9.1 Information Processing 2

Question 1

What is the role of the LTM?

Answer 1

• Recieves information from the working memory & has unlimited capacity for the storage of motor programmes
• LTM can send info back to the working memory for use in the current sporting situation

Question 2

What are the features & functions of the memory system?

Answer 2

• The working memory initiates the action by sending the memory trace
• WM has limited capacity can only deal w around 7 items of info at a time
• Too much info could lead to information overload, could mean important info is lost or disregarded by performer
• Therefore useful SA filters out irrelevant info
• Working memory lasts for around 30 secs before info is lost
• Important info can be stored in LTM in the form of a motor programme, a more permanent trace of skill consisting of all components that make up that skill
• LTM has potentially unlimited capacity & can store info for up to a lifetime if needed.

Question 3

What is the key to effective use of the memory system in sport?

Answer 3

• Ensure that useful information & motor programmes are stored in the LTM so that leaned skills can be recalled from the LTM to the working memory for use a current time

Question 4

What are the 7 strategies to ensure items are stored in the LTM?

Answer 4

Males- Mental Practice
And- Association
Females- Focus
Can- Chunking
Run- Rewards
Charity- Chaining
Races- Repetition

Question 5

How are rewards used to help store information?

Answer 5

• Extrinsic & intrinsic rewards help to motivate the performer to want to remeber correct actions

Question 6

How is mental practice used to help store information?

Answer 6

• When parts/ sub-routines of a skill are imagined over & over again in the mind without physical movement
• It can help store the info into the memory
• MP is particularly useful for helping to remember the correct sequence of a serial skill (such as a trampoline routine)

Question 7

How is breaking the task down used to help store information?

Answer 7

• Breaking task down into parts, especially when skill is complicated can help to prevent information overload
• Performer can learn one aspect of the task before going on to learn the next part of the skill

Question 8

How may chaining help store information?

Answer 8

• When items of information are recalled as a sequence so that one movement links to the next helps to store information
• Is particularly useful in recalling physical skills

Question 9

What was the schema theory suggested by Schmidt (1982)?

Answer 9

• Schema theory suggests that rather than use a structured set of movements to develop skills, the core principles can be taken from an existing motor programme then adapted, using some information from the environment
• & by using feedback from the senses

e.g. the skill of throwing a javelin uses a motor programme that is made up of sub-routines such as grip, arm action & follow through
The coaching points for the javelin throw could be adapted for use in the goal keeper throw in football

Question 10

What is a parameter of a schema?

Answer 10

• When a schema is used to adapt an exisiting motor programme, there are four essential processes that must be used to make sure that schema is effective

Question 11

What are these 4 parameters of schema and their definitions?

Answer 11

Initial Conditions
- Information from the environment
- That must be recongised before schema can be used

Response Specification
-Information about what to do & avaliable options for performer
- These first two are recall schema- responsible for initiating movement & happens before action takes place

Sensory Consequences
- Information about the feel of the movement
- Concern the senses to help guide the movement

Response Outcome
- Feedback about the result
- e.g. did the pass reach the intended target?
- If pass was successful then schema was successful

Question 12

What are the implications of coaching when using schema?

Answer 12

Coach may employ a variety of strategies to make sure that schema is used successfully:
- Varying practice conditions
- While tasks are being undertaken in the varied practice coach shld offer frequent feedback to player to ensure that actions & motor programmes can be adjusted.

Question 13

Define reaction time.

Answer 13

• The time taken from the onset of a stimulus to the onset of a response
• Reaction time involves no movement
• It is the fraction of a second it takes us to process the avaliable selected stimuli

Question 14

Define movement time.

Answer 14

• The time it takes to complete the task after information processing has taken place
• It is the time from the start to the completion of the action for the required task

e.g. in a 100m sprint, the movement time would be the time between pushing against the blocks & hitting the tape

Question 15

Define response time.

Answer 15

• The total time it takes from the onset of the stimulus to the completion of the task.

In a 100m race, the response time would be the time between hearing the gun & hitting the tape

Question 16

How can the relationship between reaction time & response time be summarised as?

Answer 16

Response time= Reaction time + Movement time

Question 17

What is a simple reaction time & a choice reaction time?

Answer 17

Simple reaction time:
- Where there is one specific response to one stimulus
- e.g. an athlete responding to the sound of a gun

Choice reaction time:
- Choosing from numerous stimuli
- The response time is much slower
- Choice reaction time can also be made if the player has to choose a number of responses once the correct stimulus has been chosen

e.g. a key player with decisions to make such as a midfiel player in hockey has to choose the correct stimulus from various indicators on the pitch & may also have to choose the correct response from various options- this process is much slower & the no. of choice is one factor that can affect response time

Question 18

What are the 3 factors that influence response time?

Answer 18

• Hicks Law
• Single Channel hypothesis
• The Psychological Refractory Period (PRP)

Question 19

What is Hicks Law?

Answer 19

• Law states as the number of choices increases so does reaction time
• Can often be used to players advantage as keeps opponent guessing
• e.g. in tennis you can mix up your serves with direction or slice so that the opponent is never sure which one they are going to face- the variety will increase response preparation time& hopefully delay the actions of opponent

Question 20

What isnt so straight forward about Hicks Law?

Answer 20

• It does not always work that reactiont time increases at the same rate as choices increase
• Players can become familiar with the environment & in tennis e.g. as game gets into later stages opponent may have gotten used to the types of serves being played
• Causing the response to become quicker

Question 21

What is the single channel hypothesis?

Answer 21

• Hypothesis states that stimuli can only be processed one at a time
• Therefore a second stimulus must wait until the first has been processed before it can be processed
• Any following stimuli must also wait to be processed
• The delay in processing a second stimulus increases response time

Question 22

What is the psychological refractory period?

Answer 22

• Explains the delay that occurs because we can only process one stimulus at a time
• If a stimulus arrived before we have completed the processing there would be a delay.
• The confusion caused by the arrival of a second stimulus before we had processed the first is called the PRP
• The performer might ‘freeze’ completely for the split second it takes to sort out the conflicting information

e.g. your playing tennis & are set for a volley but the ball hits the net & deflects onto your backhand- You have to sort out the new & correct stimulus, but first you have to disregard the old & now useless stimulus & this causes a delay

Question 23

Define ‘anticipation’.

Answer 23

• When a sports performer tries to pre-judge a stimulus
• Can be done using info from environment, in forms of signals from opponent or cues e.g. body language & position

In anticipation there are two aspects of play that must be considered before stimulus can be judged:
- Temporal anticipation
- Spatial anticipation

Question 24

Define temporal & spatial anticipation.

Answer 24

• Temporal Anticipation: Pre-judging when a stimulus is going to happen
• Spatial anticipation: Refers to where & what the projected stimuli are going to be.

In anticipation you need to know both.
Correct anticipation improves response time
If anticipation is incorrectly judged & the stimulus that is presented is not the one expected, then there will be a delay while the actual & second stimulus are processed.

Question 25

What ways are there to improve response time?

Answer 25

- **Player can use mental practice** By going over task in the mind prior to the action, the response preparation process is improved & the action can be predicted & so made quicker- works well w closed & serial skills. - **During practice performer could train to the specific stimulus expected in game**- e.g. a goal keeper may practise saving penalties to their left if the opposition penalty ktaker has a preference for aiming left. - Performer could learn to **focus & concentrate** during game so stimulus is picked up early. To help with this coach could **make stimuli more intense**- e.g. pointing out exact area where a gymnast shld place hands on vault & highlighting this area w chalk. - **Improving fitness** improves reaction time; interval training & plyometrics might improve speed & power during movement part of response. - Player may use **anticipation** to predict stimulus- especially if player has done their hw on opponent.