Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Attentional focus in complex skill learning.

G Wulf1, N H McNevin, T Fuchs

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Reading, USA. g.wulf@reading.ac.uk

Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport
|September 22, 2000
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Predicting adverse events for risk stratification of chemotherapy based stem cell mobilization in multiple myeloma.

NPJ digital medicine·2026
Same author

[When AIHA does not explain everything: parvovirus B19 infection and pancytopenia as a differential diagnostic challenge].

Innere Medizin (Heidelberg, Germany)·2025
Same author

Peripheral T- and natural killer-cell lymphomas: ESMO-EHA Clinical Practice Guideline for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up.

Annals of oncology : official journal of the European Society for Medical Oncology·2025
Same author

Artificial intelligence entering the pathology arena in oncology: current applications and future perspectives.

Annals of oncology : official journal of the European Society for Medical Oncology·2025
Same author

[Specialized trauma surgery: do we need it at all?]

Unfallchirurgie (Heidelberg, Germany)·2024
Same author

Case Report: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in a 13-year-old boy with a history of esophageal atresia with tracheoesophageal fistula.

Frontiers in pediatrics·2024
Same journal

A One-Year Longitudinal Impact Tracking Study of Participation in Physical Education on Academic Achievements of Chinese High School Students From the Perspective of Development Trajectory Visualization.

Research quarterly for exercise and sport·2026
Same journal

Perceived, but Not Neuromuscular, Fatigue Demonstrated After Doubles Pickleball Competitions.

Research quarterly for exercise and sport·2026
Same journal

In- and Out-of-Possession Running and Technical-Tactical Performance in Soccer.

Research quarterly for exercise and sport·2026
Same journal

Effect of Visual Illusion on Motor Skills Learning in Boys With Developmental Coordination Disorder: A School-Based Randomized Controlled Trial.

Research quarterly for exercise and sport·2026
Same journal

Challenge Under Pressure Contextual Interference or Differential Learning.

Research quarterly for exercise and sport·2026
Same journal

Examining Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Youth Attitudes Toward Physical Activity and Physical Education.

Research quarterly for exercise and sport·2026
See all related articles

Focusing on the external effects of movements, particularly those related to technique, enhances learning in sports like tennis and golf. Directing attention to the outcome of the movement leads to more effective skill acquisition.

Area of Science:

  • Motor Learning
  • Sports Science
  • Biomechanics

Background:

  • Understanding attentional focus is crucial for optimizing motor skill acquisition.
  • Previous research suggests external cues can be more beneficial than internal cues for learning.
  • The specific nature of external cues (effect-related vs. antecedent-related) requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if focusing on movement effects is superior to focusing on antecedents.
  • To investigate whether technique-related movement effects are more beneficial for learning than outcome-related effects.
  • To enhance the understanding of attentional strategies in motor skill development.

Main Methods:

  • Experiment 1: Participants learned to hit tennis balls at a target, with attention directed to either the ball's approach (antecedent) or its departure (effect).

Related Experiment Videos

  • Experiment 2: Participants learned to hit golf balls at a target, with attention directed to either the club (technique-related effect) or the ball's trajectory (outcome-related effect).
  • Performance was assessed based on learning effectiveness in both experiments.

    • Main Results:

    • The group focusing on the movement's effect (ball leaving the racket) showed more effective learning in Experiment 1.
    • The group focusing on the technique-related effect (club) demonstrated superior learning compared to the outcome-related effect (ball trajectory) in Experiment 2.
    • These findings indicate that specific types of external attentional focus significantly impact motor learning.

    Conclusions:

    • Directing attention to the external effects of movements promotes more effective motor learning than focusing on antecedents.
    • Focusing on technique-related movement effects appears to be more beneficial for skill acquisition than focusing on outcome-related effects.
    • These results have implications for coaching and training methodologies in sports, emphasizing the importance of strategic attentional cueing.