Motor expertise modulates the unconscious processing of human body postures

 

 

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Motor expertise modulates the unconscious processing of human body postures

via Experimental Brain Research (Online First™) on 7/18/11

Abstract  

Little is known about the cognitive background of unconscious visuomotor control of complex sports movements. Therefore, we investigated the extent to which novices and skilled high-jump athletes are able to identify visually presented body postures of the high jump unconsciously. We also asked whether or not the manner of processing differs (qualitatively or quantitatively) between these groups as a function of their motor expertise. A priming experiment with not consciously perceivable stimuli was designed to determine whether subliminal priming of movement phases (same vs. different movement phases) or temporal order (i.e. natural vs. reversed movement order) affects target processing. Participants had to decide which phase of the high jump (approach vs. flight phase) a target photograph was taken from. We found a main effect of temporal order for skilled athletes, that is, faster reaction times for prime-target pairs that reflected the natural movement order as opposed to the reversed movement order. This result indicates that temporal-order information pertaining to the domain of expertise plays a critical role in athletes' perceptual capacities. For novices, data analyses revealed an interaction between temporal order and movement phases. That is, only the reversed movement order of flight-approach pictures increased processing time. Taken together, the results suggest that the structure of cognitive movement representation modulates unconscious processing of movement pictures and points to a functional role of motor representations in visual perception.

• Content Type Journal Article
• Pages 1-9
• DOI 10.1007/s00221-011-2788-7
• Authors
  • Iris Güldenpenning, Faculty of Psychology and Sport Science, Neurocognition and Action - Biomechanics - Research Group, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstraße 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
  • Dirk Koester, Faculty of Psychology and Sport Science, Neurocognition and Action - Biomechanics - Research Group, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstraße 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
  • Wilfried Kunde, Department of Psychology, Würzburg University, Röntgenring 11, 97070 Würzburg, Germany
  • Matthias Weigelt, Institute of Sport Science, Saarland University, Building B8 1, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
  • Thomas Schack, Faculty of Psychology and Sport Science, Neurocognition and Action - Biomechanics - Research Group, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstraße 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany

• Journal Experimental Brain Research
• Online ISSN 1432-1106
• Print ISSN 0014-4819

 

 

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