When paying attention becomes counterproductive: impact of divided versus skill-focused attention on novice and experienced performance of sensorimotor skills.

Full Abstract

Two experiments examined the impact of attention on sensorimotor skills. In Experiment 1, experienced golfers putted under dual-task conditions designed to distract attention from putting and under skill-focused conditions that prompted attention to step-by-step putting performance. Dual-task condition putting was more accurate. In Experiment 2, right-footed novice and experienced soccer players dribbled through a slalom course under dual-task or skill-focused conditions. When using their dominant right foot, experts again performed better in the dual-task condition. However, when using their less proficient left foot, experts performed better in the skill-focused condition. Novices performed better under skill-focus regardless of foot. Whereas novices and the less-proficient performances of experts benefit from online attentional monitoring of step-by-step performance, high-level skill execution is harmed.

Author information

Author/s: Beilock, Sian L (SL); Carr, Thomas H (TH); MacMahon, Clare (C); Starkes, Janet L (JL);

Affiliation: Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48824, USA. beilocks(-atsign-)msu.edu

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Comparative Study; Journal Article

Journal: Journal of experimental psychology. Applied (J Exp Psychol Appl), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2002-Mar; vol 8 (issue 1) : pp 6-16

Dates: Created 2002/05/14; Completed 2002/06/18; Revised 2006/11/15;

PMID: 12009178, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: 18 Feb 2009 00:00:00)

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