TY - CONF

T1 - Ecological uses of external and internal foci of attention: A qualitative investigation into OPTIMAL Theory of Motor Learning.

AU - Gottwald, Vicky

AU - Hardman, Liam

AU - Owen, Robin

AU - Gallicchio, Germano

AU - Roberts, James

AU - Knight, Camilla

PY - 2024/7/16

Y1 - 2024/7/16

N2 - Recently, research has begun to shift away from investigating attentional and psychological mechanisms in isolation when accounting for the focus of attention phenomenon. Numerous studies have demonstrated that autonomy, enhanced expectancies, and an external focus of attention can benefit motor learning and performance by enhancing the goal-action coupling. A prominent theoretical framework accounting for these effects is the OPTIMAL Theory of Motor Learning. However, no study to date has utilised inductive qualitative approaches to investigate athletes’ natural tendency to utilise all these facets in their performance and learning environments. Recreational gymnasts and darts players took part in semi-structured interviews which evaluated their perceptions of autonomy, enhanced expectancies, and focus of attention facets when learning or performing their sport. Preliminary thematic analysis revealed that the use of OPTIMAL facets differed between sports. In line with OPTIMAL theory, autonomy and enhanced expectancies were perceived as beneficial by both gymnasts and darts players. However, contrary to OPTIMAL, gymnasts more so than darts players reported benefits to adopting an internal focus (e.g., on body positioning) over an external focus (e.g., environmental movement effects). This is explained by differing congruence between afferent information most pertinent for task success and focus of attention. Whereby proprioceptive information is prioritised for processing during a gymnastics (form-based) task and thus more congruent with an internal focus of attention. Conversely, visual information is likely prioritised for task success in darts (a far-aiming task) and subsequently more congruent with an external focus. The present results encourage re-evaluation of OPTIMAL Theory; additional flexibility may be needed, instead of OPTIMAL’s staunch advocacy of an external focus of attention in all scenarios, to account for sporting situations where an internal focus of attention may be best for learning and/or performance. An Ecological Dynamical Account of Attentional Focus may offer such flexibility.

AB - Recently, research has begun to shift away from investigating attentional and psychological mechanisms in isolation when accounting for the focus of attention phenomenon. Numerous studies have demonstrated that autonomy, enhanced expectancies, and an external focus of attention can benefit motor learning and performance by enhancing the goal-action coupling. A prominent theoretical framework accounting for these effects is the OPTIMAL Theory of Motor Learning. However, no study to date has utilised inductive qualitative approaches to investigate athletes’ natural tendency to utilise all these facets in their performance and learning environments. Recreational gymnasts and darts players took part in semi-structured interviews which evaluated their perceptions of autonomy, enhanced expectancies, and focus of attention facets when learning or performing their sport. Preliminary thematic analysis revealed that the use of OPTIMAL facets differed between sports. In line with OPTIMAL theory, autonomy and enhanced expectancies were perceived as beneficial by both gymnasts and darts players. However, contrary to OPTIMAL, gymnasts more so than darts players reported benefits to adopting an internal focus (e.g., on body positioning) over an external focus (e.g., environmental movement effects). This is explained by differing congruence between afferent information most pertinent for task success and focus of attention. Whereby proprioceptive information is prioritised for processing during a gymnastics (form-based) task and thus more congruent with an internal focus of attention. Conversely, visual information is likely prioritised for task success in darts (a far-aiming task) and subsequently more congruent with an external focus. The present results encourage re-evaluation of OPTIMAL Theory; additional flexibility may be needed, instead of OPTIMAL’s staunch advocacy of an external focus of attention in all scenarios, to account for sporting situations where an internal focus of attention may be best for learning and/or performance. An Ecological Dynamical Account of Attentional Focus may offer such flexibility.

M3 - Paper

T2 - FEPSAC Congress 2024 - European Congress of Sport and Exercise Psychology

Y2 - 15 July 2024 through 19 July 2024

ER -