The Perception & Action Podcast

A look at the phenomenon of The Yips. What exactly is it? How does it differ from choking under pressure? What effects does it have on movement coordination? How can it be treated?

A panel discussion about applying different theoretical approaches to coaching, fence sitting, and "it depends" on the Talent Equation podcast hosted and produced by Stuart Armstrong: https://www.spreaker.com/user/9625186/podcast-panel?autoplay=1

Is having a numerous possible solutions to a motor task a problem of redundancy that must be solved by somehow constraining the perception-action system? Or is it a gift of abundance that allows us to better adapt and react to our environment by developing new synergies?

A look at the somewhat controversial topic of general perceptual-motor abilities. Are there general abilities such as agility and hand-eye coordination that apply to all sports or are the skills athletes use mainly sports specific? If such general abilities do exist, is it worth testing for them and training to improve them?

A look at some recent research on representative design. How can we evaluate the representativeness of typical practice activities used in sport? What expertise differences emerge when we evaluate athletes in a more representative test environment?

Do the principles derived from studying simple laboratory skills apply to the more complex skills involved in most sports? How does task complexity influence the way in which we manipulate load and challenge in practice? How should we schedule practice, give feedback and give physical assistance when training complex tasks?

What is the optimal spacing of training sessions to promote acquisition of a new skill? How does it depend on task complexity and intensity? What underlying processes are involved?

How do the emotions of an athlete constrain the movement solutions that emerge in practice? How can they be used an indicator of progress in learning? How might a coaches’ emotions influences skill acquisition and performance?

The second episode in a series looking at the contributions of Paul Fitts to our understanding of motor control and motor learning. A look at Fitts’ highly influential 3 phase model of skill acquisition involving cognitive, fixation and autonomous phases. Is this model really at complete odds with more recent ecological approaches?

Does our perception of affordances in our environment depend on psychological momentum, changing as we move towards or away from achieving our goal? What is the value of informal, unstructured practice? How does it conform to the principles of ecological dynamics?

The first episode in a series looking at the contributions of Paul Fitts to our understanding of motor control and motor learning. What is Fitts’ Law? How can it be used to understand and predict speed-accuracy tradeoffs (e.g. between throwing hard and throwing accurately) in sports?

A look at David Lee’s Tau Coupling theory which seeks to explain how movements are controlled by using taus from our different senses and intrinsic tau guides. What is general tau theory and why does this variable apply to more than just approaching objects?

The final episode in my series looking at the contributions of JJ Gibson to the study of perception and action. Where is the ecological approach to perception and action now? What evidence is there to support it? What are some of the challenges it still faces?

The second episode in a series looking at the incredible contributions of JJ Gibson to the study of perception and action. How do we go from information to goal-directed action? What are affordances and effectivities? How can they be used to guide our understanding of sports performance?

The first episode in a series looking at the incredible contributions of JJ Gibson to the study of perception and action.  What is direct perception? What are invariants? How do these ideas form the foundation for ideas like the constraints led approach and ecological dynamics?