The Perception & Action Podcast

152 - Learning New Movement Patterns: Specificity vs Variability

151 –The Equilibrium Point Hypothesis of Motor Control

A look at some recent motor learning neuroscience articles. Can we achieve gray matter plasticity through motor learning? How are motor synergies reflected in brain activity? What are the neural mechanisms underlying the benefits of self-controlled feedback?

A look at the role of motor noise in motor learning? How to we minimize the effects of noise on motor control? Do we choose movement solutions that are less noisy?

A look at the 1995 article by Jane Clark which provides an excellent overview of the dynamical systems approach to skill acquisition.

A look at a couple new studies examining the CLA to skill acquisition. How does the presence of an opponent influence the kinematics of a tennis serve? Can we correct technical errors without using explicit verbal instruction?

146 –Effects of Analogy, Explicit Instruction & Attentional Cues on Performance

A look at a couple of recent motor learning articles. Does incidental training lead to protection against choking under pressure? How do we acquire a new movement skill? Do we initially explore the solution space randomly (what has been called motor babbling) or do we use goal-related feedback right from the start (goal babbling)?

What are the limitations of current perceptual-cognitive and brain training technologies that use an isolated, process driven approach to improve perception and decision making in athletes? How can these be improved by following the principles of Ecological Dynamics? How can VR training be better used to allow an athlete to explore the affordance landscape and make context-dependent decisions?

A look at Naturalistic and Recognition-Primed Decision Making. How do we make quick and effective decisions when faced with complex, time pressured situations? How do we bring our previous experience to bear in these situations? Can this approach be applied to sports?

Is the role of affordance perception just action selection? Or does it also play a role in action control? What does it mean to “know one’s limits”?

A look at the role of demonstration and imitation in motor learning. What is rate enhancer in skill acquisition?

140 – An Ecological Approach to Visual Anticipation in Sports

Can having a performer amplify or exaggerate movement error be an effective way to correct it? Is error amplification a more effective method than corrective instruction?

A look at some different ways we can cue and provide feedback to a performer including bandwidth, temporal-comparative and translational feedback and rhythm-based cues.