KNOWLEDGE AND MOTOR PERFORMANCE

Abstract

Traditionally, motor skill acquisition has implied that the performance of a given individual on a particular skill is dependent on the amount of prior practice of that skill. However, concepts such as schema theory, or kinetic formulae, or the strategic allocation of resources imply that, even when practising specific skills, performers gain knowledge about their own motor performance which can be used or applied to related or novel situations. An attempt was made to relate the performance of a complex psychomotor task to differing levels of motor skill expertise or knowledge (athlete and nonathlete). 20 subjects performed (1600 responses) on a novel pursuit or tracking task. Analysis indicated that the athletes performed significantly better. Their main advantage appeared to be more in their ability to control and produce fast, accurate movements than in their decision-making. Accepting Henry and Rogers' 1960 proposition that there is no such thing as a general motor ability or coordination factor does not imply that the only alternative is for all motor skills to be specific. It is argued that the differences in the present study arose from the athletes' greater knowledge (schema, kinetic formulae) related to their understanding of their own motor capabilities.