3.3 Information Processing

Before you can perform a skilled movement you must be able to take in information from the environment and process it Then you can make an appropriate decision During or after you will receive feedback to inform you about how appropriate your decision was

Sensory input (information from sensory receptors) Processing (stimulus identification, Response selection, response programming) Out put (the movement) Feedback (this may occur during or after skill completion)

Once the stimulus is received it has meaning attributed to it from memory

The identified stimulus is aligned to a decided upon course of action or movement

The required motor program is retrieved from long term memory and a planned coordinated sequence of muscular contractions is initiated

Movement that occurs as a result of the initiation of motor neurone

All the information a person received about the performance of a skill in different stages with information used to enable a change in current (continuous) or future performance of the skill (discrete)

Cures are any piece of information received from the environment is called a cue or stimuli Your sense father information in regards to such things as the speed of the ball position of the fielders the sound of the ball off the bat etc.

Not all the information that can be gathered from the environment is relevant. This is irrelevant information is generally referred to as noise Hearing comments from the crowd may be classed in this category

A performers ability to block our irrelevant information and attend only to relevant cues is referred to as selective attention

Receiving information from the external environment is received through the 5 sense Information from the body (internally) on the position of your body parts is received from the muscles tendons and joints via sensory nerve endings called proprioceptors The sense of bodily movement and position is called proprioception or your kinaesthetic sense.

Vision - allows the performer to follow moving projectiles judge the distance and direction of an object (spatial awareness) and the ability to be able to detect colour and brightness

Is the interval sense that tells you that your body is in balance and under control It is very important in many motor skills especially those which require rapid changes in movement or require specific balance and control

Kinaesthetic sense gives you an awareness of muscular movement and effort as well as the movement and positions of joints and tendons Let’s you know how a particular movement feels

Teammates instruction, starters gun, coach debrief umpires whistle and hearing someone chasing you Limited ability of the performer to see or hear can greatly reduce the ability to learn and perform a skill Functioning of sensory organs cannot be improved through practice. However, practice can make you more acutely aware of your sensory capabilities Highly skilled athletes have superior sensory systems and. An detect information that average players may not even notice The experience of the skilled athlete increases the accuracy of their judgments about the signals they detect

When learning motor skills the detection of visual cues and signals can be practiced and improved by Visual larger objects, contrasting colours, slowing down objects

The determination of whether or not a cue or stimulus is present The ability of the sense organs to detect a signal or stimulus depends on • the intensity of the cue • the effectiveness of the sense organs

Size Brightness Colour Distance from eyes Background Lighting Speed Amount of time in view Pitch volume loudness Interfering noises Duration of signals Where the body receives the signals Pressure and movement against the bodies surface

To ensure vital cues are detected we need to be looking to the correct part of the environment for important information We need to orient and direct our attention Beginners can be lost at times as they lack experience that tells them where the important information is Effective coaching and practice can assist learner in developing understanding of orienting needs in a given sport

You are constantly bombarded with signals and cues via your sense organise but you do not need to pay attention to everyone of the The ability to filter out irrelevant info is called selective attention Reduces amount of information therefore less time to process

Relevant signals standout Language suited to level of performer Limited cues initially Directing a players attention to performance cues Basing explanations on the past experience of players In order to detect a signal an athlete must be orienting to the right area of the environment. Selection must be achieved so that the performer knows exactly which cues to follow