What demands does an activity place on a performer, and why do they shape development?
The performance demands of activities, including the physical, mental, emotional and social demands an activity places on a performer, how these vary between activities, and why understanding the demands directs development priorities.
An SQA Higher Physical Education answer on the performance demands of activities, covering the physical, mental, emotional and social demands an activity places on a performer, how they vary between activities, and why understanding them directs development.
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What this dot point is asking
The SQA wants you to describe the performance demands an activity places on a performer across the four factors, explain how those demands vary between activities, and explain why understanding them directs development. This underpins the whole development process: you cannot develop the right factors until you know what the activity demands.
The answer
What performance demands are
Demands across the four factors
How demands vary between activities
Why understanding demands directs development
Examples in context
Comparing two activities shows why demands analysis matters. A 400m sprinter faces high demands in speed, muscular endurance and power (physical), pacing and arousal control (mental), composure on the start line (emotional), and few social demands. A netball centre faces demands in agility, endurance and a broad skill set (physical), constant decision-making and concentration (mental), composure in tight finishes (emotional), and heavy communication and role discipline (social). If both athletes trained identically, each would waste effort: the sprinter does not need netball's communication work, and the netballer does not need pure block starts. By analysing the demands of their own activity first, each prioritises the factors that matter and develops efficiently. This is why the SQA places understanding performance demands at the heart of the development process.
Try this
Q1. Name the four areas across which an activity places demands on a performer. [2 marks]
- Cue. Physical, mental, emotional and social demands.
Q2. Explain why understanding an activity's demands helps a performer develop effectively. [4 marks]
- Cue. It shows which factors matter most, so the performer prioritises, makes training specific and efficient, and avoids developing factors that matter little.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
SQA Higher 20204 marksDescribe the performance demands of an activity of your choice.Show worked answer →
A -mark describe question covering demands across more than one factor.
Choose an activity and describe its demands: in football, physical demands include cardiorespiratory endurance, speed and agility over ninety minutes; mental demands include constant decision-making and concentration; emotional demands include composure under pressure; social demands include communication and cooperation in a team.
Marks come from identifying genuine, activity-specific demands across the factors rather than a generic list, showing you understand what the activity actually requires.
SQA Higher 20236 marksExplain why understanding the performance demands of an activity helps a performer to develop effectively.Show worked answer →
A -mark explain question rewarding a developed link between demands and development.
Understanding the demands tells a performer which factors matter most in their activity, so they can prioritise. A games player who knows the activity demands endurance, decision-making and communication targets those rather than, say, maximal strength.
Develop the reasoning: matching development to the real demands makes training specific and efficient, avoids wasting time on factors that matter little, and ensures the gathered information and chosen approaches focus on what will actually improve performance. The marks come from explaining how knowledge of demands directs effective, specific development.
Related dot points
- Methods of collecting information about the factors impacting on performance, including the difference between qualitative and quantitative methods, examples such as observation schedules, video analysis, standardised tests, questionnaires and match analysis, and why a performer uses more than one method.
An SQA Higher Physical Education answer on the methods of collecting information about the factors impacting on performance, covering qualitative and quantitative methods, examples such as observation schedules, video analysis and standardised tests, and why more than one method is used.
- Approaches to developing performance, including how a performer selects approaches that match the factor and the stage of learning, principles such as progression and specificity, and examples of approaches for the physical, mental, emotional and social factors.
An SQA Higher Physical Education answer on the approaches to developing performance, covering how to select approaches that match the factor and stage of learning, principles such as progression and specificity, and examples for each of the four factors.
- Planning, monitoring and recording a personal development plan, including setting SMART targets, structuring a programme over time, the methods used to monitor progress such as training diaries and retesting, and why ongoing recording matters.
An SQA Higher Physical Education answer on planning, monitoring and recording a personal development plan, covering SMART targets, structuring a programme over time, monitoring methods such as training diaries and retesting, and why ongoing recording matters.
- Evaluating performance development and identifying future development needs, including comparing results against the baseline and targets, judging the effectiveness of the approaches, and justifying decisions about what to develop next.
An SQA Higher Physical Education answer on evaluating performance development and identifying future development needs, covering comparison against the baseline and targets, judging the effectiveness of approaches, and justifying future development decisions.
- The physical factors that impact on performance, including their three areas of fitness, skills and tactics, and the positive and negative effects each can have on performance.
An SQA Higher Physical Education answer on the physical factors impacting on performance, covering the three areas (fitness, skills and tactics or composition) and the positive and negative effects each can have on a performer.
Sources & how we know this
- SQA Higher Physical Education Course Specification — SQA (2019)