Extending Executive-Control: Pre-reads, Reason and Plans in Strategic Automaticity

Abstract

Do we deliberate when we engage in skilled behavior? The answer is yes. We deliberate to apply whole skill sets within the domain they are practiced. We also engage in hypothetical scenarios that occur as mind-wandering episodes and visualizations. However, once we decide on the application of a skill set, such mind-wandering episodes and visualizations are no longer necessary to carry out the application of said skillset. For Alex Dayer and Carolyn Dicey Jennings, this is a conversation on executive-control, strategic automaticity, chunked skillsets and mind-wandering episodes. For Otto Lappi, the concept of chunking is brought to the foreground when Lappi explains how a race car driver deliberates while driving a race car. My paper integrates both ideas and I argue that an expert athlete deliberates on pre-reads and plans within the sense of control involved in strategic automaticity. The deeper philosophical point comes when I speak on metacognition in sports. That is, we should mindfully process mind-wandering episodes and visualizations to our chunked skillsets via pre-reads and plans involved in strategic automaticity. Now when we are not privileged with the opportunity to do so, meaning we do not have an opponent to actively respond to. Such as situations like a free-throw shot, then it benefits the athlete to mindfully process metacognitive episodes. In this situation it benefits the athlete to directly or indirectly process such metacognition. A direct benefit is to visualize oneself attaining their goal.An indirect benefit is to be actively absent, such as singing a song or having some routine. This will allow the athlete to engage in the automatic behavior without catastrophizing via mindwandering and visualization. v