Information--movement coupling is a fundamental concept, integral to theorizing on the coordination of goal-directed activity in ecological psychology. In this paper, we examine the implications of this concept for the design of experimental research and the organization of practice during the acquisition of movement coordination in sport tasks. The task vehicle for our analysis is interceptive actions, in particular self-paced extrinsic timing tasks exemplified by serving in sports such as volleyball. Recent research highlighting the relevance of information--movement coupling for the process of practice in sport is discussed. We conclude that information--movement coupling represents an important principle for the structural organization of research and practice in self-paced extrinsic timing tasks and that further work is required to verify its significance across a range of sport movements.

In this study, the authors examined how task, informational, and sensorimotor system constraints influence postural control. Postural behavior of subjects with (n = 15) and without (n = 15) a key sensorimotor system constraint, anterior cruciate ligaments (ACLs) in 1 knee, was examined during 1- and 2-legged stance with and without vision. Postural control was assessed on a commonly used postural sway meter and on a dynamic stabilometer. Data on postural sway characteristics were obtained for 30 s under 6 different conditions: standing, with eyes open and closed, on both legs, on the injured leg, and on the noninjured leg. The interaction of task, informational, and sensorimotor constraints was observed only on the dynamic stabilometer and not the postural sway meter. Vision was the most important informational constraint on postural control for subjects on the dynamic stabilometer, particularly for the ACL-deficient group standing on the injured leg. Under more static task constraints, ACL deficiency did not prove a significant disadvantage, because vision was confirmed as a significant source of exproprioceptive information. The results support the functionality of using dynamic tasks such as a stabilometer in assessing postural behavior of subjects with sensorimotor system constraints.

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Previous motor learning studies examining the effects of practicing to catch one-handed under varying informational constraints on subsequent skill acquisition are equivocal, perhaps due to the use of relatively inexperienced adult participants. Ecological theory predicts that directing the learner's search for information in the perceptual-motor workspace can enhance skill acquisition. This study manipulated visual informational constraints on novice children (ages 9-10 years) learning to catch one-handed. A crossover transfer design was implemented in which one group acted as controls while two other groups practiced either without visual restrictions before transferring to full vision, or vice versa. The data indicated that learners forced to seek additional information sources under restricted viewing conditions demonstrated a greater positive, accumulative residual effect on acquiring a catching skill. The findings contradict current work on the specificity of practice hypothesis and suggest that varying visual informational constraints to encourage exploratory practice may represent a significant pedagogical approach to motor learning in sport.