The Perception & Action Podcast - Sports Science & Psychology Talk

Sports Science Shorts: will baseball’s new proposed rule changes to speed the pace of play make the game more exciting and attract new fans?  What can we learn from similar attempts made in soccer? What determines a sport’s fans level of excitement   Articles: How to Make Soccer More Attractive? Rewards for a Victory, the Teams' Offensiveness, and the Home Bias Does the Three-Point Rule Make Soccer More Exciting? Evidence From a Regression Discontinuity Design Suspense: Dynamic Incentives in Sports Contests Major League Baseball pace-of-play rules and their influence on predicted muscle fatigue during simulated baseball games http://www.si.com/mlb/2017/02/13/raising-strike-zone-pace-action   More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)     Credits: The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action Silver Jews – Random Rules Mark Lanegan - Saint Louis Elegy via freemusicarchive.org and jamendo.com  

News: A look at a few recent articles in the area of motor learning and performance. Can the structure of motor variability predict the rate at which a performer learns a new skill?  Does using social media before a game increase anxiety in an athlete?  What differs between the way in which I child and adult learns a motor skill?   Articles: Can the Structure of Motor Variability Predict Learning Rate? Facebook use and its relationship with sport anxiety Children and Adults Both Learn Motor Sequences Quickly, But Do So Differently   More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)   Credits: The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action Coty Hogue  - Second Hand News Silence is Sexy – Stories Yet to Come Mark Lanegan - Saint Louis Elegy via freemusicarchive.org and jamendo.com

A discussion with Danny Newcombe, Lecturer in Sports Coaching and PE, Oxford Brookes University. Topics discussed include: applying the constraints-led approach to practice design and physical education curriculum, research on the constraints-led approach --what does it tell us about its effectiveness and are we using the correct methods of evaluation?   More information about my guest: http://www.shs.brookes.ac.uk/daniel-newcombe https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Daniel_Newcombe https://twitter.com/dannynewcombe   More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc) Twitter: @Shakeywaits Email: robgray@asu.edu   Credits: The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action Lo Fi is Hi Fi - I’m on a Talk Show Mark Lanegan - Saint Louis Elegy via freemusicarchive.org

A discussion with Diane Ste-Marie, Professor in the School of Human Kinetics at the University of Ottawa. Topics discussed include: why do athletes tend to perform better when they have control over the feedback they receive and when is self-controlled feedback ineffective? How do athletes use observation of themselves or others to acquire or improve sports skills and what factors should be taken into account when applying observational learning in sport?   More information about my guest: https://health.uottawa.ca/people/ste-marie-diane https://www.researchgate.net/researcher/15275124_Diane_M_Ste-Marie   Article mentioned: Observation interventions for motor skill learning and performance: An applied model for the use of observation   More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc) Twitter: @Shakeywaits Email: robgray@asu.edu   Credits: The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action Lo Fi is Hi Fi - I’m on a Talk

A discussion with Dave Collins, Professor & Director of the Institute of Coaching & Performance, University of Central Lancashire. Topics discussed include: what it’s like to be a sports psychologist, talent development, performance analytics, technique change, bridging the gap between research and practice, and the role of social media in research.   More information about my guest: http://www.uclan.ac.uk/staff_profiles/professor_dave_collins.php http://www.gm4p.com/ https://twitter.com/davegm4p https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-collins-46678310   More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc) Twitter: @Shakeywaits Email: robgray@asu.edu   Credits: The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action Lo Fi is Hi Fi - I’m on a Talk Show Mark Lanegan - Saint Louis Elegy via freemusicarchive.org

Do athletes perform better when they talk to themselves? Should the talk be motivational or instructional? Positive or negative? Does it work for both novices and experts?   Articles/links: The influence of self-talk on the performance of skilled female tennis players Self-talk influences vertical jump performance and kinematics in male rugby union players Self-Talk of Marathon Runners Self-Talk and Sports Performance: A Meta-Analysis Effects of Self-Talk: A Systematic Review Self-talk: Review and sport-specific model   More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)   Subscribe in iOS/Apple Subscribe in Anroid/Google   Credits: The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action The Pandoras – You’re All Talk Silence is Sexy – Talk The Sights – Tick Talk Lies Mark Lanegan - Saint Louis Elegy via freemusicarchive.org and jamendo.com

News: A look at a few recent journal articles. Do soccer players and referees sometimes see an event that never really happened? Can a basketball player detect where a dribbler is headed using sound alone? Is doing exercise in front of a mirror effective?   Articles: Seeing the unseen? Illusory causal filling in FIFA referees, players, and novices Expert Players Accurately Detect an Opponent's Movement Intentions Through Sound Alone The Effects of Either a Mirror, Internal or External Focus Instructions on Single and Multi-Joint Tasks   More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)   Phantom Goal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huS7WcDHJXs   Credits: The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action Ultimate Painting – Can’t You See White Hills – Oceans of Sound Mark Lanegan - Saint Louis Elegy via freemusicarchive.org and jamendo.com

Why does the presence of others change the performance of an individual athlete? Why is this social facilitation effect sometimes good and sometimes bad?  Does it matter whether the other people are observing, evaluating or performing the same action? Does being “observed” via activity monitoring technology facilitate performance?   Articles/links: The Dynamogenic Factors in Pacemaking and Competition Social Facilitation From Triplett to Electronic Performance Monitoring Social "facilitation" as challenge and threat Social facilitation in motor tasks: a review of research and theory Social Facilitation of Running: An Unobtrusive Study   Yerkes Dodson Figures   My other (new) podcast: Ultra Running Science & Superstitions   More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)   Subscribe in iOS/Apple Subscribe in Anroid/Google   Credits: The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action The Dark Brothers – Watching Pe

Should the goal of practice be to reduce movement variability to as low a value as possible? Is high variability the signature of an unskilled performer or a necessity for effective learning?   Articles/links: A schema theory of discrete motor skill learning Feedback-Induced Variability and the Learning of Generalized Motor Programs Optimizing generalized motor program and parameter learning Variability in baseball pitching biomechanics among various levels of competition What variability tells us about movement expertise The bliss (not the problem) of motor abundance (not redundancy) Timing an attacking forehand drive in table tennis Regulation of gait in long jumping Inter-individual variability in the upper–lower limb breaststroke coordination Differing Roles of Functional Movement Variability as Experience Increases in Gymnastics The education of attention as explanation of variability of practice effects: learning the final approach phase in a flight simulator More information: http://perceptionaction.

My list of the top 5 sports psychology stories from 2016: The death knell for brain games? Deliberate practice fights back! What to do about the relative age effect? Advances in Teamwork Research Somebody’s watching (or monitoring) me   Articles/links: Do “Brain-Training” Programs Work? Peak: The New Science of Expertise Age-ordered shirt numbering reduces the selection bias associated with the relative age effect Reversal of the Relative Age Effect Team Synergies in Sport: Theory and Measures Theoretical and Methodical Approaches to Studying Team Cognition in Sports More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)   Credits: The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action Mark Lanegan - Saint Louis Elegy via freemusicarchive.org and jamendo.com

A look at visual channeling theory and its consequences for perception. Why are some people blind to approaching objects in certain areas of their visual field and what implications does it have for sport?   Articles/links: The Charles F. Prentice Award Lecture 1990: specific tests and specific blindnesses: keys, locks, and parallel processing Visual field defects for unidirectional and oscillatory motion in depth Impaired Velocity Processing Reveals an Agnosia for Motion in Depth   More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)   Credits: The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action Beggar’s Velvet – Blind Gentleman Jesse – If I Can See You 5440 – I Go Blind Mark Lanegan - Saint Louis Elegy via freemusicarchive.org and jamendo.com  

My report from the Sports Biometrics Conference held from Nov 13-15, 2016.  Issues discussed include validity of analytics data, whether athletes are going to agree to be continuously monitored and the frequent disconnect between science and practice.   Articles/links: http://sports-biometrics-conference.com/ http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2097866-the-sleeve-that-could-save-baseball-exclusive-look-at-new-mlb-technology   More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)   Credits: The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action The Dark Brothers – Watching People Mark Lanegan - Saint Louis Elegy

News: A look at a few recent articles examining the effects of anxiety and pressure on performance and methods for counteracting these effects. Does pressure effect the planning or online control of movements? Could increasing anxiety in practice benefit motor learning?  What are holistic goals and how can they reduce pressure effects?   Articles: The interaction between practice and performance pressure on the planning and control of fast target directed movement Perceptual-motor learning benefits from increased stress and anxiety Anxiety and motor performance: More evidence for the effectiveness of holistic process goals as a solution to the process goal paradox   More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)   Credits: The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action Mouthbreathers – Anxiety Wyldlife – She’s Making Me Nervous via freemusicarchive.org and jamendo.com

Why do we have two eyes?  Is binocular vision necessary for successful performance of motor actions like those involved in sports and driving? Or is it just redundant information? What is it like to live with just one eye?   Articles/links: Binocular Vision and Stereopsis The visual and driving performance of monocular and binocular heavy-duty truck drivers Vision with one eye: a review of visual function following unilateral enucleation Prospective Assessment of Stereoscopic Visual Status and USAF Pilot Training Attrition Why two eyes are better than one: the two views of binocular vision The acquisition of catching under monocular and binocular conditions The contribution of stereo vision to one-handed catching The development of adaptive head movements following enucleation. Foundations of cyclopean perception http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2006/06/19/stereo-sue Random dot stereograms: http://www.magiceye.com/   More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)

Which is better: specific or variable practice?  How does it depend on what you are trying to achieve in terms of retention and transfer of skill? The ultramarathon as a complex system and my report on surviving my first one!   Articles/links: A sensorimotor basis for motor learning: evidence indicating specificity of practice Specificity and variability of practice Specificity of Learning a Sport Skill to the Visual Condition of Acquisition   Cave Creek Thriller 2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVk-ECgORD4   More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)   Credits: The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action #1s – Long Way to Go Zaki Ibrahim & Fresh Kils - Long Time Running Paul Collins Beat – Long Time Gone Mark Lanegan - Saint Louis Elegy

Is fear in a performer a debilitating problem that must be overcome? Or can freezing from fear actually improve our ability to perceive and act?   Articles: Ready and waiting: Freezing as active action preparation under threat Simulated self-motion alters perceived time to collision Freezing promotes perception of coarse visual features Seeing fearful body language rapidly freezes the observer's motor cortex   More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)   Credits: Port City Music – Night Terrors Sleep Out – Halloween Parade Monk Turner – Halloween Night via freemusicarchive.org and jamendo.com

A look at perceptual-motor development from the ecological perspective.  If it’s not pre-programmed by our genetics, how does a child’s pattern of movements emerge from the dynamical constraints of their environment? And how does movement shape perceptual discovery?   Articles/links: Motor Development: A New Synthesis Infant bouncing: The assembly and tuning of action systems Crawling versus walking infants' perception of affordances for locomotion over sloping surfaces Motor Development (Adolph & Berger) Motor development and the mind: the potential role of motor abilities as a determinant of aspects of perceptual development Development of visual motion perception for prospective control: brain and behavioral studies in infants   More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)   Credits: The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action Ace & The Gulls – Baby Said Paul Collins Beat – Baby I’m in Love With

A discussion Andrew Wilson from Leeds Beckett. We discuss ecological psychology ideas like motor abundance, functional equivalence and degeneracy, Andrew’s recent study on task dynamics and information in throwing, his work on affordances and throwing prehistoric stones, and the current and future state of the ecological approach.   More information about my guest: http://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/staff/dr-andrew-wilson/ http://psychsciencenotes.blogspot.co.uk/ https://twitter.com/PsychScientists https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Andrew_Wilson14   Link to motor abundance video mentioned: http://psychsciencenotes.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-bliss-of-motor-abundance.html     More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc) Twitter: @Shakeywaits Email: robgray@asu.edu   Credits: The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action Lo Fi is Hi Fi - I’m on a Talk Show Mark Lanegan - Saint Louis Elegy via freemusicarchive.org

A look at perceptual-motor development from an information processing, stage-based perspective.  What is the relative importance of genetics and early experience? Are their critical periods in which perceptual and motor skills must develop? What is an efference copy?   Articles/links: What Is Motor Development? The Lessons of History Infancy and Human Growth Effects of visual deprivation on morphology and physiology of cells in the cat's lateral geniculate body Extent of recovery from the effects of visual deprivation in kittens Movement-produced stimulation in the development of visually guided behavior Organization of Early Skilled Action The Principle of Reafference: Interactions between the Central Nervous System and the Peripheral Organs Paralysis of the Awake Human: Visual Perceptions   More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)   Credits: The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action Barrence Whitf

Thinking aloud about some sports science issues as I prepare for my first 50K ultra.  What is the optimal focus of attention for a runner and how does it change as you switch from road to trail?  How can one best acquire the skill of downhill running?  Does it depend on where you look?   Articles/links: My training log: https://www.strava.com/athletes/17201121 Race I am doing: http://www.aravaiparunning.com/cave-creek-thriller/ Related blog post with figures: http://perceptionaction.com/37d/ “Look around while running!” Attentional focus effects in inexperienced runners https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PE0fbapiyQ   More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)   Credits: The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action Miss Derrinnger – Better Run Away From Me Trash Ride – Running Around Mark Lanegan - Saint Louis Elegy