Isaac Wong SEHS Notes 24-26 (1) PDF

Theme C: Sport psychology and motor learning: C1 Individual Differences C1.1 Personality = characteristic or trait that makes someone unique that doesn't change, but at the same time making them comparable. -​ Interaction between genet...

Theme C: Sport psychology and motor learning: C1 Individual Differences C1.1 Personality = characteristic or trait that makes someone unique that doesn't change, but at the same time making them comparable. -​ Interaction between genetic traits and environment -​ Crucial role in sport performance and team dynamics Traits: OCEAN Term Description Importance to sport Example CURIOUS Adaptable to different A basketball player suggesting a Openness Extent to explore new things, positions + new strategies new training method to improve ability to be vulnerable, and team performance. Creativity in plays capacity for original thinking. ORGANISED APPROACH Tendency to control impulses Maintaining discipline, follow Follows training plan and diet to Conscientiousness Act in socially acceptable ways rules, goal setting prepare for an upcoming event. Facilitate goal-directed behaviour COMFORTABLE AROUND PPL Motivating teammates with Extent to which individuals Improve team dynamics and Extraversion enthusiastic speeches before draw energy from interacting communication every game. with others or find it draining. How well individuals relate to Helps teammates improve their Teamwork, conflict Agreeableness others and act in a way that skills and avoids conflicts during resolution, sportsmanship preserves relationships. practice. TENDENCY TOWARDS NEGATIVE FEELING Neuroticism Handle pressure, bouncing Extent to which individuals back from setbacks, seeing A sprinter who becomes anxious perceive situations as situations as threateaning distressing or maintain emotional balance. How can traits/personality be used? -​ Traits help predict long-term behaviour (e.g., leadership potential) -​ Explain why people act differently in certain situations (e.g stage fright b4 public speaking) -​ Help motivational/training strategies -​ Athletes will relate better to those that understand them -​ Team composition - diverse personalities can create a well rounded team -​ Coaching strategies; communication, conflict resolution, personalities insights for personal growth and improvement How to identify traits? LOTS Lifetime history Observations from family and friends - different situations Testing (experimental and standardised) - Self reported - can be bias to impress Lewis Model of Interactionism Modern interpretation of interactionism (How we learn and develop our behaviours) 1.​ Competencies: confidence in skills and expectations 2.​ Processing Strategies Reframing = negative → positive 3.​ Expectancies 4.​ Plans Beliefs VS Expectations -​ Beliefs relate to actual world -​ Expectancies relate to what an individual thinks can happen  Perfectionism -​ High standards -​ Flawlessness -​ Highly critical Two types of perfectionism 1.​ Adaptive: high focus on standard low focus on mistakes -​ Maladaptive: high focus on standard and high focus on mistakes (concerned about others) State based psychology = Focuses on temporary conditions that influence an individual’s behaviour, emotions, or thoughts in a specific moment or situation. -​ Stable - part of personality that doesn't change (Consistent, Internal) -​ Situational - Certain situations (Dynamic, external) Psychology terms -​ Self concept - descriptive picture we have of ourselves, includes physical attributes -​ Self esteem - how we value ourselves, reflects how significant others value us -​ Self confidence - self assuredness in one's personal judgement and ability Personality and Health Type A Type B Tend to be highly competitive, self critical, ambitious Tolerant, relaxed, reflective, lack of competitive instinct Characterized to be impatient and aggressive More content and adaptable to change Prone to stress Prone to develop coronary heart disease 1.​ Unproven that happiness is a direct cause of good health 2.​ Unproven that negative emotions →diseases 3.​ Unproven that challenging work → long term health risks 4.​ People who are conscientiousness are stay healthier and thrive longer Bandura Social learning Theories 1.​ Attention; notice behaviour 2.​ Retention; behaviour is remembered 3.​ Reproduction; Repetition of behaviour 4.​ Motivation; reason to replicate Vicarious Learning: AKA observational learning, is a process in which individuals learn by observing the behaviours of others rather than through direct experience. Observational Learning: -​ People learn new behaviours by watching others (models) in their environment. -​ Role of the Model: Models can be people in close proximity (e.g family) or those observed indirectly (e.g., through media). The model's behaviour, attitude, and the consequences of their actions influence whether the behaviour will be imitated. Reinforcement and Punishment -​ Observing positive outcomes (reinforcement) for behaviour increases the likelihood of imitation Reinforcement → positive reward = repeat action -​ Observing negative outcomes (punishment) decreases the likelihood of imitation Self Efficacy one's sense of competence and effectiveness -​ Belief in their ability to accomplish specific tasks or achieve goals -​ Essentially confidence in one's capabilities to succeed in particular situations or challenges including learning Discuss how social learning theory can help a PE teacher promote physical activity in children (3) -​ people learn through observational learning -​ PE teacher can be a role model to promote physical activity in children -​ Using positive reinforcement to teach children -​ social learning theory proposes that the behaviour, the environment and the person continuously change and influence each other -​ personal factors, (eg behavioural/emotional factors) social factors, and physical and social environmental factors must be considered when trying to understand physical activity behaviours Discuss how a sports coach uses social learning theory when using demonstration as a learning tool. (4) -​ Demonstration is a powerful tool when learning sport -​ athletes are involved in observational learning when they copy the sports coach’s demonstration -​ Social learning theory states that skilled behaviour is learned through observation of demonstrations -​ Four Processes - Attention, Retention, Motor Reproduction, Motivation C1.2 Mental Toughness -​ Mental toughness is a malleable trait -​ Partly relate to genetics -​ Can be improved in training -​ Environmental influences; training coaching and life experiences -​ Mental toughness is difficult to observe as it requires self reported assessment -​ Key attributes: Self belief, Determination, Resilience, Handling Pressure, Coping Skills, Remaining Focused, Persistence -​ Contributes to successful sporting performance in high pressure situations Mental toughness is positively associated with better health outcomes, including fewer depressive symptoms, fewer burnout sumportions and improved sleep quality. Having strong and resilient mind that can bounce back from tough situations and knowing how to take care of themselves Benefits of mental toughness to sport: -​ 4 Cs -​ Control the outcome - motivation stays high -​ Stickability -​ Unshakable self belief -​ Bounce back of setbacks -​ See threats/setbacks as opportunities -​ Persistence When can mental toughness be a bad thing? Not knowing when to stop → injury Mentally tough athletes employ coping skills: -​ Breathing -​ Pre performance routines -​ Surrounding with positive people Developing Mental Toughness (PST) -​ Imagery, goal setting, self talk Improves self confidence -​ Mindfulness Training Improve attention and cognitive flexibility Cope with stress Regulate thoughts and emotions Persevere despite setbacks Measuring Mental Toughness Hard to observe → Self reported (questionnaires and interviews) Limitations Want to give good impression → biased answers Depends on circumstances (answer differently depending on time of day) Self fulfilling prophecy - A sports person's perceived self confidence results in greater persistence and effort leading to an increased probability of eventual success. Self Fulfilling prophecy → *Increase in confidence and self belief can lead to better visualization *Can lead to better quality training and lead to believing yourself *Can lead to motivation and train harder *Strong belief in your ability and confidence in your skill level is more likely to result you in taking on challenges and being persistent in meeting your performance goals *Creates positive mindset *Employ strategies to overcome barriers *Learn from mistakes *Increase chances of success Perceived confidence → believe effort will make a difference → more likely to work harder and longer → improve chance of achieving success Perceived control = tendency to act + feel like one is influential Negative self fulfilling prophecy - lower self image which in turn increases expectation of future failure How can you help athletes to overcome this negative self-fulfilling prophecy? *Surround yourself with motivated people *Learn from mistakes and implement positive self talk/visualisation *Focus on preparation and control what you can control *Overcome negative self fulfilling prophecy through SELF CONFIDENCE; -​ Confidence in learning, fitness, mentality, learning/growth, execution of skill -​ Confidence in ability to use psychological skills (imagery,breathing techs, self talk) Self confidence can help: -​ Playing to win rather than playing to not lose -​ Arouse positive emotions -​ Increased effort -​ Set challenging goals to push themselves -​ View ‘negative’ situations as challenges and chances to learn Learned Helplessness - when an individual perceives that their actions have no effect on desired outcome. Person feels DOOMED to failure = Makes people stop trying to put effort How may learned helplessness affect performance? No point in trying Decreased confidence and drive Hopelessness Lack of perceived control Reduced Motivation Performance Anxiety Perfectionism Long-Term Consequences Coaches can increase learned helplessness when giving feedback; not highlighting that persistence and effort will pay off but instead informing to not even try Attribution Theory = Reasons people use to explain their successes and failures. Categories: -​ Locus of stability (stable or unstable) -​ Locus of causality (internal or external) -​ Locus of control (under control or under our control) 1. Stable factor:ability Unstable:luck 2. Internal:effort External:opponents experience, ref bias 3. Control:tactic Out of Control:weather conditions Defeat → blame external factors (luck) Success → use internal reasons (effort) to explain the outcome How can attribution theory can impact an athletes confidence -​ Winning because of what they did (training) = internal locus control = Athlete thinks the have control over what happens to them Winning will happen again (stable), more confident -​ Winning because of things outside of control (competition too easy) = external locus control. = Athletes believe that things happen to them without much control on their part. If think winning is just luck, might not be confident in future (unstable) Attribution Retraining: -​ Using video to analyse performance -​ Devise clear goal setting programme C.2 Motor Learning Approaches to Learning: Pedagogy: study of how to best teach. -​ Linear Pedagogy (traditional) Directed learning Based on a step-by-step, structured approach to learning motor skills. * content focused *Increasing difficulty should lead to linear learning progression through phases of learning (cognitive, associative, autonomous to be covered later) *Focuses on improving movement proficiency = reduction in cognitive processing whilst performing (achieving autonomy in movements) *Movement skills should be broken down into basic and simpler movements to facilitate learning and then built up. *Coach Led -​ Non-Linear Pedagogy Occurs in a non-linear, unpredictable manner with coach and athletes exploring a situation/problem/issue together *process oriented *Based upon an ecological dynamic approach & constraints-led approach *Involves exploratory learning and encouragement of individualised solutions *Encourages autonomy, competence and relatedness *Movement skills should be practiced in a dynamic performance context (game situations) - Performed, developed, acquired, adapted *Learners are encouraged to experiment with different movement patterns and solutions. *Teacher modifies task+environmental+personal constraints (constraints-led approach) E.g using a big ball first if someone trash at catching Ecological model: Athletes are able to continually adapt and perform well in the ever changing environment without the need for instructions from a coach/teacher. KEY CONCEPTS -​ Ecological dynamics theory: Movement is a result of the interaction between the athlete and the environment (objects/opponents/team mates/rules/plays/etc). Uses live perceptual information to respond. E.g a player does not need their coach to tell them to move left, instead they see someone - attacking left side -​ Dynamic Systems Theory: Explain how complex systems with many interacting components, referred to as degrees of freedom, self-organize. E.g the motor response to a visual stimulus involves the coordination of -​ The eyes -​ Visual cortex of the brain -​ Muscular system Degrees of freedom = all the complex components needed to execute movement Self-Organization: The body organizes itself using these degrees of freedom to perform actions efficiently. Self-organisation of the degrees of freedom in our movement systems is influenced by: Personal Constraints: personal characteristics affecting performance (height) Task Constraints: rules or objectives shaping skill execution (ball size) Environmental Constraints: external factors influencing performance (surface) -​ Perception-action coupling/affordances: athletes can directly perceive and act upon available environmental information without needing to process that information. e.g stop when hearing whistle Affordances: opportunities offered by environment. The more familiar an athlete is with a movement → faster response + More efficient at attending to the relevant cues/information and discarding the rest (selective attention) Information processing model 1.​ Input: information comes in through your senses (e.g see, hear or feel) 2.​ Processing: brain interprets the information, decides what to do and makes plan 3.​ Output: Your body acts based on plan 4.​ Feedback: after the action, your learn if it worked and improve next time  Skill = something we learn, Skill= ability + selection of correct technique Ability = something your born with, stable don't change much over time -​ Innate traits -​ Stable (always there) -​ mainly genetically determined characteristic (or trait) (inherited from parents) -​ and can be used in a variety of skills (transferable). Skill is acquired through practice and training; it can improve with experience and may vary over time based on training regimens Skilled Performers Novice Performers Efficient, fluent, goal orientated, consistent inconsistent, sometimes produce a good performance, appear to lack of coordination, inefficient Types of skills: Cognitive requires mental engagement, involving problem-solving, decision-making, and strategic thinking. Perceptual: involve the ability to interpret sensory information to understand the environment. This includes using senses like sight and hearing to make informed decisions. Motors emphasize physical movement and coordination. These skills can be further divided into gross motor skills (large body movements) and fine motor skills (precise movements). Perceptual Motor integrates sensory perception with physical movement. This combination allows individuals to respond effectively to dynamic environments Skill Type Definition Examples Cognitive Requires thinking and decision-making Playing soccer (strategizing plays) Perceptual Interprets sensory information Reading green in golf Motor Emphasizes physical movement 100m Sprint Perceptual-Motor Combining sensory perception with motor actions Catching a fly ball in baseball Classification of skills 1.​ Gross-Fine Continuum Fine Skills: Dart throwing Involve smaller muscle movements High levels of coordination and precision needed Gross Skills: Weightlifting -​ Involve large muscle groups -​ Less precision required -​ Focus on strength and power 2.​ Open-Closed Continuum Closed Skills: penalty kick -​ Executed in stable environments -​ Performer controls timing and execution Open Skills: Basketball pass -​ Performed in unpredictable environments -​ Require quick decision-making and adaptability 3.​ Discrete-Serial-Continuous Continuum Discrete: Gymnastic flip -​ Distinct execution without overlap. Serial Triple Jump -​ Combine several discrete skills performed in sequence, more complex movement. Continuous swimming laps -​ Repetitive actions that flow 4.​ Pacing Continuum  Self paced: serving in tennis -​ Performer controls the timing and speed of execution -​ Allows for personal rhythm and decision-making Externally Paced: Batting in baseball -​ Timing and speed influenced by external factors -​ Dependent on environmental conditions 5.​ Interaction Continuum Individual: figure skating -​ Performed independently without direct interaction with others Coactive: Rowing team -​ Compete alongside each other, focusing on their own performance. Interactive: Basketball game -​ Teamwork and coordination are essential for success Stages of Skill Acquisition Continuum Consciousness Need focus Don't need to think about Practical -​ Cognitive phase: Provide clear instructions and demonstrations. Feedback from coaches -​ Autonomous phase: focus on tactical decision-making and situational practice. Details and fine adjustments. Pace of learning is fast Feedback from themselves  Performance: A temporary occurrence, fluctuating over time Learning: A Relatively permanent change in performance resulting from practice Skill Transfer Transfer of learning refers to the effect that practice on one task has on the learning or performance of another task. Transfer of learning can be positive, negative or zero. -​ Positive transfer is when the practice of one task has a facilitating effect on the learning or performance of another. Football Basketball change of directions movement around space -​ Negative transfer is when the practice of one task has an inhibiting effect on the learning or performance of another. -​ Zero transfer represents no effect. Swimming and Darts Bilateral transfer can be particularly useful in injury rehabilitation, where practicing with the uninjured limb can help maintain some skill level in the injured limb -Skill to skill: transfer between two skills. Little long term transfer. -Practice to Performance: positive transfer more likely if conditions are as similar as possible. (Boxing pads → Sparring) -Abilities to skill: abilities don't transfer completely but contributed significantly. -Stage to stage: motor skill development depends on building each new skill upon those previously learned. (conditioning games) -Principles to Skill: theory → better skill  -​ Generalised motor patterns are fundamental movement patterns -​ Key Characteristics: -​ Basic movement foundations -​ Developmentally sequenced -​ Universal across sports -​ Taught first in skill development Core GMPs include: ​ Running ​ Throwing ​ Jumping ​ Kicking ​ Striking -​ Executive motor programme: Combination of multiple motor programs (subroutines) working together Triple jump: run up, hop, step, jump -​ Subordinate motor patterns are specific variations or refinements of gmp baseball swing is a subordinate of a striking gmp This explains why athletes can adapt their techniques to different conditions without having to learn completely new movements for each situation. Characteristics: -​ Sport-specific adaptations -​ Technical refinements -​ Specialized movement patterns The striking GMP leads to subordinate patterns such as: Baseball swing Tennis forehand Each maintains core striking elements but with sport-specific modifications Generalized Requirements: Judging distance and speed, size of object, hand movement, balanced Specific requirements: Technique around object: Frisbee, basketball  Schmidt's Schema Theory - GMP are stored and modified through recall and recognition schemas -​ Learning is linear -​ Recall Schema: Memory triggers choice and initiation of action -​ Recognition Schema : memory of the feel of movement, allows for appropriate changes in action 1.​ Generalized Motor Programs (GMPs): ​ Instead of storing specific movements, we store basic movement templates ​ These templates contain fundamental elements of movement classes 2.​ Schema Rules: ​ Rules for modifying the basic templates ​ Allow adaptation to different situations How it works in practice: 1.​ The brain stores fundamental movement patterns (GMPs) 2.​ Athletes can adjust power, strength, body positioning, timing 3.​ → flexible movement execution ​ New movements are created by modifying existing schemas Benefits of Schema Theory: ​ More efficient storage ​ Better adaptability to new situations ​ Faster movement production ​ More flexible learning This explains why athletes can adapt their techniques to different conditions without having to learn completely new movements for each situation. Know all techniques, just different details and situations. Open and Closed Loops -​ Open-loop Motor Programs: Movements are pre-programmed and executed without ongoing feedback High Speed Sports: Baseball Swing Fixed Patterns: Gymnastic Routines Closed-loop Motor Programs: Movement patterns that utilize continuous sensory feedback for ongoing adjustments Feedback Reliant: Continuous input adjusts and refines movements. Heavily relies on visual, auditory, and tactile feedback.  Adams’ Theory in Motor Learning How motor skills are developed and refined. Perceptual trace o As we learn a skill, we develop a perceptual trace o The perceptual trace is the memory of the ‘feel’ of successful past movements. o Once it has been developed, we can compare the trace with the feel of ongoing movements. o Allows us to correct errors in movement. o Our perceptions combine with memory to give feedback. Memory Trace: -Movements are initiated by a memory trace - A certain skill has been executed before and can be recognised by the individual in different situations -Triggers an appropriate response that is stored in the LTM. -Memory trace becomes stronger if the movement has been -​ Practice and Error Correction: Emphasises the role of practice and feedback in refining these traces for better performance. Proprioceptors ​ Sensory receptors that provide information about body position, movement, and force Exteroceptors ​ Sensory receptors that gather information from the external environment (vision, hearing, touch) Interoceptors ​ Sensory receptors that provide information about internal bodily states (heart rate, blood pressure, etc.) Reaction vs Response Response = Reaction + Movement Factors affecting response time -​ Age: Gets faster during childhood. Gets slower as we get older -​ Health: sick = slower -​ Fitness: Can be improved with training -​ Intensity: how strong the stimulus is -​ Probability of the stimulus occurring -​ Number of choices to be made. The more choices = the slower response time. (Hicks Law) Psychological Refractory Period: where the response to a second stimulus is significantly delayed because it closely follows a first stimulus. -​ Cannot start reacting to a second stimulus without finishing the first one’ -​ Delay in the response to the second stimulus -​ The brain processes tasks in a sequence rather than simultaneously, leading to a delay in the response to the second stimulus. -​ Can be seen in fakes Factors that contribute to different rates of learning 1.​ Physical maturation -​ Refers to the biological development of an individual -​ Affects motor skill acquisition and performance capability (coordination and control) A 15-year-old who has gone through puberty may learn complex movements faster than a 13-year-old who hasn't, due to better developed muscular and nervous systems 2.​ Physical fitness -​ Includes components like strength, endurance, and flexibility -​ Fitter = able to practice more without suffering fatigue -​ Better physical fitness often leads to faster skill acquisition as the body can handle the physical demands of learning new movements 3.​ Different coaches Varying coaching styles -​ Experience level -​ Positive -​ Communication style -​ Teaching methodology -​ Feedback approach The same athlete might progress differently under different coaching styles 4.​ Age Influences learning capacity and rate -​ Young = not developed -​ Old = Prone to injury, loss of mobility and coordination 5.​ Task difficulty Factors include: -​ Number of components involved -​ Decision-making requirements -​ Precision needed Breaking down complex tasks into smaller, manageable components can help optimize learning rates 6.​ Teaching environment Physical and social context of learning -​ Available facilities -​ Equipment quality -​ Group size -​ Peer influence A well-equipped gym with proper safety equipment might lead to faster learning of gymnastics skills compared to a basic setup 7.​ Motivation Both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation affect learning rates -​ Personal goals -​ External rewards -​ Interest level High motivation often leads to increased practice time and better focus, resulting in faster learning Learning Curves When we learn an easy to perform skill, we demonstrate a linear learning curve. -​ Positive coaching -​ Simplicity of skill -​ Performer is highly motivated and interested Difficult to learn at first. Progress is slow but then reaches a point where performance improves quickly. Positively Accelerated Curve -​ Gradually develops interest Learn quickly at first but slow down. Negatively accelerated curve Learning is positive and quick at first but then there is a period when we show no improvement. Plateau effect. However if you keep practicing there is a breakthrough a more learning is demonstrated. Still learning in plateau phase but it is not being shown i our performance -​ Injury, Fatigue, lose motivation, coach unable to connect with athlete C2.2 Attentional Control Attention: Concentration of mental activity on the task is at hand Selective Attention: cognitive process of focusing on specific stimuli while filtering out others. -​ Make rapid, accurate decisions and respond to important cues. 1.​ All Information enters the STM (Short term memory) 2.​ Only the relevant information is attended to in the STM. 3.​ A filtering mechanism operates, which separates the relevant information from the irrelevant information (background noise) so that athletes can concentrate on one cue or stimulus Three Cognitive Dimensions of Attention 1. Concentration: deliberate decision to invest mental effort on what is most important in any given situation. Ability to perform with clear and present focus (e.g., solid ball contact in soccer, ignoring crowd boos). 2. Selective Attention: The ability to focus on relevant information (e.g., ball velocity) while ignoring distractions (e.g., goalkeeper's movements). Athlete’s perceptual ability to ‘zoom in’ on task-relevant information while ignoring potential distractions. Focus is central point of your attention 3. Divided Attention: The ability (developed through practice) to coordinate multiple actions at the same time. (counterattacking )Active awareness of what you are observing Concentration: ‘the ability to perform with a clear and present focus’ -​ Focus: The central point of attention. -​ Attention: Active awareness of what's observed. Concentration in sports involves: Focusing on relevant environmental cues (selective attention). Maintaining attention over time. Situational awareness. Shifting attentional focus as needed. Situation Awareness: an athlete's ability to understand what is going around them -​ Attentional flexibility, the ability shift focus as needed -​ Attentional Flexibility is easier in self paced activities like golf Concentration and Distractors Skilled performers lose concentration due to: -​ Internal distractors: Daydreaming, worrying, anger, fatigue. -​ External distractors: Auditory or visual distractions (noise, flash photography 5 Key Factors for effective concentration 1. Decide to concentrate: It won't happen by chance. (e.g., a badminton player consciously focuses before a game). 2. Focus on one thought at a time: (e.g., single-word self-talk like "smooth"). Skilled athletes can perform multiple actions simultaneously if the skill is automatic. 3. Mind-focused action: You're focused when your actions match your thoughts. 4. Avoid uncontrollable factors: Don't focus on things outside your control (weather). 5. Focus outwards when nervous: Focus on actions, not doubts External distractors: Irrelevant environmental information that diverts attention. -​ crowd noise,movement -​ flash photograph -​ officiating decisions -​ Weather -​ teammate mistakes -​ opponent intimidation Internal distractions: Subjective thoughts originating from within. -​ Worries -​ Nerves -​ Fatigue → Negative self talk -​ Anger → Lose technique and skills  Controlled Distraction -​ Controlled discretion methods enable athletes to increase awareness of distractors and enhance their understanding of the task relevant information to execute the skills Techniques to Control Distractions ​ Deliberate Decisions & Attentional Control A deliberate decision to focus mental effort identifies task-relevant information. E.g “off and on switch” ​ Performance Goals Performance goals direct attention toward desirable, controllable outcomes. ​ Trigger Words Trigger words anchor attention on key aspects. ​ Routines Well learned routines prevents over thinking and deactivates anxious thoughts ​ Mental practice Imagining a skill before execution, stimulating different situations and anticipating distractors Types of Attentional Focus Narrow -​ Tennis only focusing on ball Focusing on single details. -​ Wrestling only looking at leg Broad -​ Looking at ball, defender, opening position, where to go next. One Perceiving multiple occurrences step ahead of the game. simultaneously External -​ Opponents movements Focusing on environment -​ In open skills like kayaking where the environment is changing, external focus may be better. Internal -​ Breathing technique Focusing on internal thoughts and -​ Strategy feelings -​ Focusing on wrist flexion when shooting ball A basketball player demonstrates different types of attention during a game: Broad: Scanning the court for teammates and defenders Narrow: Focusing solely on the basket during a free throw External: Watching opponent's defensive positioning Internal: Maintaining proper shooting form and breathing Arousal and Attentional Narrowing Arousal: The level of physical and psychological activation, Ranges from low (relaxed) → high (intense) and influences attentional capacity -​ High arousal can be beneficial for sports needing strength, speed, and power. -​ Low arousal is better for sports requiring fine motor control and concentration. Attentional Narrowing: Focusing on a limited set of cues especially under high arousal. This can be beneficial (focusing on rim during free throw) or detrimental (overlooking important information in a team sport) -​ High Arousal leads to attentional narrowing, allowing athletes to ignore distractions → better decision making Arousal control can help regulate focus, allows athlete to consider more important cues Non Linear Pedagogy and Attentional control Non-linear pedagogy uses attentional focus to improve learning and performance. Shifting focus from internal thoughts to external outcomes allows learners to use their natural ability to self-organize and adapt movements. *Self-organizing lets learners adapt based on their needs and the environment Coping strategies Associative focus: Focusing on bodily sensations. Dissociative focus: Blocking out sensations from physical effort..