Bullseye: Effects of Autonomy Support and Enhanced Expectancies on Dart Throwing

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-29-2020

Publication Title

International Journal of Sports Sciences and Coaching

First page number:

1

Last page number:

7

Abstract

The present study examined the combined influence of two motivational key factors in the OPTIMAL theory of motor learning,1 enhanced expectancies (EE) and autonomy support (AS), on the learning of a dart-throwing task. In one group (AS/EE), participants were provided with a success criterion that could be met relatively easily (EE) and two small choices (AS). A control group practiced under neutral conditions. On Day 1, participants completed a pretest and six 12-trial blocks of practice from a 2 m distance to the bullseye. Two days later, retention and transfer (novel distance of 2.37 m) tests were conducted. Self-efficacy was assessed throughout the practice phase and before the retention test. The results showed that the AS/EE group had higher self-efficacy during practice and demonstrated greater dart-throwing accuracy on the retention and transfer tests compared with the control group. The findings have implications for practical settings: They show that providing learners with a liberal definition of success and minor choices can be sufficient to enhance motor skill learning.

Keywords

Motivation; Optimal theory of motor learning; Practice; Retention

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences | Sports Sciences

Language

English

UNLV article access

Search your library

Share

COinS