Enhancing performance proficiency at the expert level: Considering the role of 'somaesthetic awareness'

© 2014 Elsevier Ltd. Objectives: Traditional theories of motor learning (e.g., Fitts & Posner, 1967), along with certain contemporary psychological perspectives (e.g., Weiss & Reber, 2012; Wulf, 2013), postulate that expert performers must relinquish paying conscious attention to, and/or attempting to exert control over, their bodily movements in order to achieve optimal performance. Challenging such largely unquestioned conceptual approaches, however, is an emerging body of evidence (e.g., see Montero, 2010; Shusterman, 2011) which indicates that 'somatic reflection' (i.e., a conscious focus on bodily movement) is an important mediator of continuous improvement (i.e., the fact that certain performers continue to improve their skills even after becoming experts) at the elite level of sport. The present position paper seeks to elucidate and resolve this apparent paradox concerning the role of bodily awareness in expertise. Design: Literature review and position statement. Method: To achieve this latter aim, we draw on empirical evidence (e.g., from research on somatic attention) and theory (e.g., Shusterman's, 2008, theory of body consciousness) to elucidate the role of bodily awareness in facilitating continuous improvement at the elite level of sport. Results and conclusion: In doing so, we sketch some theoretical and practical implications of Shusterman's (2008, 2011, 2012) theory of 'somaesthetics' for contemporary research on expertise in sport

Toward an explanation of continuous improvement in expert athletes: The role of consciousness in deliberate practice

In a body of research spanning three decades, Janet Starkes and her colleagues have produced a wealth of empirical evidence on the importance of deliberate practice in the development of elite performers. Within this corpus of work, a number of studies have alluded to the important role that self-focused attention plays in helping skilled athletes to refine inefficient movements during deliberate practice. Unfortunately, these studies have largely under-represented the role that somatic awareness plays in facilitating further improvement amongst sports performers who have already achieved elite status. In seeking to address this issue of continuous improvement in elite athletes, the current paper marshals evidence to suggest that reflective somatic awareness plays an important role in the practice activities of elite performers. In particular, we argue that such awareness enables elite athletes to consciously and deliberately improve their movement proficiency. More generally, we propose that Shusterman’s (2008) theory of “somaesthetic awareness” offers expertise researchers a potentially fruitful theoretical framework for future research on skill advancement at the elite level of sport

The perils of automaticity

Classical theories of skill acquisition propose that automatization (i.e., performance requires progressively less attention as experience is acquired) is a defining characteristic of expertise in a variety of domains (e.g., Fitts & Posner, 1967). Automaticity is believed to enhance smooth and efficient skill execution by allowing performers to focus on strategic elements of performance rather than on the mechanical details that govern task implementation (Williams & Ford, 2008). By contrast, conscious processing (i.e., paying conscious attention to one’s action during motor execution) has been found to disrupt skilled movement and performance proficiency (e.g., Beilock & Carr, 2001). On the basis of this evidence, researchers have tended to extol the virtues of automaticity. However, few researchers have considered the wide range of empirical evidence which indicates that highly automated behaviors can, on occasion, lead to a series of errors that may prove deleterious to skilled performance. Therefore, the purpose of the current paper is to highlight the perils, rather than the virtues, of automaticity. We draw on Reason’s (1990) classification scheme of everyday errors to show how an overreliance on automated procedures may lead to 3 specific performance errors (i.e., mistakes, slips, and lapses) in a variety of skill domains (e.g., sport, dance, music). We conclude by arguing that skilled performance requires the dynamic interplay of automatic processing and conscious processing in order to avoid performance errors and to meet the contextually contingent demands that characterize competitive environments in a range of skill domains

The effects of conscious processing on golf putting proficiency and kinematics

Researchers have suggested that skill performance deteriorates when people try to exert conscious control over automatic actions. Unfortunately, little is known about the effects of different types of conscious processing on skilled performance by expert athletes. We conducted two experiments to address this issue. Experiment 1 investigated the influence of a specific form of conscious control (making technical adjustments to a stroke) on the putting skills of expert golfers. The expert golfers maintained putting proficiency (i.e. number of putts holed) when making technical adjustments. However, this form of conscious processing altered the timing and consistency of golfers' putting strokes. Experiment 2 compared the influence of technical adjustments and conscious monitoring (paying attention to the execution of the stroke) on expert golfers' putting skills. Technical adjustments had no disruptive influence on expert golfers' putting proficiency but did reduce the consistency of their strokes. However, conscious monitoring was found to impair putting proficiency. The implications of the work for theory and future work are discussed

Measuring motor imagery using psychometric, behavioural, and psychophysiological tools

Measuring motor imagery using psychometric, behavioral, and psychophysiological tools. Exerc. Sport Sci. Rev., Vol. 39, No. 2, pp. 85Y92, 2011. This review examines the measurement of motor imagery (MI) processes. First, self-report measures of MI are evaluated. Next, mental chronometry measures are considered. Then, we explain how physiological indices of the autonomic nervous system can measure MI. Finally, we show how these indices may be combined to produce a measure of MI quality called the Motor Imagery Index. Key Words: motor imagery, mental imagery, psychometric measures, mental chronometry, autonomic nervous system, electrodermal and cardiac activities. MOTOR IMAGERY Motor imagery (MI), or the mental simulation of motor movement, is the cognitive rehearsal of an action without actually executing it (9,26). As the mental representation of a movement without the concomitant production of the muscle activity necessary for its implementation, MI has attracted increasing interest from researchers in sport science, psychology, and cognitive neuroscience During the past 15 years or so, we have conducted a number of studies on theoretical, practical, and rehabilitation issues involving MI. First, we have investigated the brain mechanisms underlying motor skill rehearsal and movement planning (11). Second, we have shown with others that the MI technique of mental practice (''seeing'' and ''feeling'' a movement in one's imagination before executing it) can increase physical strength performance (30) and enhance skill learning (3) and technical performance in athletes (4,32). Finally, we confirmed that MI training can facilitate rehabilitation from physical injury or neurological damage ((5) see (22) for a review). Elsewhere, we have provided a detailed account of research findings on MI (12). Considering that MI is a multidimensional construct (see model developed by Guillot and Collet (10)), we have measured its underlying processes using a combination of psychometric tests (18), qualitative procedures (19,25), chronometric methods in which MI processes are investigated by comparing the duration required to execute real and imagined actions (8), and psychophysiological techniques (1). Although these approaches have each yielded some interesting results (12), they have not yet been combined adequately to provide an aggregate index of MI quality. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to propose a rationale for our novel hypothesis that it is possible to calculate an index of MI quality by quantitatively combining psychometric, qualitative, chronometric, and psychophysiological measures. Our proposed Motor Imagery Index (MII) has significant implications for researchers and practitioners because it can be used to understand individual differences in MI and to assess the efficacy of MI interventions. PSYCHOMETRIC APPROACH For more than a century, researchers have used standardized self-report questionnaires to measure individual differences in imagery dimensions such as vividness (i.e., the clarity or sensory richness of an image) and controllability (i.e., the ease and accuracy with which an image can be manipulated mentally, see (24)). We have investigated both of these dimensions of imagery in sport settings. For example, we found that elite canoe-slalom competitors reported significantly greater use of MI than did less proficient counterparts when preparing for races (17). We investigated the effects of MI on the learning (through both physical and mental practice) of volleyball technique among intermediate performers of this sport (32). We found that a combination of MI and physical practice produced the most efficien

CASPR: Autonomous Sensor Processing Experiment for STP-H7

As computing technologies improve, spacecraft sensors continue to increase in fidelity and resolution, their dataset sizes and data rates increasing concurrently. This increase in data saturates the capabilities of spacecraft-to-ground communications and necessitates the use of powerful onboard computers to process data as it is collected. The pursuit of onboard, autonomous sensor processing while remaining within the power and memory restrictions of embedded computing becomes vital to prevent the saturation of data downlink capabilities. This paper presents a new ISS research experiment to study and evaluate novel technologies in sensors, computers, and intelligent applications for SmallSat-based sensing with autonomous data processing. Configurable and Autonomous Sensor Processing Research (CASPR) is being developed to evaluate autonomous, onboard processing strategies on novel sensors and is set to be installed on the ISS as part of the DoD/NASA Space Test Program –Houston 7(STP-H7) mission. CASPR features a flight-qualified CSP space computer as central node and two flight-ready SSP space computers for apps execution, both from SHREC, a telescopic, multispectral imager from Satlantis Inc., an event-driven neuromorphic vision sensor, an AMD GPU subsystem, and Intel Optane phase-change memory. CASPR is a highly versatile ISS experiment meant to explore many facets of autonomous sensor processing in space

Suckler Bulls Slaughtered at 15 Months of Age: Effect of Different Production Systems on the Fatty Acid Profile and Selected Quality Characteristics of Longissimus Thoracis

peer-reviewedThe objective was to compare the quality of beef from bulls reared in typical Irish indoor systems or in novel grass-based systems. Bulls were assigned to one of the following systems: (a) grass silage plus barley-based concentrate ad libitum (CON); (b) grass silage ad libitum plus 5 kg of concentrate (SC); (c) grazed grass without supplementation (G0); (d) grazed grass plus 0.5 kg of the dietary dry matter intake as concentrate (GC) for (100 days) until slaughter (14.99 months). Carcass characteristics and pH decline were recorded. Longissimus thoracis was collected for analytical and sensory analysis. Lower carcass weight, conformation and fatness scores were found for grazing compared to CON and SC groups. CON bulls had highest intramuscular fat and lighter meat colour compared with grazing bulls. The SC meat (14 days aged) was rated higher for tenderness, texture, flavour and acceptability compared with grazing groups. CON saturated and monounsaturated fatty acid (FA) concentration was highest, conversely, omega-3 FA concentration was higher for GC compared with CON, while no differences were found in polyunsaturated FA. In conclusion, while market fatness specification was not reached by grazed grass treatments, beef eating quality was not detrimentally affected and nutritional quality was improved

Structured psychological support for people with personality disorder: feasibility randomised controlled trial of a low-intensity intervention

National guidance cautions against low-intensity interventions for people with personality disorder, but evidence from trials is lacking. To test the feasibility of conducting a randomised trial of a low-intensity intervention for people with personality disorder. Single-blind, feasibility trial (trial registration: ISRCTN14994755). We recruited people aged 18 or over with a clinical diagnosis of personality disorder from mental health services, excluding those with a coexisting organic or psychotic mental disorder. We randomly allocated participants via a remote system on a 1:1 ratio to six to ten sessions of Structured Psychological Support (SPS) or to treatment as usual. We assessed social functioning, mental health, health-related quality of life, satisfaction with care and resource use and costs at baseline and 24 weeks after randomisation. A total of 63 participants were randomly assigned to either SPS (n = 33) or treatment as usual (n = 30). Twenty-nine (88%) of those in the active arm of the trial received one or more session (median 7). Among 46 (73%) who were followed up at 24 weeks, social dysfunction was lower (-6.3, 95% CI -12.0 to -0.6, P = 0.03) and satisfaction with care was higher (6.5, 95% CI 2.5 to 10.4; P = 0.002) in those allocated to SPS. Statistically significant differences were not found in other outcomes. The cost of the intervention was low and total costs over 24 weeks were similar in both groups. SPS may provide an effective low-intensity intervention for people with personality disorder and should be tested in fully powered clinical trials