Expertise and Peripheral Autonomic Activity during the Preparation Phase in Shooting Events

Abstract

This study compared effectiveness of the concentration period in two groups of shooters to evaluate the influence of their expertise while concentrating on the target. Marksmen (pistol shooters, 10 men and 5 women) and pentathletes (6 men and 7 women) took part in a shooting competition in keeping with the rules of each event. Participants were then asked to imagine themselves shooting, at the laboratory. Five variables representing the activity of the autonomic nervous system were continuously recorded (skin resistance and potential, skin blood flow, skin temperature, instantaneous heart rate). Autonomic responses recorded during concentration, actual shooting, and mental imagery were compared by calculating the ratios concentration/ shooting and imagery/shooting. The resultant mean ratio was used to characterize each participant. The same autonomic nervous system pattern was observed during concentrating on the target, mental imagery, and actual shooting. However, marksmen showed ratios closer to 1.0 than pentathletes, absolute mean differences being .06 and .3, respectively. Shorter duration and weakest amplitude responses were recorded during the concentration phase in the Pentathlete group, suggesting that they have more difficulty in using mental imagery during competition than marksmen. When subjects performed well, a specific response pattern was observed in the Marksman group, but not in the Pentathlete group, except in skin potential. In both Marksman and Pentathlete groups, a majority of negative skin potential responses were found in the concentration and shooting phases for the best shots.

Effect of a fatiguing protocol on motor imagery accuracy

“…Such autonomic responses were shown to disappear when athletes had difficulties with motor imagery or in the event of many successive repetitions (Roure et al 1999;Guillot et al 2004b). Conversely, recording skin resistance response during motor imagery attests to mental operation of movement representation during each trial (Deschaumes-Molinaro et al 1991;Guillot et al 2004a). Therefore, these results indicate that muscle fatigue does not affect motor imagery accuracy.…”

“…Bradycardia is usually recorded during motor imagery (Deschaumes-Molinaro et al 1991;Guillot et al 2004a) and may be correlated to an increase in focused attention (Lacey and Lacey 1974), thus attesting to mental work. However, in the present study, heart rate was not aimed to attest mental processes, because of the energetic expenditure elicited by physical exercise, but was recorded as an indicator of physical activity intensity.…”

“…Central operations are paralleled by autonomic responses which anticipate and accompany behavior, thus representing non-conscious physiological mechanisms of central mental processes. Motor imagery and actual movement elicit similar autonomic responses (Decety et al 1993), including skin resistance (Deschaumes-Molinaro et al 1991;Guillot et al 2004a). Autonomic responses have also been shown to differentiate between good and poor imagers (Roure et al 1999;Guillot et al 2004b), skin resistance being thus considered a reliable indicator of motor imagery quality.…”

Autonomic Nervous System Activity During Actual and Mentally Simulated Preparation for Movement

“…Therefore, it can be conjectured that in order to be regarded as a specific effect, the degree of autonomic activation during mental imagery should be proportional to the imagined effort (Decety, Germain, Pastene, & Jeannerod, 1991). Deschaumes-Molinaro et al (1991) and Guillot et al (2004) showed that similar autonomic responses in an attentionally engaging task (shooting events) occur during real and imagined attempts. In a group of subjects requested to imagine swimming over a distance of 100 m, Beyer, Weiss, Hansen, Wolf, and Seidel (1990) reported that respiratory frequency and heart rate increased during mental imagery.…”

“…By comparing ANS variable responses during the preparation phase both in real and mental rehearsal attempts, Deschaumes-Molinaro, Dittmar, and Vernet-Maury (1991) evidenced similar autonomic responses in a group of athletes (marksmen). Moreover, Guillot, Collet, Molinaro, and Dittmar (2004) concluded that the same motor program is involved both during the actual preparation period, and during mentally simulated attempts in an attentionally engaging task (i.e. shooting events).…”