Social desirability (SD) is a tendency for individuals to want to portray a positive image of themselves based on what they consider desirable. Answers from self-reported questionnaires (self-administered questionnaires) exhibit the most social desirability bias. These biases are more prevalent in an employability, selection context. The context of the performance and the number of items are two factors that may reduce their reliability. These biases have been identified, for example, in the CSAI-2, which assesses pre-competitive anxiety (Smith et al. 2002). In the UMSAT6, items or dimensions that were too prone to social desirability bias were removed. Some dimensions that could be placed on a continuum (e.g., anxiety and fear) were merged.

The triple functional network model is a unifying framework from neuroscience data that is used in mainstream psychology to describe the links between brain functioning and the interactions between three major neural networks : the executive network, the salience network, and the default mode network (Menon et al. 2010). The interest of integrating this model in the field of sport has already been highlighted (van der Linden et al. 2021). The integration of mental skills within this model reduces the number of dimensions to be measured and opens a new category of skills called recovery skills. Indeed, the predominant activity of the resting network (DMN) reminds us of the importance of physical and mental recovery skills. This ability to recover allows us to maintain a good flexibility in the dynamics between these three networks. This flexibility will sometimes lead to the optimal state of flow.