44 Why does the presence of others change the performance of an individual athlete? Why is this social facilitation effect sometimes good and sometimes bad? Does it matter whether the other people are observing, evaluating or performing the same action? Does being “observed” via activity monitoring technology facilitate performance? Download link Articles/links: The Dynamogenic Factors…
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1. An introduction to the Ultra Running Science & Superstitions podcast hosted by Professor Rob Gray from ASU. Highlights the main features that will be covered including: (i) Race reports from the South West region of the USA, (ii) training stories and updates, (iii) running science, and (iv) examining the myths and superstitions of running….
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43 Should the goal of practice be to reduce movement variability to as low a value as possible? Is high variability the signature of an unskilled performer or a necessity for effective learning? Download link Articles/links: A schema theory of discrete motor skill learning Feedback-Induced Variability and the Learning of Generalized Motor Programs Optimizing generalized…
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42 My list of the top 5 sports psychology stories from 2016: 5. The death knell for brain games? 4. Deliberate practice fights back! 3. What to do about the relative age effect? 2. Advances in teamwork research 1. Somebody’s watching (or monitoring) me Download link Articles/links: Do “Brain-Training” Programs Work? Peak: The New Science…
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41 A look at visual channeling theory and its consequences for perception. Why are some people blind to approaching objects in certain areas of their visual field and what implications does it have for sport? Download link Articles/links: The Charles F. Prentice Award Lecture 1990: specific tests and specific blindnesses: keys, locks, and parallel processing…
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40B My report from the Sports Biometrics Conference held from Nov 13-15, 2016. Issues discussed include validity of analytics data, whether athletes are going to agree to be continuously monitored and the frequent disconnect between science and practice. Download link Articles/links: http://sports-biometrics-conference.com/ http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2097866-the-sleeve-that-could-save-baseball-exclusive-look-at-new-mlb-technology More information: My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU…
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40A News: A look at a few recent articles examining the effects of anxiety and pressure on performance and methods for counteracting these effects. Does pressure effect the planning or online control of movements? Could increasing anxiety in practice benefit motor learning? What are holistic goals and how can they reduce pressure effects? Download link…
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40 Why do we have two eyes? Is binocular vision necessary for successful performance of motor actions like those involved in sports and driving? Or is it just redundant information? What is it like to live with just one eye? Download link Articles/links: Binocular Vision and Stereopsis The visual and driving performance of monocular and…
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39B Which is better: specific or variable practice? How does it depend on what you are trying to achieve in terms of retention and transfer of skill? The ultramarathon as a complex system and my report on surviving my first one! Download link Articles/links: A sensorimotor basis for motor learning: evidence indicating specificity of practice…
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39A Is fear in a performer a debilitating problem that must be overcome? Or can freezing from fear actually improve our ability to perceive and act? Download link Articles: Ready and waiting: Freezing as active action preparation under threat Simulated self-motion alters perceived time to collision Freezing promotes perception of coarse visual features Seeing fearful…
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