Information Processing

Question 1

Passing a ball is an important aspect of many team games.

Explain the functions of the short-term sensory store and the long-term memory when performing the skill of passing.

Answer 1

Short-term sensory store
Receives information from display / surroundings / environment / equiv;
From sensors / sense organs / egs / equiv.
Too much / lots of information;
Information is filtered / selective attention;
Attended information enters short – term memory
Sub max 2
Long-term memory
Store of past experiences;
As Motor programme / schema / plan of action / skills / passes;
Mental image of movement to be performed;
Correct information / meaningful / important / rehearsed / relevant information stored;
Information in to / from Short Term Memory;
Sub max 2

Question 2

In team games, players will use the skills that they have learned to create a situation where there are two attackers against one defender (2 v 1).
(i) When the players involved in a 2 v 1 situation are novices, the attack often breaks down. In terms of the input stage of information processing, explain why the attack may break down.

Answer 2

(i) Information overload / too much to take in / too many stimuli
Poor selective attention
(‘Selective attention’ without context is incorrect)
Focus on inappropriate / irrelevant stimulus / signals / cues
Unable to focus on correct / relevant / appropriate signals / cues
Unable to look to see both defender and support player
Loss of concentration

Question 3

In team games, players will use the skills that they have learned to create a situation where there are two attackers against one defender (2 v 1).
In terms of the psychological refractory period, explain why 2 vs 1 situation should cause a defenders response time to be slower

Answer 3

(ii) Attackers select a move and defender must respond
Idea that defender follows attacker’s move
Initial stimulus is closely followed by a second stimulus
Idea that there are two stimuli
Defender slowed by increasing decisions / choices / choice reaction time
First stimulus must be cleared before the second one can be processed
Second stimulus only becomes relevant when the first stimulus is
finished with
Hick’s Law / single channel hypothesis / bottleneck theory
To fake / dummy and beat the defender

Question 4

In team games, players often need to move into position quickly.
(i) Explain the difference between the terms movement time and reaction time.

Answer 4

(i) Movement time – the time taken from the initiation / start of the movement / pass to finish / completion of movement / pass.
Reaction time – the time taken to decide a response / type of pass to a given stimulus / time taken from the onset of the stimulus to the start of the movement/ pass / response.

Question 5

In team games, players often need to move into position quickly.
(ii) Choice reaction time is far more common in team games than simple reaction time.
Explain this statement.

Answer 5

(ii) Choice Reaction Time – numerous stimuli and / or responses and Simple
Reaction Time – one stimulus and one possible response.
Require explanation of / difference between both between terms for
mark.
Games – open skills need CRT mainly / predominate / many choices / decisions
/few SRT skills / moments.
Idea that games skills require decision / choice of actions.

Question 6

In team games, players often need to move into position quickly.
(iii) What can games players do to improve their response time?

Answer 6

(iii) Concentration / pay attention / selective attention / focus on cues.
Relevant practice / overlearning.
Not just practice – needs contextualising – relevant / specific.
Be at optimum arousal level / increased arousal / alertness.
(Temporal / spatial) anticipation / predict actions / trying to identify cues earlier.
Mental rehearsla.
Accept imagery / visualisation
Improve movement time / improve fitness / improve reaction time.
Intensity of stimulus / a warning signal.

Question 7

Players in a team game will use their skills to play effectively.
Explain how players use their short-term memory to perform skills during a team game.

Answer 7

Receives information / feedback from senses / Short Term Sensory Store.
(Accept abbreviations)
(Accept correct annotated diagrams)
Selective attention filters information.
Selective attention / eq is a required term
Compares / identifies characteristics of information to / from Long Term Memory stores /
DCR process.
Idea of perception by comparison to LTM
Decisions made / thinking / problem-solving / working memory.
Receives information / motor programme / sub-routines concerning actions from Long
Term Memory.
Idea of LTM as store of movements that go into STM
Initiates / runs motor programme / sub-routines sends to effector.

Question 8

During a tennis rally, a player will have to react and respond quickly to their opponent’s shots.
(ii) Use the ‘single channel hypothesis’ to explain why there is a delayed response by a player in tennis when their opponent’s shot hits the top of the net and changes direction.

Answer 8

(ii) Single channel hypothesis – one stimulus processed at a time.
Definition of single channel hypothesis.
Second stimulus arrives before first response can be completed.
What happens.
Cannot deal with second stimulus / response until finished with first
stimulus / response.
Problem.
There is a slower / longer response / reaction time.
Consequence.
Psychological Refractory Period.
Called – Do not accept PRP.
Player reacts too late / rushed shot / unforced error / egs / cannot return /
opponent wins / player loses point.
Practicality.

Question 9

(i) To be effective, games players will need to use ‘selective attention’.
Using an example from a game, explain the term selective attention.

Answer 9

(i) (Eg Ignore crowd / environment and concentrate on player position, ball / equiv.)
Suitable example; not just watch ball or ignore crowd – bothaspects identified.
Sub max 1
Filtering / ignoring / blocking out of unnecessary information.
Sub max 2
Focussing / concentrate / picking out on relevant information / stimulus;
Too much information / stimuli from environment;
Located between STSS and STM;
Limited processing capacity;
Single channel hypothesis / bottleneck theory;
Attentional narrowing.

Question 10

(ii) How can a coach improve a player’s selective attention?

Answer 10

(ii) Increase intensity of the stimulus;
accept examples – orange ball / etc.
Motivate and / or arouse the performer / performer is alert;
Direct attention to one aspect of the performance / highlight / focus on cue;
Learn to ignore irrelevant stimulus / what is relevant / training with (more)
distraction / audience;
Lots of relevant practice / rehearsal;
Mental rehearsal / imagery.
not just practice
Transfer from previous experience to help with explanation / expectation

Question 11

(i) Performing a skill involves ‘movement time’, ‘response time’ and ‘reaction time’.
What is the relationship between these three time phases?

Answer 11

(i) Response time = reaction time + movement time.

Question 12

(ii) Identify the factors that could affect a games player’s response time.

Answer 12

(ii) 5 marks for 5 of :
Type of stimuli – sound fastest;
(Previous) experience / anticipation of the movement (accept reverse);
Gender – Males have shorter / quicker response times than females;
Age – response time decrease with age;
Intensity of the stimulus – ball colour / speed of delivery;
Concentration levels / distractions / selective attention / stimulus overload;
Playing environment – surface / weather / lighting;
Physical fitness / injury / fatigue;
Duration of the movement / reaction time / number of choices / stimuli / Hicks law;
Level of arousal / drugs / alcohol / state of mind / anxiety;
Psychological refractory period / deception / faking from opposition;
Stimulus-response compatibility;
Length of neural pathways.

Question 13

For effective performance, games players require the ability to receive, interpret and use information.
(i) Selective attention is an important part of information processing. Using the figure above, identify where ‘selective attention’ occurs and explain how it aids performance.

Answer 13

(i) 3 marks for 3 of :
Short term sensory store / between STSS and STM;
Responsible for selecting relevant information (credit appropriate eg);
From irrelevant information (credit appropriate eg);
Speeds up decision-making / reaction time / response time / allows to keep information in STM for longer;
To prevent information overload.

Question 14

For effective performance, games players require the ability to receive, interpret and use information.
(ii) How can a coach improve a player’s selective attention?

Answer 14

(ii) 3 marks for 3 of :
Cue identification / direct attention to one aspect of performance / highlight cues/ direct focus;
Increase intensity of the stimulus / allow egs such as brighter ball;
Motivate / arouse the performer;
Referring to past experiences / transfer of skill from one situation to another;
Learn to ignore irrelevant stimulus / practice with distractions;
Make stimulus meaningful or unique.

Question 15

How can a coach ensure that important information is stored in the gymnast’s ‘long-term memory’?

Answer 15

Rehearse / repeat / practice / over learning;
Associate with familiar information / transfer of learning / related to past experiences;
Make information meaningful;
Make experience enjoyable / interesting;
Make stimuli contrasting / recognisable / vivid;
‘Chunking’ / ‘chaining’ / ‘progressive-part learning’ /breakup the skill;
Imagery / mental rehearsal.

Question 16

In order to learn gymnastic skills, gymnasts need to remember important instructions and use selective attention.
What are the characteristics and functions of ‘short-term memory’?

Answer 16

Information enters from STSS;
Only selective attended items enter;
Limited capacity;
Retrieves information from LTM;
Memory trace / schema / motor programme;
If not practised / reinforced then lost;
Limited duration / seconds;
Working memory / decision making;
Transfers to LTM;
Effector system from STM.

Question 17

When playing badminton, the shuttlecock occasionally hits the top of the net during a rally and the receiver has to adjust their response. This causes a delay before the final response can be made. Explain why this occurs

Answer 17

Due to the single channel / bottle neck / limited processing capacity.
One signal must be cleared before another can be responded to.
Can only deal with one piece of information at one time / respond to one stimulus at a time.
So the response to the second response takes longer.
Psychological refractory period.

Question 18

In games such as badminton, performers use information processing to make decisions.
(i) State four types of sensory information used in badminton.

Answer 18

(i) Visual / sight / seeing;
Auditory / hearing / sound;
Touch / tactile;
Kinesthetic / proprioceptive (including extrio- and intrio-) body awareness;
Balance / equilibrium.

Question 19

In games such as badminton, performers use information processing to make decisions.(ii) Perception is part of an information processing system. Briefly explain each of the three processes that occur as part of perception.

Answer 19

(ii) Detection of stimuli;
Comparison to memory stores;
Recognition of stimuli;
DCR as abbreviations;
Selective attention / discrimination / interpretation / filtering.