Praised for its clarity and sport focus, this new edition of Acquisition and Performance of Sports Skills, provides students with the theoretical and practical background that is necessary for an understanding of the basics of skill acquisition and performance. To reflect the debate among researchers into psychomotor learning the ecological versus the cognitive approach the author includes examples from both schools of thought, thus ensuring a balanced approach.
As well as a major update of the text, examples and recommended reading, the new edition includes problem–solving tasks and, in each chapter, a report and brief critique of a relevant research paper. An accompanying website contains all the figures from the book together with a PowerPoint presentation of the key elements of each topic.
A new edition of an established textbook, that looks at skill acquisition firmly within the context of sports performance.
Clearly written, carefully structured and well illustrated with a colour plate section.
Excellent pedagogy including learning objectives, problem–solving tasks and end of chapter questions.
An accompanying website includes all the fi gures with annotations of the key elements of each topic and end of chapter experiments.
Written by an author with many years teaching, research and practical coaching experience, the new edition of this successful textbook will prove invaluable for students of sport and exercise science taking a first course in skill acquisition, motor learning and/or motor control.
Table of Contents
Preface xiii
Acknowledgements xix
About the Companion Website xxi
1 Skill, Ability and Performance 1
Learning objectives 1
Skill 2
Classification of skills 3
Ability 6
Genes 8
The ability skill interaction 10
Summary 12
Theories of performance 12
Information processing theory 13
Ecological psychology theories 17
Conclusion 20
Summary 20
Skill 20
Ability 20
Ability–skill interaction 21
Information processing theory 21
Ecological psychology theories 22
Test your knowledge 22
Part one 22
Part two 24
Additional reading 24
2 Sensation and Perception of External Information 25
Learning objectives 25
Information processing theory, sensation and perception 26
Definition of Perception 27
Signal detection theory 28
Pattern recognition 30
Selective attention 33
Visual search 36
Quiet eye 37
Individual differences 37
Summary 39
Ecological psychology and perception 39
Criticisms of the ecological approach 43
Summary 43
Developmental factors 43
Vision 43
Audition 44
Perceptual development and the environment 44
Conclusion 44
Summary 45
Information processing theory and perception 45
Ecological psychology and perception 47
Developmental factors 47
Test your knowledge 48
Part one 48
Part two 50
Part three 51
Additional reading 51
3 Decision Making and Working Memory 53
Learning objectives 53
Decision making 54
Working memory and decision making 54
Dynamical systems theory and goal achievement 58
Child development 58
Piagetian theory 59
Mental space theory 60
Domain–specificity theories 60
Information processing theory and cognitive development 61
Ecological psychology theories of cognitive development 61
Summary 62
Ageing 65
Research findings and problems with research design 65
Conclusion 67
Summary 68
Information processing theory and decision making 68
Working memory and decision making 68
Functional brain regions and working memory 68
Dynamical systems theory and goal achievement 69
Developmental issues 69
Research 69
Test your knowledge 70
Part one 70
Part two 71
Part three 72
Additional reading 72
4 Reaction Time 73
Learning objectives 73
Reaction time, movement time and response time: definitions 74
Inter– and intraindividual differences 76
Hick Hyman Law 77
Probability and choice reaction time 77
Psychological refractory period 78
Stimulus and response factors 79
Central executive tasks and reaction time 84
Arousal and reaction time 84
Development and reaction time 85
Ageing 85
Reaction time research findings as evidence for and against information processing theory 85
Summary 86
Test your knowledge 87
Part one 87
Part two 88
Part three 89
Additional reading 89
5 Anticipation 91
Learning objectives 91
Interceptive actions 92
Information processing theory and interceptive actions 92
Watching the object to be intercepted 93
Action systems theory and interceptive actions 94
Perceptual anticipation 95
Information processing theory and perceptual anticipation 95
Ecological psychology and perceptual anticipation 96
Development and anticipation 102
Summary 103
Information processing theory and interceptive actions 103
Action systems theory and interceptive actions 103
Watching the ball and interceptive actions 103
Information processing theory and perceptual anticipation 103
Ecological psychology and perceptual anticipation 103
Research paradigms in perceptual anticipation 104
Research results 104
Developmental factors 104
Test your knowledge 104
Part one 104
Part two 106
Part three 107
Additional reading 107
6 Motor Control 109
Learning objectives 109
Central nervous system peripheral nervous system interaction 110
Types of feedback 113
Summary 119
Information processing theory and efferent organization 119
Motor programmes 120
Summary 123
Ecological psychology and motor control 123
Visual guidance of movement 125
Summary 126
Development and motor control 127
Neurological and physiological growth 127
Adolescence 128
Ageing 129
Theories of motor development 129
Ecological psychology and motor development 130
Motor performance 131
Ageing 132
Practical implications 132
Mini–games 133
Conditioned games 133
Gender issues 134
Physical stress during performance 134
Summary 135
Brain and motor control 135
Proprioception 135
Motor programmes 135
Ecological psychology and motor control 135
Developmental issues 136
Theories of motor development 136
Motor performance 136
Test your knowledge 137
Part one 137
Part two 138
Additional reading 139
7 Memory 141
Learning objectives 141
Information processing theory and short–term memory 142
Sensory information store 142
Short–term memory 142
Forgetting in short–term memory 143
Short–term motor memory 144
Information processing theory and long–term memory 147
Long–term motor memory 147
Declarative long–term memory 148
Non–declarative long–term memory 148
Regional brain functions and memory 149
Development and short–term and long–term memory 150
Ecological psychology and attunement to affordances 151
Summary 152
Sensory information store 152
Short–term memory 152
Short–term motor memory 152
Long–term memory 153
Long–term motor memory 153
Declarative memory 153
Non–declarative memory 153
Regional brain functions 153
Development 153
Ecological psychology and attunement to affordances 154
Test your knowledge 154
Part one 154
Part two 155
Additional reading 156
8 Learning I: Types, theories, styles and measurement 157
Learning objectives 157
Types of learning 158
Explicit learning 158
Implicit learning 159
Mental rehearsal 163
Cognitive theories of learning 163
Fitts and Posner s three stage theory 164
Gentile s model of learning 164
Adams closed loop theory of learning 165
Schmidt s schema theory 166
Anderson s adaptive control of thought (ACT∗) theory 167
Observational learning theory 168
Dynamical systems theory and learning 168
Learning and coaching/teaching styles 170
Learning styles 171
Coaching/teaching styles 172
Optimal periods of learning 176
Measuring learning 176
Types of tests used to infer learning 179
Summary 182
Cognitive theories of learning 182
Dynamical systems theory and learning 183
Learning styles 183
Coaching/teaching styles 183
Practical implications 184
Measurement 184
Test your knowledge 184
Part one 184
Part two 185
Part three 186
Additional reading 187
9 Learning II: Instruction, Practice, Transfer of Training and Feedback 189
Learning objectives 189
Instruction 190
Analogy as a form of instruction 191
Focus of attention 191
Demonstration 192
Mirror neurons 193
Practice 193
Types of practice 193
Variability of practice 198
Contextual interference 199
Dynamical systems theory and practice 200
Transfer of training 201
Transfer theories 202
Bilateral transfer 204
Feedback 205
Observation 205
Timing and precision of feedback 208
Summary 213
Feedback formats 213
Practical implications 214
Deciding on session content 215
Deciding on the type of instruction 216
Practice, observation and feedback 217
Observation 218
Feedback 219
Summary 221
Instruction and demonstration 221
Practice 221
Deliberate practice 221
Variability of practice 221
Contextual interference 221
Dynamical systems theory and practice 222
Transfer of training 222
Feedback 223
Practical implications 223
Test your knowledge 224
Part one 224
Part two 226
Part three 227
Part four 228
Additional reading 228
10 Motivation, Arousal, and Learning and Performance 229
Learning objectives 229
Motivation 229
Motivational theories 230
Self–determination theory 230
Achievement motivation theory 231
Achievement goal theory 232
Summary 233
Practical implications 233
Developmental issues 234
Arousal and performance 235
Arousal–performance theories 235
Regional brain functions and arousal 240
Practical implications 241
High levels of arousal 243
Summary 247
Motivation 247
Arousal 248
Theories of arousal–performance interaction 248
Regional brain functions and arousal 249
Practical implications 249
Test your knowledge 250
Part one 250
Part two 251
Part three 252
Additional reading 252
11 Conclusion 253
State of the art 253
Skill 253
Abilities 254
Perception 254
Decision making 255
Reaction time 255
Anticipation 255
Motor control 255
Memory 255
Learning 256
Practice 256
Arousal and performance 256
Information processing theory versus ecological psychology theories 256
Neuroscientific input 258
Appendix 1: Writing an Academic Paper 259
Version one 259
Version two 260
Appendix 2: Test Your Knowledge Answers 263
Chapter 1 263
Part one 263
Part two 263
Chapter 2 263
Part one 263
Part two 264
Part three 264
Chapter 3 265
Part one 265
Part two 265
Part three 266
Chapter 4 266
Part one 266
Part two 267
Part three 267
Chapter 5 268
Part one 268
Part two 268
Part three 269
Chapter 6 270
Part one 270
Part two 271
Chapter 7 272
Part one 272
Part two 272
Chapter 8 272
Part one 272
Part two 272
Part three 273
Chapter 9 273
Part one 273
Part two 273
Part three 274
Part four 274
Chapter 10 275
Part one 275
Part two 276
Part three 276
Appendix 3: Calculating variable error 277
References 279
Index 291
