Test 3

Lecture 14: Attentional Focus

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Learning Objectives

1. Warm-up decrement + ways to minimize

2. Internal + external focus of attention

3. Why external focus= more effective for performance+learning

4. Techniques to support constrained action hypothesis

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Warm-up Decrement:

Reduction in performance seen after a period of no practice/time away from the task

• A psychological phenomenon that dissipates after a few trials/attempts

Ways to minimize:

• Pre-shot routines:

  • Advantageous for novice and experienced golfers: ↑improvement/↑ performance
  • Practice + Preshot: shows the ↑ improvement and performance
  • Advantageous because: ↑confidence, self-efficacy, positive outlook. etc

• Ways to “re-set” after the period of inactivity

• Minimize periods of inactivity with interspersed practice (discrete skills)

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Attentional Focus: The info that a performer’s attention/conciousness is directed at:

MENTAL FOCUS NOT VISUAL FOCUS

• Interal: focus on info associated with the performer’s body

  • Ex. thinking abt timing of hip rotation, feet

• External: focus on info that is external to the performer’s body 

  • Ex. think about the tennis racquet hitting the ball, markers on platform

• External>>>Internal

  • External: ↑ motor learning/performance
  • Internal: ↓ motor learning/performance

• External focus benefit extends to sports skills

  • External: beneficial in ↑ lvl learners
  • Internal: beneficial in ↓ lvl learners

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Where does the external focus advantage stem from?

∴ Constrained Action Hypothesis:Consciously controlling one’s movement constrains the motor systeme, which interfere with automatic control process

• Focusing on the movement effet via the external focus allows the motor system to more naturally self-organize 

How to test this hypothesis?

• Probe Reaction Time Task

  • External focus had:
  • ↑ balance+fasterprobe reaction time in practice + retention
  • ∴ ↓ conscious control of movements -> ↓ decrement when performing probe reaction time….. ↑ automaticity-> using ↓ attentiaonal ressources; more left over for RT task

• EMG (muscle activation) ↓energy (muscle activation)= ↑ performance

  • External focus: 
  • Has ↑ accurate in basketball free throws in practice
  • Had ↓ muscle activity in the key muscles involved in free throw
  • ∴ enhanced movement efficiency -> ↓muscle activation= ↑ performance…. ↑  noise: Internal = ↑  activation=↓ performance

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Lecture 15: Feedback: Fundamentals

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Learning Objectives

1. Distinguishing between intrinsic and augmented feedback

2. Compare/ contrast Knowledge of performance and knowledge of results feedback+ give examples

3. Discuss roles+influence of augmented feedback on motor learning

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Feedback can arise from within the performer or come from an external source

Intrinsic feedback: Sensory information that arises as a natural consequence of performing an action (outcome)

• Eg. 5 SENSES: Visual, Proprioceptive, Auditory, Vestibular, Tactile
• Also called: Response-produced/inherent/task-intrinsic feedback

Augmented feedback (Extrinsic): Information about performing an action that is fed back to the learner by an external source to supplement (augment) the use of intrinsic feedback

• Eg. coach (sport), therapist (physio), video-replay, tell you+video

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Knowledge of results vs. Knowledge of performance:

Knowledge of results: gives information about the outcome of a performance attempt: works best with general sports

• Can be both intrinsic and augmented: performance + results
• Redundant: same info; seen and achieved (ex. Hockey, basketball, golf)
• Not redundant: not beneficial (ex. Diving, gymnastics, figure skating) she got into the pool
• Finely graded: includes both a magnitude and a direction (ex. 25ms, 5 yards to the left)
• Graded: includes only a direction; not number (too slow, to the left)
• Binary: Includes neither a magnitude nor a direction (ex. hit/miss)

Knowledge of performance: gives  information about movement characteristics of a performance (aesthetic sports: gymnastics, weightlifting, trampoline, figure skating)

• See gait cycle
• See trajectory of tennis racquet during serve

Results vs Performance:

Similarities:

• Verbal/verablizable
• Augmented
• Provided after movement (usually)

Differences:

• Results: 
  • Info abt goal outcome
  • Often redundant w/ intrinsic feedback
  • Usually provided as a score
  • Often used in laboratory research (studying feedback: blindfolded)
• Performance:
  • Info abt movement pattern
  • Usually distinct from intrinsic feedback
  • Usually kinematic info
  • Often provided in everyday activites