A 3D Kinematic Investigation of the Effect of Attentional Focus During the Coordination Stage of Learning

Focusing on movement effects (an external focus of attention) has been found to be superior to focusing on body movements (an internal focus) during the performance and learning of motor tasks. Much previous research has focused on outcome rather than process measures, and on the refinement of the control of existing coordination patterns rather than on the emergence of novel coordination patterns. The ski slalom simulator is a useful task for studying the coordination stage of learning, as the emergence of a novel coordination pattern on this task has been well documented. Twenty university students learned to perform on the ski slalom simulator under either internal or external focus instructions. Participants completed seven 45 second trials during a single session. Self-report manipulation checks indicated adherence to the attentional focus instructions. Significant changes in intra- and inter-limb coordination pattern variability (NoRMS) and range of motion across trials evidenced the emergence and stabilization of a novel coordination pattern. There were no significant between group differences in outcome or process variables. These results suggest that the effect of attentional focus manipulations may not emerge until the control stage of learning