News: A look at a couple recent motor learning studies. How can we build on basic concepts such like contextual interference and extrinsic feedback to speed skill acquisition? Articles: The Effect of Gradual Increase in Contextual Interference on Acquisition, Retention and Transfer of Volleyball Skills More Feedback Is Better than Less: Learning a Novel Upper Limb Joint Coordination Pattern with Augmented Auditory Feedback More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdf...
Sep 06, 2016•12 min
One of the greatest challenges those of us working in sports currently face is how to keep athletes healthy and on the field. Should we take a conservative approach, giving them more rest days and not pushing them so hard in practice? Or should we believe what doesn’t kill them will only make the stronger? Is there a way we can use analytics, biomechanics or movement analyses to predict when an injury is likely to occur? As parents, should we steering or kids away from sports with a higher likel...
Sep 01, 2016•11 min
A discussion of the history of flight training with an emphasis on flight simulation. What makes a good simulator? Should it really perfectly re-create the real world? Can we identify effective pilots through screening tests? -Part vs whole training in sport ( Time 21:01 ) Articles/links: The Link Trainer Naive Realism: Misplaced Faith in Realistic Displays Motion in depth: Adequate and inadequate simulation Relationship between sustained, orientated, divided, and selective attention and simulat...
Aug 30, 2016•26 min
What are conditional probabilities and how can they be used to help you draft and set you weekly lineup for a fantasy football team? More About the Analysis: http://perceptionaction.com/bayesintro More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc) Credits: The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action Lame Drivers –Let Me Get Those Numbers Down White Hillls – Condition of Nothing Mark Lanegan - Saint Lou...
Aug 25, 2016•9 min
A few thoughts on the “Seeing the forest and the trees: Theoretical and practical issues in sport expertise” workshop held in conjunction with Annual Meeting of the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSA) on June 14, 2016. http://naspspa.com/2016-naspspa-conference-workshops/ More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc) Credits: The Flamin' Groovies - ...
Aug 23, 2016•12 min
An analysis of some of the most serious plane crashes that were caused by human error with a goal of understanding what happened in terms of perceptual-motor and cognitive processes. What can we learn from these unfortunate incidents so that they never happen again? -Some famous errors on the sports field ( Time 23:48 ) Articles/links: http://www.planecrashinfo.com/cause.htm Human Factors in Aviation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenerife_airport_disaster https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Florid...
Aug 16, 2016•29 min
How do pilots use all the information from the outside environment, instruments and air traffic control to make decisions and act? Does their ability to sample information depend on experience? What are some of the common decision making errors that can occurs? -Why do performers learn better when they can control when feedback is received? ( Time 24:10 ) Articles: Priority and organization of information accessed by pilots in various phases of flight Flying under pressure : Effects of anxiety o...
Aug 02, 2016•29 min
How does a pilot know which way is up or whether they are banking left or right? Sounds easy, but maintaining spatial orientation is one of the most difficult challenges in aviation. What visual and vestibular information can be used to orient oneself and what illusions cause spatial disorientation? -Can showing an athlete their opponent’s strengths lead to ironic errors under pressure? ( Time 21:15 ) Articles: Aviation Visual Perception: Research, Misperception & Mishaps Human Spatial Orien...
Jul 19, 2016•26 min
What visual information can a pilot use to land a plane? What misperceptions can occur and how can they lead to crashes? What is the Black Hole Illusion? -What is the best way to train an athlete: start easy or start hard?( Time 22:19 ) Articles: Aviation Visual Perception: Research, Misperception & Mishaps Optic flow and visual analysis of the base-to-final turn Visual judgments in motion A psychophysical contribution to air safety: Simulator studies of visual illusions in night visual appr...
Jul 05, 2016•29 min
How effective is driver training and education? Is it helping to reduce accidents? Which countries have the most difficult driver’s tests? Can simulation help improve training and licensing procedures? -What is the most unbreakable record in sports? ( Time 17:56 ). Articles/Books: Understanding Driving Driver Education Task Analysis The effectiveness of driver training as a road safety measure: An international review of the literature Evaluation of the effectiveness of a multi-skill program for...
Jun 21, 2016•23 min
How good are drivers at detecting the risks and dangers that lurk around the corner? What is the best way to assess this ability? Do people actually want some risk when driving? Is the desire for risk going to counteract our efforts to making make the road safer through interventions? -How does glare effect sports performance and do products like eye black actually work? (Time 22:03). Articles/Books/Links: Understanding Driving Flashbulb memories Visual search of driving situations: Danger and e...
Jun 07, 2016•27 min
A look at the psychological side of penalty kicks to get you ready for Euro 2016. How does a penalty shootout compare to high pressure situations in other sports? What is the best strategy for taking a penalty? Is it important to have a pre-kick routine and celebrate if you win? Articles/links: http://www.bases.org.uk/Psychological-Preparation-for-Football-Penalty-Shootouts http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2obk7b More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my a...
May 30, 2016•9 min
A discussion with Sam Miller, Editor in Chief at Baseball Prospectus and co-author of the new book: The Only Rule Is It Has to Work: Our Wild Experiment Building a New Kind of Baseball Team. We discuss the story of how Sam and his co-author Ben Lindbergh, two self-acclaimed stat head nerds, were put in charge of a baseball team – from recruiting to team strategy. What can we learn about applying analytics and research in practice? More information about my guest: www.baseballprospectus.com http:...
May 26, 2016•33 min
Why do teenage and elderly drivers have consistently higher accident rates? Are teenagers just being careless and risky? Does it matter who is in the car with them? Do the declines perceptual and cognitive skills associated with age making driving unsafe for older drivers? -Guiding an athlete’s attention during training (Time 25:11). Articles: Teenage drivers: patterns of risk The observed effects of teenage passengers on the risky driving behavior of teenage drivers The impact and sustainabilit...
May 24, 2016•29 min
How well do performers recover from incidents of choking under pressure? An examination of some baseball data to determine which factors influence whether or there is lingering performance effect after a choke. To See the Data, Figures & R Code from the Analysis Please Go To: http://perceptionaction.com/chokehangover Articles/links: http://www.baseball-reference.com/play-index/ From attentional control to attentional spillover: A skill-level investigation of attention, movement, and performa...
May 23, 2016•13 min
A discussion with Anders Ericsson, Professor of Psychology atFlorida State University and co-author of the new book: Peak: TheSecrets from the New Science of Expertise. We touch on topicsincluding purposeful vs deliberate practice, whether achievingautomaticity can hinder becoming an expert, whether skillacquisition is linear, being able to coach yourself, and adifferent role for genetics in skill acquisition. More information about my guest: https://psy.fsu.edu/faculty/ericsson.dp.html Peak: Th...
May 19, 2016•32 min
News: What effect does mental fatigue have on sports performance? Does fatigue change our ability to focus our attention, anticipate and make decisions on the field? Or does it just decrease or motivation to do all this? Articles: Mental fatigue impairs soccer-specific decision-making skill Shifts in Attention During Mental Fatigue: Evidence From Subjective, Behavioral, Physiological, and Eye-Tracking Data Stroop Task Demo More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdf...
May 17, 2016•11 min
Is adding virtual objects (e.g., the offside line in soccer or the first down line in football) to augment sports broadcasts always a good way to enhance a fan’s experience or can it be taken too far? My ESPN K Zone rant! Articles/links: http://www.sportvision.com/media/espn-k-zone Augmenting Live Broadcast Sports with 3D Tracking Information Design and Implementation for Interactive Augmented Broadcasting System More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my ar...
May 16, 2016•8 min
A discussion with Mark Anshell, Professor of Health & Human Performance at Middle Tennessee State University and author of the new book: “In Praise of Failure in Sport: The Value of Overcoming Mistakes to Achieve Optimal Performance Success”. We discuss why we need to change our conception of failure, the importance of failing for success in sports, fear of failure, using exercise as punishment, and how coaches can create environments that embrace failure. More information about my guest: ht...
May 12, 2016•29 min
If your vehicle can detect you are about to collide with something how should it warn you? As it turns out, getting the human factors issues (e.g., timing, modality, level of information) correct is critical to getting a fast and appropriate response from the driver while at the same time keeping trust in the system high. Pressure-induced tunnel vision in sports ( Time 22:55 ). Articles: Collision warning timing, driver distraction, and driver response to imminent rear-end collisions in a high-f...
May 10, 2016•28 min
The story of Coleman Griffith, the first psychologist to work with a professional sports team. Was he a hit with the Chicago Cubs in 1938? Or was it a big swing and a miss? Articles/links: PSYCHOLOGY STRIKES OUT: Coleman R. Griffith and the Chicago Cubs More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc) Credits: The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action Mark Lanegan - Saint Louis Elegy via freemusica...
May 09, 2016•16 min
A discussion with Peter Fadde from Southern Illinois University. We touch on several topics related to training including perception-action coupling, part vs whole training and sport specificity. We also do a deep dive into VR use in sports, attempting to tackle the question: how real does virtual reality need to be? More information about my guest: http://peterfadde.com/ http://ehs.siu.edu/ci/faculty-staff/faculty-all/fadde.php https://twitter.com/DrFadde More information: http://perceptionacti...
May 05, 2016•37 min
News: Can tests of general perceptual motor skills (e.g., agility, speed, eye-hand coordination) given to 7-11 year olds predict future participation and performance in sports? Can neurofeedback training improve sports performance? Articles: Sensorimotor Rhythm Neurofeedback Enhances Golf Putting Performance Can Perceptuo-Motor Skills Assessment Outcomes in Young Table Tennis Players (7–11 years) Predict Future Competition Participation and Performance? An Observational Prospective Study More in...
May 03, 2016•13 min
Hurray for the 100th Episode of the Podcast! Can baseball pitchers overcome a lack of velocity by being less predictable? How does entropy relate to success in sports? To See the Data, Figures & R Code from the Analysis Please Go To: http://perceptionaction.com/pitchentropy Articles/links: The Relationship Between Visual Anticipation and Baseball Batting Game Statistics http://www.brooksbaseball.net/ More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) M...
May 02, 2016•12 min
A discussion with Denise Hill, Lecturer in Sport & Exercise Psychology at the University of Portsmouth. We discuss the experience of choking from the athlete’s point of view, whether we have been using the wrong definition of choking, how the effects of pressure are different for individual and team sports, and the importance of pre and post shot routines. More information about my guest: http://www.port.ac.uk/department-of-sport-and-exercise-science/staff/denise-hill.html https://www.resear...
Apr 28, 2016•35 min
What new technologies are being developed to make driving safer? Will they remedy all the problems of driver distraction? Are we ready for an automated car to do the driving for us? 5 evidence-based tips for designing effective sports training ( Time 18:24 ). Articles: Evaluation of Six Night Vision Enhancement Systems: Qualitative and Quantitative Support for Intelligent Image Processing Allocation of visual attention while driving with simulated augmented reality Towards real-time recognition ...
Apr 26, 2016•24 min
What is the relationship between the hand you throw with and how you hold a bat? How do players choose which side to bat from? Is it better to have your dominant hand higher or lower? My analysis of Major League Baseball data trying to answer these questions. To See the Data, Figures & R Code from the Analysis Please Go To: http://perceptionaction.com/battinghand Articles/links: Manual Laterality and Hitting Performance in Major League Baseball Hand and Eye Dominance in Sport: Are Cricket Ba...
Apr 25, 2016•12 min
A discussion with Jordan Muraskin, post-doctoral fellow at Columbia University and co-inventor of deCervo. We discuss topics including his research on the brain activity that underlies fast decision making in sport, combining EEG and fmri to understand where and when neural activity differs as function of expertise, action inhibition, and using brain recording as a tool for scouting and training in sport. More information about my guest: http://www.decervo.com/ https://www.researchgate.net/profi...
Apr 21, 2016•35 min
News: How do soccer goalkeepers move in response to shots coming from different directions and with curved trajectories? How can fractions be used to explain this behavior? Which factors influence the way in which coaches give error feedback to gymnasts? How important are things like motor experience and biomechanical knowledge? Articles: Fractional-Order Information in the Visual Control of Lateral Locomotor Interception How Do Gymnastics Coaches Provide Movement Feedback in Training? http://ww...
Apr 19, 2016•9 min
How can we be so good at hitting and catching accelerating objects when we can’t really judge acceleration? Do we use anticipation or just correct errors based on feedback? Articles: How Can People Be so Good at Intercepting Accelerating Objects if They Are so Poor at Visually Judging Acceleration? Visual timing in hitting an accelerating ball . Identifying the acceleration of visual targets . Visual information about moving objects . More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Ga...
Apr 18, 2016•8 min
