The relationship between motor representation and biomechanical parameters in complex movements: Towards an integrative perspective of movement science

Attentional Focus Effects on Lower-Limb Muscular Strength in Athletes: A Systematic Review

ABSTRACT

Pompa, D, Carson, HJ, Beato, M, di Fronso, S, and Bertollo, M. Attentional focus effects on lower-limb muscular strength in athletes: A systematic review. J Strength Cond Res 38(2): 419-434, 2024-Evidence links an athlete's focus of attention to enhancing strength performance. However, additional research is needed to investigate the applicability of studies beyond the tasks and population currently examined. Therefore, we aimed to systematically review studies concerning attentional focus effects on strength characteristics on lower-limb tasks in athletes. Scopus, Web of Science, and EBSCO databases were searched using PRISMA PERSIST guidelines and keywords related to the focus of attention, force production processes, and athletes. Subjects were categorized: world class (tier 5); elite (tier 4); highly trained (tier 3); trained/developmental (tier 2); nonathletes (tiers 1-0); and mixed (different levels). Fifteen of 296 studies met the inclusion criteria. Included studies investigated the focus of attention effects on performance ( n = 6), between skill levels ( n = 2), and for learning ( n = 5), with respect to subject preference ( n = 1); one study did not state the aim. Studies achieved an average risk of bias score of "excellent"; however, findings suffered in the assessment of certainty. Only 2 studies reported an advantage for one type of attentional focus (external focus) across conditions ( g = 0.13-0.42) with tier 2 and mixed tier athletes. Research does not address the needs of elite athletes, and there is limited evidence on each type of strength characteristics and muscle action. There is also a need to incorporate methodological steps to promote task-relevant instructions. Research should focus on contextualized information within professional practice to offer stronger translational implications for athletes and coaches.

The Relationship Between the Perceived Movement Quality and the Kinematic Pattern of Complex Skills in Gymnastics

The study aimed to investigate the relationship between the perceived movement quality of a gymnastics skill and its kinematic pattern, as well as the influence of expertise. Thirty participants with different levels of gymnastics expertise (n = 10 visual experts, n = 10 motor experts and n = 10 novices) were recruited for the study. They were instructed to compare the movement quality of eleven video sequences, showing different handstand - back handspring performances. To extract the kinematics, the performances were digitized. By means of an ongoing cluster analysis, the kinematic pattern as well as the pattern of the perceived movement quality of the skills were determined for each experimental group. The results of the cluster analysis of the different experimental groups were analyzed and compared. Expertise differences were found regarding the pattern of the perceived movement quality. There was a significant correlation between the dendrograms of the visual experts and the motor experts (p = .021), as well as between the dendrograms of the visual experts and the novices (p = .011). There was no significant correlation between the dendrograms of the motor experts and the novices (p = .173). The pattern of the perceived movement quality was not correlated with the holistic kinematic pattern of judged skills (p > .143). These results suggest perceptual and cognitive differences of the participants due to their different previous visual and motor experience.

The cognitive nature of action - functional links between cognitive psychology, movement science, and robotics

This paper examines the cognitive architecture of human action, showing how it is organized over several levels and how it is built up. Basic action concepts (BACs) are identified as major building blocks on a representation level. These BACs are cognitive tools for mastering the functional demands of movement tasks. Results from different lines of research showed that not only the structure formation of mental representations in long-term memory but also chunk formation in working memory are built up on BACs and relate systematically to movement structures. It is concluded that such movement representations might provide the basis for action implementation and action control in skilled voluntary movements in the form of cognitive reference structures. To simulate action implementation we discuss challenges and issues that arise when we try to replicate complex movement abilities in robots. Among the key issues to be addressed is the question how structured representations can arise during skill acquisition and how the underlying processes can be understood sufficiently succinctly to replicate them on robot platforms. Working towards this goal, we translate our findings in studies of motor control in humans into models that can guide the implementation of cognitive robot architectures. Focusing on the issue of manual action control, we illustrate some results in the context of grasping with a five-fingered anthropomorphic robot hand.

Repräsentation und Bewegungssteuerung - die kognitiv-perzeptuelle Perspektive

Zusammenfassung. Der Artikel gibt einen Überblick über aktuelle Forschungsarbeiten zum Zusammenhang von Repräsentation und Produktion von Bewegungen aus unterschiedlichen Teilgebieten der Psychologie und Bewegungswissenschaft. Nach einer historischen Einordnung des Themas werden vier aufeinander aufbauende Themenkomplexe behandelt. In einem ersten Themenkomplex werden experimentelle Befunde zur funktionalen Bedeutung von Effektrepräsentationen für die Handlungssteuerung dargestellt. Der nächste Abschnitt hinterfragt, ob solche Effektrepräsentationen auch biomechanische Eigenschaften des Bewegungssystems kodieren. Darauf aufbauend wird durch experimentelle Befunde deutlich, wie bidirektionale Verbindungen zwischen sensorischen Effekten und komplexen Handlungen im Sport entstehen. Schließlich wendet sich der Beitrag abschließend der Frage zu, inwieweit sich Repräsentations- und Handlungsstrukturen wechselseitig überlappen und ob eine bewegungsbasierte Ordnungsbildung in Gedächtnisstrukturen nachweisbar wird. Aus diesen Forschungslinien ergeben sich Argumente für eine kognitiv-perzeptuelle Perspektive der Bewegungssteuerung.

Knowledge and performance in action

This article addresses the functional links between knowledge and performance in human activity. Starting with the evolutionary roots of knowledge and activity, it shows how the combination of adaptive behavior and knowledge storage has formed over various stages of evolution. The cognitive architecture of human actions is discussed against this background, and it is shown how knowledge is integrated into action control. Then, methodological issues in the study of action knowledge are considered, and an experimental method is presented that can be used to assess the structure of action knowledge in long‐term memory. This method is applied in studies on the relation between object knowledge and performance in mechanics and between movement knowledge and performance in high‐performance sportswomen. These studies show how experts’ knowledge systems can be assessed, and how this may contribute to the optimization of human performance. In high‐level experts, these representational frameworks were organized in a highly hierarchical tree‐like structure, were remarkably similar between individuals, and matched well the functional demands of the task. In comparison, the action representations in low‐level performers were organized less hierarchically, were more variable between persons, and were not so well in accordance with functional demands. These results support the hypothesis that voluntary actions are planned, executed, and stored in memory directly by way of representations of their anticipated perceptual effects. The method offers new possibilities to investigate knowledge structures. Based on such results it is possible to improve performance via special training‐techniques. This paper fulfils an identified research need concerning the interaction of knowledge and performance and offers new perspectives for future forms of knowledge management.