Lesson 20 - Limitations on performance

Question 1

Take home message

Answer 1

Many factors influence how arousal and attention impact motor performance

Question 2

Attention, Low and High Demand

Answer 2

Attention is a limited cognitive resource or pool or resources that is available and can be used for different tasks or purpose

Low demand: When the attentional
demands of a task are low, performing a secondary task may not detract from
performance (Good secondary performance)

High demand: When the attentional
demands of a task are high, performance of a secondary task likely has a negative impact on both tasks (Bad secondary performance)

Question 3

3 Stages of Information processing

Answer 3

Stimulus Identification: What information is available and is most relevant?

Response Selection: What options are available?

Response Programming: Planning and generating the chosen response

Question 4

Stimulus Identification
* Parallel Processing of Sensory Information

Answer 4

The ability to process two streams of sensory information simultaneously

Ex: Auditory and Visual cue

Easy to do auditory and visual because different parts of brain
-same part of brain = conflicting

Different streams of sensory information can be often be processed simultaneously and independently
-Unless affected by nervous system

Question 5

Challenges in parallel processing

Answer 5

When there is interference or competition in stimulus identification
and response selection

ex: the colour red red but the word is blue

-Figure out which stimulus is more important

Question 6

Response selection
- Controlled vs automatic processing

Answer 6

Controlled:

-Slow
-Deliberate
-Consciously aware
-High attention demand
-“Novices”

Automatic:

-Fast
-Smooth
-Unconscious performance
-Low attention demand
-“Experts”

-Lower attentional demand

Practice can help automatize motor skills performance and free attentional resources for motor decisions.

Pressure can reduce the availability of attentional resources for motor decisions and lead to controlled processing

Question 7

Response programming
- Spatially and Temporally-incompatible movement

Answer 7

Ex: Drumming requires the limbs to perform independent actions while maintaining different rhythms

Patting Head, rubbing tummy

Question 8

Choking under pressure

Answer 8

There is a link between ‘choking’, the level of arousal and/or the pressure of competition

Question 9

Arousal

Answer 9

The level of excitement produced under stress

Arousal is a key determinate of performance in tasks where the speed or accuracy of motor decisions is important

Individual Zone of Optimal Functioning (IZOF): The range of arousal levels associated with a persons maximum performance

Question 10

How arousal affects performance

Answer 10

Optimal relationship for each person where there they play there best at a certain amount of arousal

Depends on person

Typically, when arousal is low, performance is better in complex
cognitive tasks with high precision demands and vice versa