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

[img] Text
Klostermannetal.pdf - Published Version
Restricted to registered users only
Available under License Publisher holds Copyright.

Download (385kB)

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.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

07 Faculty of Human Sciences > Institute of Sport Science (ISPW)
07 Faculty of Human Sciences > Institute of Sport Science (ISPW) > Movement and Exercise Science

UniBE Contributor:

Klostermann, André, Kredel, Ralf, Hossner, Ernst-Joachim

Subjects:

700 Arts > 790 Sports, games & entertainment
600 Technology > 610 Medicine & health

ISSN:

0096-1523

Publisher:

American Psychological Association

Language:

English

Submitter:

André Klostermann

Date Deposited:

24 Jan 2014 09:34

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 14:27

Publisher DOI:

10.1037/a0031499

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.39895

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/39895

Actions (login required)

Edit item Edit item
Provide Feedback