The transfer of anticipation skill across sports
Creators: name: Rosalie, Simon
Publisher: name: RMIT University
Year: 2024

description: Constant environmental variation forces the adaptation of previously learned behaviors to suit instantaneous performance constraints through the transfer of learning. Researchers remain divided over whether the transfer of learning is facilitated by similarities between learning and transfer (performance) domains, per identical elements theory, or principles abstracted with learning and applied in transfer, per general principle theory. Uncertainty regarding the mechanisms underlying the transfer of learning is most marked with respect to complex perceptual-motor behaviors, owing to the absence of research that examines the transfer of critical perceptual-motor skills, such as visual anticipation, in natural skill settings. Effective visual anticipation is based on the capability to extract visual information from the variable immediate environment to guide anticipation of forthcoming events and constrain motor skills. The importance of anticipation to successful perceptual-motor behavior is accentuated when the time available to perceive a stimulus and execute a movement response is limited, such as in fast paced sports. The purpose of the research in this thesis was to determine whether identical elements theory or general principle theory predicts the transfer of visual anticipation across domains and motor skill tasks in natural skill settings. Three experiments were undertaken in order to establish if the degree of similarity between domains (sports) predicts transfer of visual anticipation, or whether expertise in a time stressed domain (sport) facilitates the transfer of anticipation to similar and dissimilar transfer domains. The first experiment examined small-scale expertise differences in the pick-up of visual information to guide anticipation and motor skills by comparing the capabilities of expert and near-expert karate athletes and novices to block attacks using an in-situ temporal occlusion paradigm. Results revealed small-scale expertise differences in the capability to pick-up visual information to guide anticipation and motor skills, whereby experts but not near-experts or novices were capable of utilizing both static and dynamic cues occurring prior to and throughout an opponent’s attacking motion to guide defensive responses. The finding that both static and dynamic sources can provide meaningful visual information to guide anticipation and motor skills furthers the understanding of expertise in biological motion perception and motor skill performance. The second and third experiments were designed to examine the predictions of identical elements theory, general principle theory and aspects of a novel conceptual model for the transfer of anticipation skill between domains using karate athletes as the transfer groups. Results revealed that non-domain experts and near-experts are as capable of using visual information to anticipate and guide motor skill responses as domain experts and near-experts in similar and dissimilar transfer domains. The findings suggest that transfer of anticipation skill is based upon expertise and an understanding of fundamental principles of motor skills, but may be supported by similarities between stimulus and response elements in the learning and transfer domains when such similarities occur.