Transferability of Quiet Eye Training Improvements to Novel Aiming Tasks

Quiet eye (QE) characteristics are trainable; however, little is known about the transferability into novel aiming tasks. The current study examines transfer from a dart throwing task to a beanbag throwing task. Twenty-four participants were assigned to either a QE training (QET) or technical training group. Participants completed a pretest, acquisition phase, posttest, and transfer, each with three difficultly conditions. Both groups decreased their error from pre- to posttest, but the QET group decreased error by significantly more. The QET group reported lower error scores and longer QE across the three difficulty conditions, whereas the technical training group decreased performance in the hard condition. In the transfer test, the QET group reported significantly lower error and longer QE than the technical training group. QET improvements learned in one task can be transferred to novel tasks, although task demands and processing requirements may impact the effectiveness of this transfer.