The Relationship between Inclination for Conscious Movement Monitoring and Control and Stopping a Golf Stroke

Increased conscious movement monitoring and control can impair sports performance. Recent evidence indicates it might facilitate stopping motor actions. To further investigate, we asked novices to putt balls, but they needed to stop promptly while an auditory cue appeared during the downswing. They also completed the Movement Specific Reinvestment Scale, which measures movement self-consciousness (MS-C) and conscious motor processing, indicating the degree of inclination for conscious movement monitoring and control, respectively. Individuals with high MS-C displayed higher stopping rates but longer stopping time. Further exploration suggests that they were more likely to make slow downswings, allowing successful but late stops. We conclude that increased conscious movement monitoring may affect movement execution in such a way that it affords better stopping of ongoing motor actions.