Internal focus instruction increases psychological stress with conscious motor processing and deteriorates motor performance in dart throwing

Abstract

Internal focus attention strategies have been found to diminish motor performance. This study attempted to elucidate this finding using the Constrained Action Hypothesis and the Theory of Reinvestment through exploring their underlying mechanisms. Sixty-one young participants completed a self-paced "Dart Throwing" motor task to examine the effects of internal focus instruction, compared with no focus instruction, on conscious motor processing (reinvestment), psychological stress, and motor performance.Participants threw darts with standardized internal focus and no focus instructions given before each trial block of dart throwing. Motor performance was indicated by the throw accuracy and throw time. Stress was measured using a galvanic skin response probe.An insight into real-time conscious motor processing (reinvestment) was provided by the Electroencephalography (EEG) coherence between T3 and Fz locations on the scalp.Results indicated that internal focus instruction could cause participants to have lower throw accuracy (p = 0.008), longer throw time (p = 0.001), higher stress (p = 0.001) and higher real-time conscious motor processing (reinvestment) (p = 0.001) than no focus instruction. The significant results imply that internal focus instruction should be avoided in the self-paced motor task learning due to its detrimental effects.

Effects of Attentional Focus on Motor Performance and Physiology in a Slow-Motion Violin Bow-Control Task: Evidence for the Constrained Action Hypothesis in Bowed String Technique

“…CAH posits that focusing on movement mechanisms evokes self-consciousness in the performer and triggers attempts to control automatized motor processes, resulting in performance impairment. In support of this, a recent study has provided neurological evidence that an internal focus promotes conscious motor processing in the form of increased coherence between verbal, analytical, and motor planning brain regions ( Law & Wong, 2020 ). This theory is also closely connected to issues of performance under pressure.…”

Effects of Time Constraints and Goal Setting on Basketball Shooting

“…This supports some of the previous research on performance and joint variability indicating that more consistent, gross-motor movements result in superior performance (e.g., Toner and Moran, 2011 ). However, other research contradicts this finding, reporting that high-skill level performers had increased movement variation allowing for increased adaptability and a higher level of performance (e.g., Neumann and Heng, 2011 ; Law and Wong, 2021 ). A possible explanation for these contradictory findings is that the particular movements analyzed may moderate the effect of skill level on joint variation.…”

“…Alternatively, explicit monitoring theory suggests that pressure situations raise selfconsciousness awareness, resulting in increased associative attention to somatic perceptions, and motor processes which would otherwise be automatic (e.g., Beilock and Carr, 2001;Beilock et al, 2004;Lee et al, 2019). In support of explicit monitoring theory, the majority of sport performance research indicates that directing attention toward a single, task-relevant, dissociative cue is advantageous for performance (e.g., Beilock et al, 2004;Law and Wong, 2021). Moreover, research on sport performance and attention indicates that a task-relevant dissociative focus improves biomechanical properties as well (e.g., Zachry et al, 2005;Lohse et al, 2010;Schücker and Parrington, 2019).…”

“…Freezing degrees of freedom resulting from increased muscle tension limits mobility in joints and disrupts task performance (e.g., Higuchi et al, 2002). This pattern of freezing degrees of freedom explains the increased muscle tension and performance declines found in studies of associative attention and stress during athletic performance (e.g., Neumann and Heng, 2011;Law and Wong, 2021). These two theories of movement patterns during high anxiety, dechunking (resulting in greater movement variability), and freezing degrees of freedom (resulting in greater movement variability) offer two contradictory predictions of how anxiety influences motor behavior.…”

EEG correlates of verbal and conscious processing of motor control in sport and human movement: a systematic review

“…Two of these studies showed an internal focus of attention to increase T7-Fz connectivity relative to baseline (Chow et al, 2019;Ellmers et al, 2016). One study found an internal focus of attention to increase T7-Fz connectivity compared to a no-focus condition (Law & Wong, 2020). One study reported T7-Fz connectivity to be unchanged, relative to baseline, when encouraging verbal or conscious processing (Parr et al, 2020).…”