Lecture 6 - attention / memory Flashcards
What is Attention?
The ability to select and attend to information while preparing for and performing motor skills.
What is Attention influenced by?
Influenced by consciousness, awareness, and cognitive effort
What are the 2 key limitations of attention?
- Simultaneous performance of multiple tasks.
- Detection of relevant information in the environment.
What 3 things happen when multitasking?
No difficulties performing all tasks.
Performance impairment.
Inability to complete all tasks simultaneously.
What are the 3 main kinds of Attention Theories?
- Filter Theories (Bottleneck Theories)
- Central Resource Capacity Theories: Single attention resource for all activities.
- Multiple Resource Theories: Different pools of attention for different tasks.
What is entailed in Filter Theories (Bottleneck Theories)?
Difficulty in serially processing multiple stimuli.
What is entailed in Central Resource Capacity Theories?
Single attention resource for all activities.
What is entailed in Multiple Resource Theories?
Different pools of attention for different tasks.
What is the Cocktail Party Problem?
The ability to focus on one conversation while blocking out others.
Some stimuli (e.g., hearing one’s name) can involuntarily capture attention.
What is Kahneman’s Attention Theory?
Attention is a general pool of cognitive effort.
Attention capacity depends on arousal level (Inverted-U Principle).
Allocation of attention is influenced by task demands, enduring dispositions, and momentary intentions.
Attention Capacity depends on what?
Arousal Level
Allocation of attention is influenced by what 3 things?
- Task demands
- Enduring dispositions
- Momentary Intentions
What are the 3 Rules of Kahneman’s Theory?
- Ensure completion of at least one task.
- Involuntary attention allocation to novel or meaningful events.
- Allocation based on self-directed intentions.
What is the Dual-Task Procedure?
Assessing attention demands of a task, by introducing a secondary task.
Performance on secondary task indicates attention demands of the primary task.
What were the findings of the study done on cell phone use while driving?
- Participants missed twice as many traffic signals while on the phone.
- No difference between handheld and hands-free devices.
- Greater impact than listening to the radio or talking to passengers
What is Attentional Focus?
Directing of attention to specific aspects of performance or the environment.
Can be broad or narrow and external or internal.
How does attentional focus affect motor performance?
External focus (on movement outcome) improves performance.
Internal focus (on body movements) disrupts automatic motor control.
What is Deautomatization-of-Skills Hypothesis?
Skilled individuals revert to a less automatic control state when using internal focus.
Can cause choking in sports.
What is Automaticity?
Performing a skill with little or no attention demand.
Related to practice and experience.
What is Visual Selective Attention?
The ability to focus vision on relevant information for motor performance.
Visual search is the process of locating important cues.
What is the relationship between Visual Search and Motor Skills?
Experts use minimal essential information to decide actions.
Skilled players recognize patterns more quickly than beginners.
What is the Quiet Eye?
The final fixation before movement initiation.
Longer quiet eye duration improves performance.
What is Memory?
The capacity to store and retrieve information.
Critical for motor skill learning and execution.
What are the 2 components of memory?
Working Memory: Temporary storage and processing.
Long-Term Memory: Permanent storage of information.
What are the 3 components of Working Memory?
Phonological Loop
Visuospatial Sketchpad
Central Executive
What does the Phonological Loop (of working memory) do?
Stores verbal information
What does the
Visuospatial Sketchpad (of working memory) do?
Stores visual and spatial data.
What does the Central Executive (of working memory) do?
Coordinates information
What is Chunking?
Grouping information into meaningful units to enhance working memory capacity
What are the 3 types of Long-Term Memory?
- Procedural Memory
- Semantic Memory
- Episodic Memory
What does Procedural Memory (LTM) do?
Stores motor skills and movement sequences.
What does Semantic Memory (LTM) do?
Stores general knowledge and facts
What does Episodic Memory (LTM) do?
Stores personal experiences
What is the difference between Declarative and Procedural Knowledge?
DK: Verbalized knowledge
(e.g., “What to do”).
PK: Knowledge of how to perform a skill
(implicit and difficult to verbalize).
What are the 3 stages of memory processing?
- Encoding: Transforming information into a storable format.
- Storage: Placing information into long-term memory.
- Retrieval: Accessing stored information when needed.
What are the 2 types of Explicit Memory Tests?
- Recall Test: Requires retrieving information without cues
- Recognition Test: Requires identifying correct information from options
What are the 3 causes of Forgetting?
- Trace Decay: Loss of information over time.
- Proactive Interference: Old memories interfere with new learning.
- Retroactive Interference: New learning disrupts old memories.
How does movement affect memory?
End-location is remembered better than movement distance.
Movements performed within one’s body space are remembered better than those outside it.
How can movement memory be improved?
Use visual metaphors.
Use verbal labels for movements.
Encourage practice with an intention to remember.
What is the Encoding Specificity Principle?
Memory is better when test conditions resemble practice conditions.
Practical implications for motor skill training.
What are 4 key coaching strategies for attention and memory?
- Provide clear instructions with movement endpoints.
- Encourage external focus rather than internal focus.
- Use chunking and metaphors to improve memory retention.
- Ensure practice conditions resemble real-world performance.
