Ep. 7 - An Interview with Rebecca Lewthwaite: Motivation Attention and Motor Learning

Rebecca Lewthwaite received her PhD from the University of California, Los Angeles. She is Director of Rehabilitation Outcomes Management, and Director of Research and Education in Physical Therapy at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Los Angeles. She is also an adjunct faculty member in the Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy at the University of Southern California. Dr. Lewthwaite’s research focuses on the role of motivational enhancements in motor performance and learning, in diverse individuals, from those undergoing physical rehabilitation to developing and high-performing athletes. Wulf, G., & Lewthwaite, R. (2016). Optimizing performance through intrinsic motivation and attention for learning: The OPTIMAL theory of motor learning. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 23(5), 1382-1414. Freedman, S. E., Maas, E., Caligiuri, M. P., Wulf, G., & Robin, D. A. (2007). Internal versus external: Oral-motor performance as a function of attentional focus. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 50(1), 131-136. http://www.optimalmotorlearning.com