Motor Performers Need Task-relevant Information: Proposing an Alternative Mechanism for the Attentional Focus Effect

Area of Science:

• Motor learning and performance
• Cognitive psychology
• Sports science

Background:

• External focus of attention is widely considered superior to internal focus for motor learning and performance.
• This superiority is often attributed to promoting automaticity and subconscious execution of motor skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• Critically review existing evidence on attentional focus in motor learning.
• Propose an alternative mechanism to explain the effectiveness of different attentional foci.
• Challenge the notion that external focus is universally superior and internal focus is ineffective.

Main Methods:

• Critical review of existing research literature.
• Theoretical analysis of attentional mechanisms in motor control.
• Synthesis of evidence to support an information-processing perspective.

Main Results:

• Evidence supporting the superiority of external focus is re-examined.
• An alternative mechanism centered on task-relevant information attunement is proposed.
• The dismissal of internal foci as ineffective is questioned.

Conclusions:

• The effectiveness of attentional strategies is better explained by attunement to task-relevant information.
• Both internal and external foci can be effective depending on information relevance.
• Further research should explore attentional strategies promoting optimal information processing for motor tasks.