Chapter 7.5 - Attention Control

Question 1

What is attention?

Answer 1

• a multidimensional construct having at least 2 components; limited resources & selectivity
• The taking possession by the mind, in clear and vivid form, of one out of what seem several simultaneously possible objects or trains of thought

Question 2

What is stimulus attention?

Answer 2

• Environmental energy that produces a response by an organism

Question 3

What is sensation attention?

Answer 3

• Process by which environmental energy is transformed into neural activity (physiological)

Question 4

What is perception attention?

Answer 4

• Process by which sensory information is organized & interpreted (physiological)

Question 5

What is absolute threshold?

Answer 5

• the smallest level of stimulus that can be detected, usually defined at least half the time

Question 6

What is difference threshold?

Answer 6

• Degree to which two stimuli must differ in order to be perceived as distinct
• the minimum required difference between two stimuli for a person to notice change 50% of the time
• The difference threshold is also called just noticeable difference

Question 7

What are 3 examples of perception selective?

Answer 7

• Orientation of attention
• Divided attention
• Selective attention

Question 8

What is perception coherent?

Answer 8

• Form perception; figure-ground relationship
• Distance perception

Question 9

What is sensory system?

Answer 9

• receives and processes information that generates an individual’s awareness of their environment
• Various sensory perceptions then influence voluntary and involuntary motor activity to facilitate interaction

Question 10

What is attention style?

Answer 10

• Width = broad (listening to many things) or narrow (listening to only a few things )
• Direction = internal (inside, yourself) or external (aware of things outside of themselves)

Question 11

What are attention demanding factors?

Answer 11

• Spectators
• coach
• scouts
• performance or pressure
• personal issues or injury

Question 12

What are internal distractions ?

Answer 12

• thoughts, worries, or concerns
• includes:
• Past events or Future events
• Over analyzing body mechanics
• Fatigue
• Inadequate motivation

Question 13

What are 4 external distractions?

Answer 13

• Environmental stimuli
• Visual distractions
• Auditory distractions
• Gamesmanship

Question 14

What is choking?

Answer 14

• occurs when there is a significant decline in performance under high-pressure conditions
• choking is maladaptive and is the result of misguided attention control combined with elevated anxiety

Question 15

What is the choking process

Answer 15

• Conditions that lead to choking: important competition, critical plays, evaluation
• Attentional changes: internal focus, narrow focus, reduced flexibility
• Physical changes: Increased muscle tension & breathing rate, Racing heart rate
• Performance impairment: Timing & coordination breakdown, Muscle tightness & fatigue, & Inability to attend task-relevant cues

Question 16

What are 5 ways you can improve concentration ?

Answer 16

• Learning to shift attention
• “Parking” thoughts
• Learning to maintain focus
• Rehearsing game concentration
• Searching for relevant cues

Question 17

What are 2 focusing strategies?

Answer 17

• dissociative strategies
• associative strategies

Question 18

What are dissociative strategies ?

Answer 18

• Distract from pain & stress
• Used in competition & training by recreational/non-athletes
• Used in training by elite athletes

Question 19

What are 4 associative strategies?

Answer 19

• Bodily input & Mindfulness
• Pace & Competitors
• Cue words related to competition
• Performance routines

Question 20

What is temporal occlusion?

Answer 20

• the process of examining the amount of time people take to select the information they need to respond
• people are shown a video of a skill. At various points, the video is stopped & the observers are required to make a response

Question 21

What is event occlusion ?

Answer 21

• the process of examining which characteristics of the performance people use to make a correct response
• parts of a video are masked so that the observer cannot see selected parts of an action
• the logic is that if people make poor decisions when they cannot see a specific cue, then that cue is important for successful performance

Question 22

What is attention stimulation training?

Answer 22

• athletes replicate the kinds of attention-demanding situations they find themselves in during competition
• player should focus on practicing relevant cues & disregard irrelevant ones

Question 23

What are performance routines?

Answer 23

• a set sequence of thoughts & actions before the performance of key skills
• must be carefully planned & extensively practiced

Question 24

What are 2 types of routines used by athletes?

Answer 24

• pre-event routines
• pre-performance routines

Question 25

what is a pre-event routine?

Answer 25

• fixed thoughts & actions athletes undertake in the time leading up to competition
• i.e., the night before or the morning of competition

Question 26

What is a pre-performance routine?

Answer 26

• the fixed thoughts & actions athletes undertake immediately before executing a skill
• i.e., bouncing a ball 3x before taking a foul shot

Question 27

What are attentional cues?

Answer 27

• words & actions that direct the athletes attention & help athletes focus their concentration on the task at hand & refocus their concentration if lost
• 3 types — verbal, visual, & physical