Attention & Motor Performance

A Game to Remember  It’s March The game was tied. David Hehn travels down court. He receives the pass; he stops; he shoots. The crowd is silent as the ball travels through the air. All eyes are on the ball. The ball goes in! UVM wins! UVM is the America East Champions!

Attention What factors influenced this basketball player’s attention? What was he focused on? How can attentional capacity and focus be enhanced?

Attention  Capacity to engage in perceptual, cognitive and motor activities  Attentional capacity limited

Attentional Capacity  Limited availability of attentional resources One Central Resource Pool One Central Resource Pool Task A Task B Flexible capacity limits

Attention 1. Arousal & Performance Performance Arousal L H poor good How is this related to attention ?

Attentional Capacity 2. Task Requirements Complexity & number Complexity & number (pat head, pat head & rub stomach, etc.)

Attentional Capacity 3. Rules At least 1 task completed At least 1 task completed Novel/new or highly familiar/meaningful Novel/new or highly familiar/meaningful Specific intention or direction Specific intention or direction

Attentional Capacity Multiple Resource Pool Multiple Resource Pool Input- output codes HOP- HOP- JUMP Infoprocessing

Attentional Focus  Process used to selectively attend or direct attention to specific environmental info broad narrow Breadth Direction internal external

Example Feeling in the left knee Feel of the full golf swing Center of the catcher’s glove Movements of opposing players narrow broad external internal

Examples  Hitting a baseball  Throwing a football pass  Throwing a shot put  Catching a frisbee  Others?

Arousal & Focus Irrelevent stimuli Task- relevent stimuli

“Choking” Decrease in performance at critical times What happens physically? What detriments to performance result? WHY??

Attentional Focus  Attentional Switching Real-world settings require us to switch focus of attention Real-world settings require us to switch focus of attention Need to do it quickly & at appropriate time Need to do it quickly & at appropriate time

Attentious & Consciousness  Attention demanding activities do not always involve conscious awareness  Automaticity implies skills can be performed without attentional demands

Attention & Consciousness Automaticity developed through practice

Visual Search  Process of directing visual attention to locate appropriate cues  Distinctiveness of relevant features important in visual selection

Visual Search  What makes environmental features more distinct?

Visual Search  Visual search of critical cues impacts: Action selection Action selection Constraining of selected action Constraining of selected action Timing of initiation of action Timing of initiation of action

Practical Examples & Implications  Optimal Arousal  Attentional Capacity  Attentional Focus  Teaching to Anticipate  Visual Search