The "Quiet Eye" and Motor Performance: Task Demands Matter!

Klostermann, André; Kredel, Ralf; Hossner, Ernst-Joachim (2013). The "Quiet Eye" and Motor Performance: Task Demands Matter! Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 39(5), pp. 1270-1278. American Psychological Association 10.1037/a0031499

Text Klostermannetal.pdf - Published Version Restricted to registered users only Available under License Publisher holds Copyright. Download (385kB) | Request a copy

Evidence suggests that superior motor performance coincides with a longer duration of the last fixation before movement initiation, an observation called “quiet eye” (QE). Although the empirical findings over the last two decades underline the robustness of the phenomenon, little is known about its functional role in motor performance. Therefore, a novel paradigm is introduced, testing QE duration as an independent variable by experimentally manipulating the onset of the last fixation before movement unfolding. Furthermore, this paradigm is employed to investigate the functional mechanisms behind the QE phenomenon by manipulating the predictability of the target position and thereby the amount of information to be processed over the QE period. The results further support the assumption that QE affects motor performance, with experimentally prolonged QE durations increasing accuracy in a throwing task. However, it is only under a high information-processing load that a longer QE duration is beneficial for throwing performance. Therefore, the optimization of information processing, particularly in motor execution, turns out to be a promising candidate for explaining QE benefits on a functional level.

Interest & Impact

Downloads

12 since deposited on 24 Jan 2014
0 in the past 12 months

Citations

5 Citations in Web of Science ®
6 Citations in Scopus

Search

in Google Scholar™

Services

Actions (login required)

Edit item

Actions (login required)

Edit item