), and reliability (internal consistency and test-retest reliability) were conducted in the present study. In contrast to previous studies [23], this study further examined the correlations of the FCS with three variables, including “non-reactivity to inner experiences”, “cognitive flexibility” and “self-consciousness”, instead of the subscales of FSS-2 alone. The rationale for this procedure is described in more detail in the following section.

Mindfulness has proven to be a good predictor of flow disposition [24,25] and was linked to facets of flow [26,27]. Moreover, there is some evidence in the literature that mindfulness training can enhance flow experiences in athletes [28]. More specifically, non-reactivity to inner experiences, as an important facet of mindfulness, plays a central role in emotion regulation [29], such as lowering negative mood symptoms [30] and buffering stress reactivity [31,32]. Non-reactivity to inner experiences reflects the ability to stay calm and objective when facing thoughts or feelings that would normally trigger an emotional response [33]. Therefore, in this study, we hypothesize that this non-reactivity to inner experiences, as an important facet of mindfulness, is positively correlated with conceptual categories related to flow (“characteristics of flow” and “effortlessness of flow”) in the FCS.

Cognitive flexibility has been defined as the ability to switch cognitive sets flexibly and adaptively in the face of a changing environment [34]. Notably, some studies showed that cognitive flexibility is positively correlated with flow experience [35] and can also predict flow disposition [25]. In addition, Dietrich [36] observed that during flow experience, cognitive flexibility was enhanced. Based on the above-mentioned evidence suggesting a positive link between cognitive flexibility and flow, we hypothesize that both clutch and flow experience are positively associated with measures of cognitive flexibility.

When experiencing flow, individuals feel a loss of concern for the self and become immersed in the specific activity [8]. This feeling is conceptualized as a loss of self-consciousness, which often occurs in flow experience [37]. Contrary to flow experience, instead of loss of self-consciousness, clutch experience is known to induce a heightened awareness and effortful concentration [12,22,23]. Therefore, we hypothesize that self-consciousness is positively associated with clutch experience, while we assume no significant relationship with flow experience.

The second aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of open- vs. closed-skill exercises on athletes' experience of flow and clutch. Based on the work of Knapp [38] who suggested that motor skills can be classified as open- or closed-skills, physical exercises can be differentiated into open-skill exercises and closed-skill exercises [39]. Open-skill exercises take place in a dynamic and changing environment so that the movements need to be adapted to situational and relatively unpredictable demands, occurring in team sports such as basketball, football and volleyball. In contrast, closed-skill exercises (e.g., running or biking) are conducted in a rather predictable and stable environment [40,41]. Previous studies suggest that there are significant differences between athletes engaging in open vs. closed-skill sports concerning emotion intelligence (e.g., self-analysis, self-expression, problem solving) [42], executive functioning [[43], [44], [45], [46]] and observation learning [47]. Moreover, researchers found that better performance on executive functions emerged during flow experience [48]. To this end, we hypothesized that exercise type (open- vs. closed-skill exercises) may have impact on athletes’ experience of psychological states such as flow and clutch. Thus, our study seeks to examine, in an explorative manner, the potential group differences of athletes engaging in open- vs. closed-skill sports concerning the scores of the FCS.

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