Influence of Attentional Focus Instructions on Motor Performance Among Adolescents With Severe Visual Impairment

Substantial research has demonstrated that an external (vs. internal) attentional focus enhances motor performance among various populations. Interest has recently grown in examining the effects of attentional focus among individuals with visual impairments (VI), and, to date, research results have...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Perceptual and motor skills 2019-12, Vol.126 (6), p.1145-1157
Main Authors: McNamara, Scott W. T., Becker, Kevin A., Weigel, William, Marcy, Peter, Haegele, Justin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Attention
Blindness
Education, Special
Exercise - psychology
Female
Humans
Internal-External Control
Male
Psychomotor Disorders - psychology
Psychomotor Disorders - rehabilitation
Teenagers
Vision Disorders - psychology
Vision Disorders - rehabilitation
Visual impairment
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Summary:Substantial research has demonstrated that an external (vs. internal) attentional focus enhances motor performance among various populations. Interest has recently grown in examining the effects of attentional focus among individuals with visual impairments (VI), and, to date, research results have been conflicting with some studies supporting a potential benefit to an external focus among adults with VI, while a study of children with severe VI was inconclusive regarding this benefit. The present investigation compared the effects of an internal versus an external attentional focus on a discrete throwing task among adolescents with severe VI. We recruited 13 participants with a visual acuity score of less than 6/60 and had them throw a Goalball (25 cm ball with bells often used in competitive sports designed for people with VI) as fast as possible for three familiarization trials, three internal focus trials, and three external focus trials. These participants threw the ball with significantly higher velocity when using an external focus than in other conditions, indicating a benefit from an external focus for this population when performing this discrete task.
ISSN:0031-5125
1558-688X
DOI:10.1177/0031512519869090