News: A look at a few recent articles examining the effects of anxiety and pressure on performance and methods for counteracting these effects. Does pressure effect the planning or online control of movements? Could increasing anxiety in practice benefit motor learning?  What are holistic goals and how can they reduce pressure effects?   Articles: The interaction between practice and performance pressure on the planning and control of fast target directed movement Perceptual-motor learning benefits from increased stress and anxiety Anxiety and motor performance: More evidence for the effectiveness of holistic process goals as a solution to the process goal paradox   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 Mouthbreathers – Anxiety Wyldlife – She’s Making Me Nervous via freemusicarchive.org and jamendo.com

Why do we have two eyes?  Is binocular vision necessary for successful performance of motor actions like those involved in sports and driving? Or is it just redundant information? What is it like to live with just one eye?   Articles/links: Binocular Vision and Stereopsis The visual and driving performance of monocular and binocular heavy-duty truck drivers Vision with one eye: a review of visual function following unilateral enucleation Prospective Assessment of Stereoscopic Visual Status and USAF Pilot Training Attrition Why two eyes are better than one: the two views of binocular vision The acquisition of catching under monocular and binocular conditions The contribution of stereo vision to one-handed catching The development of adaptive head movements following enucleation. Foundations of cyclopean perception http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2006/06/19/stereo-sue Random dot stereograms: http://www.magiceye.com/   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 The Love Me Nots – I’m the One The Demands – One Thing Freakwater – Number One with a Bullet Calexico – Two Silver Trees Single Bullet Theory – Miss Two Knives Steadman – Two Together Mark Lanegan - Saint Louis Elegy

Which is better: specific or variable practice?  How does it depend on what you are trying to achieve in terms of retention and transfer of skill? The ultramarathon as a complex system and my report on surviving my first one!   Articles/links: A sensorimotor basis for motor learning: evidence indicating specificity of practice Specificity and variability of practice Specificity of Learning a Sport Skill to the Visual Condition of Acquisition   Cave Creek Thriller 2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVk-ECgORD4   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 #1s – Long Way to Go Zaki Ibrahim & Fresh Kils - Long Time Running Paul Collins Beat – Long Time Gone Mark Lanegan - Saint Louis Elegy

Is fear in a performer a debilitating problem that must be overcome? Or can freezing from fear actually improve our ability to perceive and act?   Articles: Ready and waiting: Freezing as active action preparation under threat Simulated self-motion alters perceived time to collision Freezing promotes perception of coarse visual features Seeing fearful body language rapidly freezes the observer's motor cortex   More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)   Credits: Port City Music – Night Terrors Sleep Out – Halloween Parade Monk Turner – Halloween Night via freemusicarchive.org and jamendo.com

A look at perceptual-motor development from the ecological perspective.  If it’s not pre-programmed by our genetics, how does a child’s pattern of movements emerge from the dynamical constraints of their environment? And how does movement shape perceptual discovery?   Articles/links: Motor Development: A New Synthesis Infant bouncing: The assembly and tuning of action systems Crawling versus walking infants' perception of affordances for locomotion over sloping surfaces Motor Development (Adolph & Berger) Motor development and the mind: the potential role of motor abilities as a determinant of aspects of perceptual development Development of visual motion perception for prospective control: brain and behavioral studies in infants   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 Ace & The Gulls – Baby Said Paul Collins Beat – Baby I’m in Love With You The Uniques – Mother & Child Reunion Mark Lanegan - Saint Louis Elegy via freemusicarchive.org and jamendo.com

A discussion Andrew Wilson from Leeds Beckett. We discuss ecological psychology ideas like motor abundance, functional equivalence and degeneracy, Andrew’s recent study on task dynamics and information in throwing, his work on affordances and throwing prehistoric stones, and the current and future state of the ecological approach.   More information about my guest: http://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/staff/dr-andrew-wilson/ http://psychsciencenotes.blogspot.co.uk/ https://twitter.com/PsychScientists https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Andrew_Wilson14   Link to motor abundance video mentioned: http://psychsciencenotes.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-bliss-of-motor-abundance.html     More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc) Twitter: @Shakeywaits Email: robgray@asu.edu   Credits: The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action Lo Fi is Hi Fi - I’m on a Talk Show Mark Lanegan - Saint Louis Elegy via freemusicarchive.org

A look at perceptual-motor development from an information processing, stage-based perspective.  What is the relative importance of genetics and early experience? Are their critical periods in which perceptual and motor skills must develop? What is an efference copy?   Articles/links: What Is Motor Development? The Lessons of History Infancy and Human Growth Effects of visual deprivation on morphology and physiology of cells in the cat's lateral geniculate body Extent of recovery from the effects of visual deprivation in kittens Movement-produced stimulation in the development of visually guided behavior Organization of Early Skilled Action The Principle of Reafference: Interactions between the Central Nervous System and the Peripheral Organs Paralysis of the Awake Human: Visual Perceptions   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 Barrence Whitfield & The Savages - I'm A Full-Grown Man The Party Faithful – Childish Notion The Hussy – Baby Child Ben Sollee – Obvious Child Mark Lanegan - Saint Louis Elegy via freemusicarchive.org and jamendo.com

Thinking aloud about some sports science issues as I prepare for my first 50K ultra.  What is the optimal focus of attention for a runner and how does it change as you switch from road to trail?  How can one best acquire the skill of downhill running?  Does it depend on where you look?   Articles/links: My training log: https://www.strava.com/athletes/17201121 Race I am doing: http://www.aravaiparunning.com/cave-creek-thriller/ Related blog post with figures: http://perceptionaction.com/37d/ “Look around while running!” Attentional focus effects in inexperienced runners https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PE0fbapiyQ   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 Miss Derrinnger – Better Run Away From Me Trash Ride – Running Around Mark Lanegan - Saint Louis Elegy  

A discussion with Kylie Steel Senior Lecturer in the School of Science and Health at Western Sydney University in Australia. In the interview we discuss biological motion: what is it and how can we apply it to sport, how important is it to be able to quickly recognize a teammate on the field or court, do compression garments work and if so how, and how are skilled acquisition professionals viewed by coaches and players.   More information about my guest: http://www.uws.edu.au/staff_profiles/uws_profiles/doctor_kylie_steel https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kylie_Steel https://au.linkedin.com/in/kylie-steel-b62b71123 https://twitter.com/kylie_steel2016   Biological motion demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0kLC-pridI   More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc) Twitter: @Shakeywaits Email: robgray@asu.edu   Credits: The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action Lo Fi is Hi Fi - I’m on a Talk Show Mark Lanegan - Saint Louis Elegy via freemusicarchive.org

What is stereotype threat and how can it affect sports performance? Is it possible that being challenged by a statement like “girls can’t play sports” could make a female athlete perform better in some situations?   Articles: On the causal mechanisms of stereotype threat: can skills that don't rely heavily on working memory still be threatened? “Girls should cook, rather than kick!” – Female soccer players under stereotype threat Girls can play ball: Stereotype threat reduces variability in a motor skill The effect of stereotype threat on performance of a rhythmic motor skill.   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 June & Jean Millington – Play Like a Girl The Strangers - Stereotypical Mark Lanegan - Saint Louis Elegy