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Understanding Motor Science: Control, Learning, and Skills Study Guide

This guide explores the fundamental cognitive process of attention. It delves into how our brains select and filter information, manage limited processing resources, and the impact of task complexity and automaticity on performance. Key concepts covered include selective attention, bottlenecks, sustained attention, and inattentional blindness, providing a comprehensive overview of how attention functions and influences our cognitive abilities.

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Course Introduction and Learning Overview

Introduction to Motor Movement and Control

An introductory session discussing the connection between the brain, nerves, and movement, including course structure and student backgrounds.

  • motor movement
  • connecting the brain and nerves to movements
  • mechanics of movement
  • motor control
  • developmental forms of skills
  • psychology theories in movement

Processes of Mastering Motor Skills

An introduction to the processes involved in mastering skills, focusing on motor learning, motor control, and motor skills within a sport context.

  • mastering skills
  • motor skills
  • motor learning
  • motor control
  • boosting performance
  • prevention of injuries
  • learning processes

Information Processing and Reaction Time

Motor Skill Learning and Reaction Time

An exploration of motor skill components, the distinction between performance and learning, and the mechanics of reaction time and anticipation.

  • open skill unpredictability
  • perception decision making and movement
  • difference between performance and learning
  • permanent change in motor control
  • reaction time in milliseconds
  • anticipation versus reaction
  • reaction time in elite athletes

Stages and Factors of Reaction Time

An examination of the cognitive and physiological processes involved in stimulus identification, response selection, and movement programming.

  • stimulus identification
  • response selection
  • response programming
  • movement programming
  • reaction time vs movement time
  • Hick's Law
  • stimulus response compatibility
  • sensory feedback
  • number of alternatives
  • visual search tasks

Anticipation, Memory Systems, and Information Processing

An exploration of how athletes use anticipation, the different types of memory systems, and the stages of information processing in motor skills.

  • event, spatial, and time anticipation
  • stimulus identification
  • response selection
  • response or movement programming
  • sensory memory store
  • short term memory
  • long term memory
  • continuous motor skills
  • stimulus response compatibility
  • reaction time and movement time

Skill Identification and Information Processing Activities

Motor Control and Learning Overview

An introduction to the principles, processes, and stages involved in motor skill performance, acquisition, and analysis.

  • motor control and learning
  • motor skill acquisition
  • information-processing
  • generalized motor program
  • central nervous system factors
  • feedback processing
  • retention and transfer of motor skills
  • Fitt’s Law
  • motor coordination
  • cognitive processes
  • attention and memory

Skill Identification and Information Processing Case Study

A tutorial session involving skill selection, information processing analysis, and group discussions regarding articles and reaction tests.

  • information processing for a skill
  • skill selection from sport or activity
  • stimulation response compatibility
  • decision making and choices
  • relationship rather than linear

Processing Information and Making Decisions

Information Processing and Decision Making

The information-processing model describes the three stages of human performance: stimulus identification, response selection, and response programming.

  • Information-processing model
  • Stimulus identification
  • Response selection
  • Response programming
  • Simple reaction time
  • Choice reaction time
  • Hick's Law
  • Stimulus-response compatibility
  • Population stereotypes
  • Reaction time vs. movement time

Information Processing in Motor Control

The information-processing model describes how individuals identify stimuli, select responses, and program movements within motor control and learning.

  • Information-processing model
  • Stimulus ID
  • Response selection
  • Response programming
  • Anticipation
  • Reaction Time (RT)
  • Speed-accuracy tradeoff

Introduction to Attention and its Characteristics

Introduction to the Concept of Attention

Attention is a cognitive process involving the selection, filtering, and allocation of limited processing resources toward specific sensory input.

  • Cognitive process
  • Limited processing resources
  • Sensory input
  • Selection process
  • Withdrawal
  • Gatekeeper analogy
  • Task complexity
  • Automaticity

Foundations and Types of Attention in Motor Control

Attention in Motor Control and Learning

Attention is the cognitive process by which the nervous system actively directs, filters, and allocates limited processing resources toward specific sensory inputs, thoughts, or motor tasks.

  • Limited-capacity resource
  • Information-processing sequence
  • Stimulus identification
  • Response selection
  • Movement programming
  • Single-resource view
  • Multiple-resource view
  • Selective attention
  • Serial vs. Parallel processing

Types and Mechanisms of Attention

An exploration of selective, divided, and sustained attention, including the role of automaticity and research methods for measuring attentional capacity.

  • Selective Attention
  • Controlled (Top-Down) Attention
  • Automatic (Bottom-Up) Attention
  • Stroop Effect
  • Divided Attention
  • Cocktail Party Effect
  • Sustained Attention (Vigilance)
  • Vigilance Decrement
  • Inattentional Blindness
  • Overt vs. Covert Attention
  • Probe-Task Technique
  • Automaticity

Sensory Systems and Closed Loop Control

Sensory Toolkit and Closed Loop Control

Information for the nervous system is categorized into exteroception and proprioception, which utilize closed loop control to adjust movement through sensory feedback.

  • Exteroception
  • Proprioception
  • Vision (Focal and Ambient)
  • Vestibular System
  • Audition
  • Muscle Spindles
  • Closed Loop Control
  • Effector System
  • Comparator
  • Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Feedback
  • Effector Copy

Course Foundations

Memory Systems and Information Processing

Motor Control Memory Systems and Processing

An overview of three distinct memory systems and the information-processing model stages.

  • Short-Term Memory Store
  • Short-term Memory
  • Long-term Memory
  • Information-processing model
  • Stimulus Identification
  • Response Selection
  • Response Programming
  • Hick's Law

Characteristics and Mechanisms of Attention

Concepts and Characteristics of Attention

An exploration of attention as a mechanism for processing sensory inputs, managing information overload, and facilitating goal-directed action through various cognitive models.

  • Information processing stages
  • Psychological refractory period
  • Limited capacity
  • Task relevant cues
  • Serial versus parallel processing
  • Sustained attention
  • Vigilance
  • Single resource view
  • Multiple resource perspective
  • Selective attention
  • Controlled selective attention
  • Automatic selective attention

Concepts and Types of Attention

An exploration of selective, divided, and sustained attention, including the Stroop effect, automaticity, and the impact of focus on performance.

  • Selective attention
  • Divided attention
  • Sustained attention
  • Stroop effect
  • Automaticity
  • Inattentional blindness
  • Dual-task technique
  • Internal vs. external focus
  • Attentional narrowing
  • Reinvestment theory

Attention in Movement and Sport

Attention Bottleneck and Psychological Refractory Period

The psychological refractory period demonstrates how a single-channel bottleneck causes a delay in responding to a second stimulus when a first stimulus is still being processed.

  • Psychological Refractory Period (PRP)
  • Single-channel bottleneck
  • Stimulus Onset Asynchrony (SOA)
  • Response Selection
  • Dual-task paradigms

Comparing Open and Closed Loop Control Systems

Open-Loop vs. Closed-Loop Motor Control

A comparison of open-loop and closed-loop motor control systems regarding feedback, movement speed, and information processing.

  • Open-loop control systems
  • Closed-loop control systems
  • Feedback facilitation
  • Information processing stages
  • Signal identification
  • Response selection
  • Movement program
  • Executive decision making
  • Input and output components

Motor Science Core Concepts

Motor Learning vs. Control

Differentiating between the processes of acquiring new skills (learning) and the mechanisms that execute them (control).

Skill Acquisition Processes

Examining the underlying processes involved in mastering physical tasks, from childhood development to expert performance.

Understanding Hick's Law and Decision Making

Hick's Law and Decision Making

An exploration of Hick's Law regarding how the number of choices affects decision time and processing.

  • Hick's Law
  • logarithmic decision time increase
  • analysis paralysis
  • linear versus logarithmic relationships
  • processing information from multiple sources
  • reducing options to improve learning
  • reaction time

Information Processing and Reaction Time Lab

Motor Control and Information Processing

  • Information-processing stages
  • Reaction time
  • Movement time
  • Hick's Law
  • Stimulus-response compatibility
  • Stimulus identification
  • Response-selection
  • Response programming
  • Simple reaction time
  • Choice reaction time

Attention, Automaticity, and Dual-Task Performance

Concepts of Attention and Focus

An exploration of attentional capacity, automaticity, and the distinction between internal and external focus in performance.

  • Attentional capacity
  • Automaticity
  • Internal focus
  • External focus
  • Dual-task interference
  • Quiet eye
  • Response selection bottleneck
  • Psychological refractory period

Complex Applications of Attention and Performance

Attention and Performance in Complex Applications

This topic explores how focus of attention, decision-making under pressure, and the Quiet Eye phenomenon influence motor performance and learning.

  • Internal Focus
  • External Focus
  • Constrained Action Hypothesis
  • Attentional Narrowing
  • Distraction Theory
  • Monitoring Theory
  • Quiet Eye Phenomenon
  • Automaticity

Addressing Storage and Novelty Problems in GMP Theory

General Motor Program Theory Problems

Discussion regarding how the general motor program theory addresses storage and novelty problems through generalized rules and templates.

  • General motor program theory
  • Storage problem
  • Novelty problem
  • Generalized rules
  • Templates

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