Is flow really effortless? The complex role of effortful attention.

Harris, David; Vine, Samuel J.; Wilson, Mark R.

doi:10.1037/spy0000083

Cited by 57 publications

(66 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…lengthening their QE duration). To potentially explain these occasions we draw from a model recently proposed by Harris et al (Harris, Vine, & Wilson, 2017) that pairs the CMH with Wright's (1996) motivational intensity theory (MIT). Based on the idea that humans will avoid wasting energy, MIT predicts that effort will be invested proportionally to task demands until chances of success become low, at which point resources will be withdrawn.…”

Section: Error Recoverymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Clearly future research needs to explore the effect of errors on participants' momentary state anxiety and also on their motivational intensity and applied mental effort in subsequent attempts. The extent to which QE is a measure of effortful compensatory processes (e.g., Harris et al, 2017;Moran et al, 2016) also needs to be clarified. Moreover, the number of data points that could be used to compare trial-to-trial sequences varied for each participant and were limited in some cases.…”

Section: Error Recoverymentioning

confidence: 99%

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The quiet eye supports error recovery in golf putting

Walters-Symons

Wilson

Vine

2017

Psychology of Sport and Exercise

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Objectives: The aim of this study was to further examine the relationship between the Quiet eye (QE, Vickers, 1996) and performance. We aimed to scrutinise the relationship between QE and shot outcome and replicate the robust relationship between QE and expertise. Based on recent findings (Cooke et al., 2015) showing that motor planning is dependent upon the outcome of a previous attempt, we wanted to examine the influence of prior performance on the functionality of the QE. Design: We performed a 2 (expertise) x 2 (outcome) mixed design study. Participants performed golf putts until they had achieved 5 successful (hits) and 5 unsuccessful (misses) attempts. Methods: 18 experienced and 21 novice golfers participated in the study. Putts were taken from ten feet while wearing a mobile eye tracker. Results: Experienced golfers had consistently longer QE durations than novices but there was no difference in QE between randomly chosen hits and misses. However, QE durations were significantly longer on hits directly following a miss, but significantly shorter on misses following a miss. Conclusions: This is the first study to have examined QE duration as a consequence of prior performance. Our findings highlight the important role of QE in recovering from an error and improving performance. The findings add further support for the response programming function of the QE, as additional 'programming' was needed to recover from an error. Findings also highlight the potential for a link between QE and the allocation of attentional resources to the task (effort).

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Section: Error Recoverymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Error Recoverymentioning

confidence: 99%

The quiet eye supports error recovery in golf putting

Walters-Symons

Wilson

Vine

2017

Psychology of Sport and Exercise

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“…Evidence using a video game stimulus demonstrates that allowing for task difficulty to vary in relationship to individual ability results in a curvilinear relationship where self-reported intrinsic reward is low when difficulty ≠ ability and high when difficulty ≈ ability (Keller & Bless, 2008). A recent behavioral and psychophysiological study using a racing video game also showed that the flow state (difficulty ≈ ability) resulted in the highest levels of absorption, attentional effort, and efficient gaze compared with conditions where difficulty ≠ ability (Harris, Vine, & Wilson, 2017a).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Does intrinsic reward motivate cognitive control? a naturalistic-fMRI study based on the synchronization theory of flow

Huskey

Craighead

Miller

et al. 2018

Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci

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Cognitive control is a framework for understanding the neuropsychological processes that underlie the successful completion of everyday tasks. Only recently has research in this area investigated motivational contributions to control allocation. An important gap in our understanding is the way in which intrinsic rewards associated with a task motivate the sustained allocation of control. To address this issue, we draw on flow theory, which predicts that a balance between task difficulty and individual ability results in the highest levels of intrinsic reward. In three behavioral and one functional magnetic resonance imaging studies, we used a naturalistic and open-source video game stimulus to show that changes in the balance between task difficulty and an individual's ability to perform the task resulted in different levels of intrinsic reward, which is associated with different brain states. Specifically, psychophysiological interaction analyses show that high levels of intrinsic reward associated with a balance between task difficulty and individual ability are associated with increased functional connectivity between key structures within cognitive control and reward networks. By comparison, a mismatch between task difficulty and individual ability is associated with lower levels of intrinsic reward and corresponds to increased activity within the default mode network. These results suggest that intrinsic reward motivates cognitive control allocation.

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“…performance, confidence, focus, ease, and automaticity (Harris et al 2017). During flow, performance is reported as automatic, and happening without deliberate effort.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Flow at Work: a Self-Determination Perspective

2017

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Flow at work refers to a short-term peak experience that is characterized by absorption, work enjoyment, and intrinsic work motivation, and is positively related to various indicators of job performance. In an organizational context, research has predominantly focused on situational predictors of flow -including challenge job demands and resources. In this article, we propose that workers may also proactively create their own optimal experiences. We use self-determination theory to argue that all human beings have basic needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, as well as an inherent tendency towards proactivity and growth. We propose that workers may use four self-determination strategies to satisfy their basic needs, facilitate flow experiences, and, in turn, increase their job performance: self-leadership, job crafting, designing work to be playful, and strengths use. Furthermore, we argue that factors within the organizational context -such as human resource practices and leadership, as well as personal resources -such as self-efficacy and optimism, moderate the effectiveness of these strategies. Implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed.

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Is flow really effortless? The complex role of effortful attention.

Cited by 57 publications

References 41 publications

The quiet eye supports error recovery in golf putting

The quiet eye supports error recovery in golf putting

Does intrinsic reward motivate cognitive control? a naturalistic-fMRI study based on the synchronization theory of flow

Flow at Work: a Self-Determination Perspective

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