Misalignment between perceived and actual ability on a balance beam walking task

Effective dynamic balance control is necessary to maintain stability, but it is an individual's self-perceived ability that ultimately determines movement selection. Accurate self-estimation of balance ability is therefore essential to ensure that movement choices align with true capability. This study examined individuals' perception of their ability on a clinically standardized Narrowing Beam Walking Task (NBWT) to examine 1) the initial perception of balance ability before attempting the task, and 2) how experience completing the task improves the accuracy of self-perceived balance. Collegiate athletes provided self-estimates of performance at baseline (before any trials with the task), early-training (after completing two trials), and post-training (after a further 8 trials). Actual task performance was quantified using the final 8 trials. At baseline, athletes poorly estimated their ability: individuals with poorer task performance tended to overestimate their ability while higher-performing individuals tended to underestimate their ability. With practice, absolute estimation error significantly decreased, indicating that task-specific exposure facilitated recalibration to bring self-estimates of performance in closer alignment to actual performance. These effects were consistent across all tested sporting disciplines. These findings show that effective balance control and frequent engagement in similar, but unrelated balance tasks, does not facilitate accurate self-perception of performance on the NBWT. Instead, brief task-specific exposure was required to refine balance estimates. These findings have implications for balance testing and rehabilitation that seeks to improve mobility in populations whose misjudgments of balance ability are often associated with negative outcomes, such as falls.