The Relative Effectiveness of Various Instructional Approaches in Developing Anticipation Skill.

Abstract

The relative effectiveness of explicit instruction, guided discovery, and discovery learning techniques in enhancing anticipation skill in young, intermediate-level tennis players was examined. Performance was assessed pre- and postintervention, during acquisition, and under transfer conditions designed to elicit anxiety through the use of laboratory and on-court measures. The 3 intervention groups improved from pre- to posttest compared with a control group (n = 8), highlighting the benefits of perceptual-cognitive training. Participants in the explicit (n = 8) and guided discovery (n = 10) groups improved their performance during acquisition at a faster rate than did the discovery learning (n = 7) group. However, the explicit group showed a significant decrement in performance when tested under anxiety provoking conditions compared with the guided discovery and discovery learning groups. Although training facilitated anticipation skill, irrespective of the type of instruction used in this experiment, guided discovery methods are recommended for expediency in learning and resilience under pressure.

Examination of gaze behaviors under in situ and video simulation task constraints reveals differences in information pickup for perception and action

“…The gaze behavior findings derived from video simulation laboratory tasks have traditionally underpinned the content of instruction protocols used in experimental paradigms aimed at training perceptual skills (e.g., Smeeton, Williams, Hodges, & Ward, 2005;. Such experimental bias may explain why the efficacy and transfer of existing perceptual training methodologies reis plausible that the initial pickup of biological motion information (i.e., allocentric vision for perception) places a boundary constraint on vision for action in perceptualmotor tasks ( Dijkerman, McIntosh, Schindler, Nijboer, & Milner, 2009;van der Kamp, van Doorn, & Masters, 2009;van Doorn, van der Kamp, & Savelsbergh, 2007).…”

The Role of Expertise Research and Human Factors in Capturing, Explaining, and Producing Superior Performance

“…Williams et al (2002) videotaped expert and novice tennis players during serve receive, noting differences in their time to react and accuracy of returns. Interventions using expert modeling and feedback produced significant increases in serve receive performance (Farrow, Chivers, Hardingham, & Sachse, 1998;Smeeton, Williams, Hodges, & Ward, 2005). Analogous programs for field hockey and soccer goalkeepers have also demonstrated positive results (for a review, see Ward et al, 2006).…”

Anxiety, anticipation and contextual information: A test of attentional control theory

“…Several scientists have proposed theories to explain how anxiety affects performance (e.g., Cusp Catastrophe Model, Hardy, 1996, Hardy & Parfitt, 1991Processing Efficiency Theory [PET], Eysenck & Calvo, 1992; Attentional Control Theory [ACT], Eysenck, Derakshan, Santos, & Calvo, 2007). However, despite the wealth of research exploring the links between anxiety and performance, few researchers have assessed the impact of anxiety on anticipation judgements in time-constrained environments (for exceptions, see Smeeton, Williams, Hodges, & Ward, 2005;Vickers & Lewinski, 2012;Williams & Elliott, 1999). Yet, the ability to process information and to anticipate the actions of others under severe time pressure is an essential component of performance in numerous domains such as sport, law enforcement, aviation, and military combat (Vickers & Lewinski, 2012).…”