From Gaze to Movement: Observational Learning in Dance

Background: Observational learning plays a crucial role in the acquisition of complex motor skills such as dance, where learners observe expert demonstrations and transform perceptual information into coordinated motor execution. This process depends on how visual attention is allocated during observation, yet the role of gaze behavior in perception-action coupling during structured dance learning remains poorly understood. Purpose: This study examined how differences in expertise are reflected in gaze behavior during structured observational learning, and how these gaze patterns relate to the quality of movement reproduction in dance. Research Design: A mixed experimental design was employed, combining a between-group comparison of expert and novice dancers with a within-subject manipulation of repeated observation, followed by a movement reproduction phase. Study Sample: Twenty-six female participants took part in the study, including 11 expert dancers with over five years of formal training and 15 novice dancers with less than one year of dance experience. Data Collection and Analysis: Gaze behavior was recorded using mobile eye-tracking during twenty times repeated observations of choreographed dance sequence, and movement reproduction quality was assessed through expert-rated performance measures, with gaze and performance data analysed using repeated-measures ANOVAs and group comparisons. Results: Expert dancers exhibited longer fixation durations and fewer fixations. They also demonstrated larger saccadic amplitudes compared to novices, with greater visual focus on movement-relevant regions such as the shoulders, pelvis, thighs, and knees. Expert dancers received higher scores in both completeness and expert rating. Conclusions: Expertise-related differences were associated with more efficient and selective visual attention during observation, supporting perceptual-motor integration and accurate movement execution. By demonstrating how gaze behavior mediates the transformation of perceptual input into motor output, this study advances understanding of perception-action coupling in dance learning. These insights may inform the design of gaze-based feedback tools and adaptive training in physical or digital dance instruction.