The Movement Kinematics and Learning Strategies Associated with Adopting Different Foci of Attention during Both Acquisition and Anxious Performance

Abstract

Research suggests that implicit strategies adopted during learning help prevent breakdown of automatic processes and subsequent performance decrements associated with the presence of pressure. According to the Constrained Action Hypothesis, automaticity of movement is promoted when adopting an external focus of attention. The purpose of the current experiment was to investigate if learning with an external focus of attention can enhance performance under subsequent pressure situations through promoting implicit learning and automaticity. Since previous research has generally used outcome measures of performance, the current study adopted measures of movement production. Specifically, we calculated within-subject variability in trajectory velocity and distance traveled every 10% of movement time. This detailed kinematic analysis allowed investigation into some of the previously unexplored mechanisms responsible for the benefits of adopting an external focus of attention. Novice participants performed a 2.5 m golf putt. Following a pre-test, participants were randomly assigned to one of three focus groups (internal, external, control). Participants then completed 400 acquisition trials over two consecutive days before being subjected to both a low anxiety and high anxiety (HA) transfer test. Dependent variables included variability, number of successful putts and mean radial error. Results revealed that variability was greater in the internal compared to the external and control groups. Putting performance revealed that all groups increased performance following acquisition. However, only the control group demonstrated a decrement in performance in the HA transfer test. These findings suggest that adopting an appropriate focus of attention during learning can prevent choking; with an external focus inhibiting the breakdown of automatic processes and an internal focus acting as a self-focus learning strategy and thus desensitizing individuals to anxiety effects.

Enhancing motor learning of young soccer players through preventing an internal focus of attention: The effect of shoes colour

“…In line with this suggestion, previous literature [ 20 ] indicates that adopting an environmental focus (i.e., a focus that is outside of the body, but not explicitly centered toward the effects of a movement e.g., focusing on an auditory tone, focusing on footwear colour and its contact with the ball) results in greater performance compared to adopting an internal FOA. In a similar vein, Lawrence et al, [ 22 ] reported that under both internal and external FOA conditions participants create a comparable number of explicit cues/rules regarding the movement technique. The performance benefits of adopting an external FOA in Lawrence et al, [ 22 ] were attributed to these explicit cues/rules being environmental focused and not body centered (thus preventing the constraining processes proposed within the CAH) in the external FOA condition.…”

“…In a similar vein, Lawrence et al, [ 22 ] reported that under both internal and external FOA conditions participants create a comparable number of explicit cues/rules regarding the movement technique. The performance benefits of adopting an external FOA in Lawrence et al, [ 22 ] were attributed to these explicit cues/rules being environmental focused and not body centered (thus preventing the constraining processes proposed within the CAH) in the external FOA condition. Whilst the current experiment did not measure the number or type of explicitly generated cues/rules, it is possible that the benefits of the Colour condition over that of the IFOA condition are due, in part, to this effect.…”

Verbal-Motor Attention-Focusing Instructions Influence Kinematics and Performance on a Golf-Putting Task

“…We studied golf putting because it has proved to be sensitive to attentional focus manipulations, and it has been investigated frequently in studies on the effect of focus changes on performance (e.g., Bell & Hardy, 2009;Land & Tenenbaum, 2012;Lawrence, Gottwald, Khan, & Kramer, 2012;S. M. Weiss, Reber, & Owen, 2008;Wulf, Lauterbach, & Toole, 1998;Wulf & Su, 2007).…”

Influências do sexo na atenção e na aprendizagem de habilidades motoras

“…Previous studies have showed that instructions inducing external focus of attention can benefit learning when compared to internal focus, in different populations and tasks [10][11][12][13][14] ; however, studies with children are incipient. Several reasons can explain the lack of interest in this population.…”