Analogy instructions may promote effective skill acquisition by providing movement specific information that can be processed as a single, meaningful unit, rather than as separate 'bits' of information (Liao & Masters, 2001; Masters, 2000). Behavioural evidence suggests that information processing associated with analogy instructions is less effortful than information processing associated with explicit instructions, resulting in reduced verbal-analytical involvement in movement control (Lam, Maxwell, & Masters, 2009b). This experiment was designed to test whether analogy instructions promote higher psychomotor efficiency, characterised by greater high-alpha power in the left hemisphere of the brain (Hillman, Apparies, Janelle, & Hatfield, 2000) and reduced co-activation between the verbal processing (left temporal lobe T7) and motor planning regions of the brain (frontal midline Fz, Hatfield & Hillman, 2001) during motor performance. Novices practiced a hockey push-pass task using an analogy instruction, explicit instructions or no instructions (control). Push-pass accuracy during a combined task (passing coupled with decisionmaking) was significantly better following the analogy instruction, which suggested that information processing was less effortful. Left-temporal (T7) EEG high-alpha power was significantly higher in the analogy condition, but T7-Fz co-activation was not significantly different among the conditions. It is possible that the analogy instruction influenced verbal aspects of information processing without impacting on efficiency of motor planning. Consequently, an analogy instruction may promote cognitive, rather than psychomotor, efficiency.

Objectives: Conscious engagement in movement control can influence motor performance.In most cases, the left hemisphere of the brain plays an important role in verbal-analytical processing and reasoning, so changes in the balance of hemispheric activation may influence conscious engagement in movement. Evidence suggests that unilateral hand contractions influence hemispheric activation, but no study has investigated whether there is an associated effect of hand contractions on verbal-analytical processing and psychophysiological activity during motor performance. This study was designed to examine whether pre-performance unilateral hand contraction protocols change verbal-analytical involvement and psychophysiological activity during motor performance. Design: A repeated measures crossover design was employed. Methods: Twenty-eight participants completed three hand contraction protocols in a randomised order: left, right and no-hand contractions. Electroencephalography (EEG) measures of hemispheric asymmetry were computed during hand contractions. A golf putting task was conducted after each protocol. EEG connectivity between sites overlying the left verbal-analytical temporal region (T7) and the motor planning region (Fz) was computed for the 3-sec prior to movement initiation. Additionally, electrocardiography (ECG) and electromyography (EMG) signals were analysed 6-sec prior to movement initiation until 6-sec after. Golf putting performance was obtained by distance from the target and putter swing kinematics. Results: Contralateral hemisphere activity was revealed for the left and right-hand contraction conditions. During motor planning, the lefthand contraction protocol led to significantly lower T7-Fz connectivity, and the right-hand contraction protocol led to significantly higher T7-Fz connectivity than the other conditions. EMG, ECG and kinematic measures did not differ as a function of condition. Importantly, T7-Fz connectivity mediated the relationship between hand squeezing and motor performance (distance from the target). Conclusion: The EEG results suggest that pre-3 performance unilateral hand contractions influence the extent of verbal-analytical engagement in motor planning, which in turn influences motor performance. However, the hand contractions did not influence cardiac activity, muscle activity or kinematics.

No abstract

It has been suggested that a high propensity for reinvestment (i.e., conscious processing of movements) can disrupt performance, but the mechanisms responsible are not well understood. The purpose of this study was to examine whether people with superior inhibition function (i.e., ability to suppress unwanted thoughts and behaviours) were better able to suppress conscious processing of their movements (i.e., reinvestment).Inhibition function was assessed using a Go/NoGo button-press task, and individual propensity for reinvestment was assessed using the Movement Specific Reinvestment Scale (MSRS) and the Decision-Specific Reinvestment Scale (DSRS). The results revealed positive associations between inhibition function and reinvestment propensity, with better inhibition function evident in people who displayed a higher propensity to reinvest (MSRS and DSRS). Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that trait anxiety moderated the relationship between inhibition and movement specific reinvestment, with higher MSRS scores associated with better inhibition function in people with low trait anxiety. This association was not significant among people with high trait anxiety.Possible explanations for these results are discussed.