Title
Effects of anxiety, a cognitive secondary task, and expertise on gaze behavior and performance in a far aiming task
Author
Nibbeling, N.
Oudejans, R.R.D.
Daanen, H.A.M.
Publication year
2012
Abstract
Objective : Previous studies focused on investigating the separate effects of anxiety, cognitive load, and expertise on perceptual-motor performance, but the combined effects of these factors have not been studied yet. The objective of the current study was to investigate these factors in combination. Design : Eleven expert dart players and nine novices performed a dart throwing task in low-anxiety (LA) and high-anxiety (HA) conditions with and without a secondary task. Method : To manipulate anxiety the dart throwing task was performed low (LA) and high (HA) on a climbing wall with and without the secondary counting backwards task. Performance and efficiency of task execution and gaze behavior were assessed. Results : The anxiety manipulation evoked a decrease in dart performance, but only for the novices. Increases in mental effort and dart times and a decrease in response rate on the secondary task were observed for both groups. This shows that there were decreases in processing efficiency with anxiety. Most important, the anxiety-induced decrease in performance for the novices was accompanied by final fixations on the target that were substantially shorter and deviated off the target earlier. The dual task did not affect performance. Conclusion : Anxiety affects efficiency and sometimes performance in far aiming tasks. Changes are accompanied by changes in gaze behavior, particularly the final fixation on the target. All in all, findings provide support for Attentional Control Theory as a suitable framework to explain the effects of anxiety, a cognitive secondary task, and expertise in far aiming tasks. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Subject
Human
TPI - Training & Performance Innovations
BSS - Behavioural and Societal Sciences
Healthy for Life
Sports
Healthy Living
Anxiety
Attentional Control Theory
Dart throwing
Gaze behavior
Perceptual-motor performance
Sport psychology
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:3a5bebf5-a0ff-4bbe-b4cc-5286a97a2129
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2012.02.002
TNO identifier
460505
ISSN
1469-0292
Source
Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 13, 427-435
Document type
article