Observation as a method to enhance collective efficacy: An integrative review

Objectives This review provides an integrative argument for the use of observation as an intervention to manipulate individual collective efficacy beliefs in sports teams. Design An exploration of the conceptual and empirical evidence underpinning observation-based interventions for increasing collective efficacy. Method A presentation of reflections on the following. First, we reflect on existing techniques used to increase self- and collective efficacy beliefs. Second, we consider collective efficacy in the context of observational learning and the various modeling techniques employed in the sports and motor performance literature. Third, we highlight relevant literature from neuroscience, outlining the analogous neural pathways evident for social cognition (i.e., collective efficacy) and observation. Results This review presents a case for the use of observation interventions to manipulate collective efficacy, drawing upon social psychological frameworks of human behavior, the observation-based literature, and contemporary understanding of brain and behavior. Conclusions Observation-based interventions are suited for collective efficacy manipulation in sport. There is a need to advance understanding of this relationship in order to maximize improvements in collective efficacy across group contexts

Inner speech as language process and cognitive tool.

Many people report a form of internal language known as inner speech (IS). This review examines recent growth of research interest in the phenomenon, which has broadly supported a theoretical model in which IS is a functional language process that can confer benefits for cognition in a range of domains. A key insight to have emerged in recent years is that IS is an embodied experience characterized by varied subjective qualities, which can be usefully modeled in artificial systems and whose neural signals have the potential to be decoded through advancing brain-computer interface technologies. Challenges for future research include understanding individual differences in IS and mapping form to function across IS subtypes

The effect of observation on motor learning in a self-controlled feedback protocol

Research during the past few decades has demonstrated that allowing individuals to control some aspect of the instructional setting can facilitate motor learning. This facilitation has most commonly been referred to as the self-control effect. Self-control studies often include a yoked group. This group is meant to counterbalance the aspect of choice given to the self-control group. However, these groups pose a certain problem to the generalization of self-control—the procedure of yoking would never be utilized as a learning construct a real-world setting. Thus, there is a need to investigate the ecological validity of self-control in a more applied setting. Specifically, investigating the effect of implementing self-control in a setting where observation of other learners is inherently available (e.g. groups, teams). Participants were assigned based on when they volunteered for the study to one of five groups in order to learn a cup-stacking task. Four groups were crossing the two levels of the self-control factor, self-control (SC) and yoked (YK) with the two levels of observation factor, observation (O) and no observation (NO): SC-NO, YK-NO, SC-O, and YK-O. For each level of observation, the yoked participants were paired with self-control counterparts (e.g. SC-NO paired with YK-NO). A fifth group was created by pairing a second yoked group to the SC-NO and providing it with observation (e.g. YK2-O). Acquisition consisted of 30 practice trials. Approximately 24 hours later, participants returned to complete retention and transfer testing. Mean movement time (MT) scores during retention and transfer revealed that the YK-NO group was significantly slower than all other groups (p \u3c .05). The results suggested that the application of self-control provisions to facilitate learning may be limited in group settings that afford the opportunity to observe other learners

Don’t Let Me Down: An Autoethnography of an Urban Teacher

Students in urban schools who are negatively impacted need stability and continuity the most. However, at least half of new teachers leave their profession within five years. In order for this situation to change, support is needed for new teachers and encouragement is needed for experienced teachers. The purpose of the study is to offer a first-hand description of factors that affect the profession of teaching and especially teachers who may be wondering how to stay in teaching for more than five years. Veteran teachers gain the opportunity to reflect, validate, and (probably) celebrate their own journey through this profession. This autoethnography uses my experience of a 29-year veteran teacher, who started with an alternative teaching license, to mirror what researchers have identified as key factors for sustainability and how they affected my continued commitment to teaching in urban schools. The following questions framed the study: 1. Why did I choose teaching as a career? 2. What supportive factors contributed to my decision to continue teaching in an urban school rather than leave the profession? 3. What internal and external struggles have I encountered in teaching and what strategies did I use to overcome them? 4. What beliefs and experiences led to my steadfast commitment to teaching in an urban setting? 5. How do I define success as an urban teacher? 6. What are the implications of my story for urban education? This autoethnography involves data collection and in-depth analysis of documents and artifacts that were generated during my teaching career as an urban educator. These documents and artifacts come from both internal and external sources. The study’s implications reach beyond teachers and include two sub-groups: teacher education programs and school administrators. The implication for teachers is the importance of a two-fold support system in order to thrive: first teachers need spiritual support and second they need to surround themselves with likeminded teachers. The implications for teacher education programs include making pre-service teachers aware of the realities of urban settings and provide them with resources, which could help overcome the attrition rate. Additionally, pre-service teachers need to know how to form credible relationships with their students. This study also reveals the important role that school principals play in the success of their teachers. First, principals are responsible for creating a positive school climate that promotes a professional learning community. Second, they need to establish relational trust in their building. Third, they need to nourish their staff both physically and emotionally. Finally, the implications of autoethnography for teachers and researchers are also discussed

EEG coherence between the verbal-analytical region (T3) and the motor-planning region (Fz) increases under stress in explicit motor learners but not implicit motor learners

This journal supplement contains abstracts of NASPSPA 2010Free Communications - Verbal and Poster: Motor Learning and Controlpublished_or_final_versionThe Annual Conference of the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA 2010), Tucson, AZ., 10-12 June 2010. In Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 2010, v. 32 suppl., p. S13

Attention and time constraints in performing and learning a table tennis forehand shot

This is a section on p. S95 of article 'Verbal and Poster: Motor Development, Motor Learning and Control, and Sport and Exercise Psychology' in Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 2010, v.32, p.S36-S237published_or_final_versio

Manipulation of attention focus in long jumpers to enhance performance and coaching instructions

The event of long jump is unique because it allows some athletes to exert an effort that can stand apart and not be influenced by competitors and teammates. Attention focus is an important aspect to the event of long jump as there are many stimuli to attend to in the environment, including the runway, take-off board, jumping mechanics, and the sand pit. The present study investigated how manipulating a distal external focus of attention would affect performance in college-level long jumpers (N = 10; Mage = 19.20 years old). Athletes completed 4 conditions consisting of 3 jumps each. The conditions were Control 1, Treatment 1 (consisted of attending to a low distal target (LDT)), Treatment 2 (involved attending to a high distal target (HDT)), and Control 2. Each athlete completed an attention focus questionnaire at the conclusion of each condition to assess attention focus during each jump. True jump distance, horizontal velocity at take-off, vertical velocity a take-off, take-off angle, and approach velocity were measured for each participant in each jump. Focusing on a HDT did not lead to significantly further jumps (M = 4.58 m) compared to focusing on a LDT (M = 4.58 m) or Control 1 ( M = 4.64 m). Athletes jumped the farthest in Control 2 ( M = 4.74 m), yet commonly reported looking up while jumping. Findings from the present study suggest that focusing on a high above-ground external target may aid in jump performance, but only if the target is self-selected by the athlete and not when instructed to attend to a specific external target. Further research on a larger sample of long jumpers is recommended

An Examination of the Deliberate Practice Framework in Quad Rugby

Ericsson, Krampe, and Tesch-Römer (1993) forwarded a general framework to account for the characteristics and developmental experiences of individuals who have acquired exceptional performance in any domain. This framework proposed that experts undergo an extensive acquisition period involving the accumulation of thousands of hours of deliberate practice while overcoming various constraints that serve as functional barriers to the achievement of expertise. The purpose of this study was to examine expert disability-sport athletes to determine how well their experiences and characteristics were captured by Ericsson et al.’s (1993) framework. In Part I, quad rugby players recalled the amount of time spent in individual and team practice activities, quad rugby related activities, and daily life activities at the start of their career and every two years since. In Part II, these activities were rated with respect to relevance to improving performance, effort and concentration required, and enjoyment of participation. Findings revealed that quad rugby athletes engaged in similar amounts of practice throughout their career to those observed in superior performers across domains, including Ericsson et al.’s musicians and expert performers in the able-bodied sport domain (e.g., Helsen, Starkes, & Hodges, 1998). Contrary to the original deliberate practice framework as described by Ericsson et al. (1993), results indicated that disability-sport athletes did not rate the most relevant and effortful activities as low on enjoyment.