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Skill-based changes in motor performance from attentional focus manipulations: a kinematic analysis
Louisa D Raisbeck1, Joel Suss2, Jed A Diekfuss1
1a Department of Kinesiology , University of North Carolina at Greensboro , Greensboro , NC , USA.
Ergonomics
|October 28, 2015
Summary
Expert law enforcement officers maintain handgun shooting accuracy under stress by adapting movement patterns, while novices show performance decline. This study explores attention
Area of Science:
- Motor control and learning
- Cognitive psychology
- Human factors in performance
Background:
- Attention significantly impacts motor skill performance, particularly in high-stakes professions like law enforcement.
- Understanding how experts and novices adapt their movement strategies under cognitive load is crucial for training and performance optimization.
- Previous research suggests attentional focus influences kinematic patterns, but expert adaptation mechanisms remain under investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of attention-demanding conditions on handgun shooting performance and movement kinematics in expert and novice law enforcement officers.
- To compare kinematic variability (between-trial variability of arm angles) between experts and novices under single-task and dual-task scenarios.
- To determine if experts employ distinct movement strategies to maintain performance under cognitive load.
Main Methods:
- Participants (expert and novice law enforcement officers) performed a handgun shooting task under single-task (control) and dual-task conditions.
- Dual-task conditions involved concurrent skill-relevant or skill-irrelevant attentional tasks.
- Movement kinematics, including forearm and upper arm absolute angle variability, and shooting accuracy/consistency were measured.
Main Results:
- Experts maintained high shooting accuracy and consistency across all conditions, despite increased upper arm between-trial variability (BTV) during dual-tasks.
- Novices exhibited decreased shooting performance in dual-task conditions compared to the control, with minimal changes in movement kinematics.
- The findings suggest experts utilize a flexible movement strategy to preserve performance under attentional demands.
Conclusions:
- Experts demonstrate a superior ability to adapt motor control strategies, specifically increasing upper arm kinematic variability, to maintain shooting performance under cognitive load.
- Novices appear less capable of adapting their movement patterns, leading to performance decrements when attention is divided.
- These findings have implications for designing training programs that enhance adaptive motor control in law enforcement personnel facing high-pressure situations.
