Considerable research over the past decade has produced overwhelming evidence to support the motor learning advantage associated with an external focus of attention. Despite this robust finding, very few studies have investigated attentional focus effects with children. This is surprising given that considerable information processing differences exist between children and adults that have the potential to influence motor learning and performance. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effect of attentional focus feedback on motor learning in children.
Method:
Boys (n = 14) and girls (n = 14) ages 9 to 11 were recruited from an afterschool program and randomly assigned to one of two gender-stratified groups: (1) internal focus feedback or (2) external focus feedback. Following initial instructions and task demonstration, participants performed 100 modified free throws over two days while receiving one of four feedback statements respective to their attentional focus condition following every third trial during practice. Approximately 24 hours later, participants performed a retention test consisting of 20 additional free throws.
Analysis/Results:
Results of the analysis revealed a significant learning advantage for participants receiving external focus feedback. Possible explanations include the external focus group’s greater reported use of feedback and aiming content during task performance and the influence of feedback availability on children’s ability to compensate for less sophisticated use of working memory processes during learning.
Conclusions:
Future research should continue to expand this body of literature to other tasks, age groups, and related variables (e.g., feedback frequency) as well as investigate potential commonalities between mechanisms underlying aiming content (e.g., quiet eye) and attentional focus. Not only does this research add to the limited attentional focus literature with children, it also provides valuable insight regarding appropriate application of motor learning variables to an understudied population.