Focus of Attention Affects Performance of Motor Skills in Music

Robert A. Duke · Carla Davis Cash · Sarah E. Allen

133 citations0/0 files storedJournal of Research in Music Education

No readable copy stored yet — this record is metadata only.

No open-access location is known for this record yet.

Literature note Cite in a project Citation map

Sport Psychology and Performance Diverse Music Education Insights Motor Control and Adaptation

Abstract

To test the extent to which learners performing a simple keyboard passage would be affected by directing their focus of attention to different aspects of their movements, 16 music majors performed a brief keyboard passage under each of four focus conditions arranged in a counterbalanced design—a total of 64 experimental sessions. As they performed the test passage, participants were directed to focus their attention on either their fingers, the piano keys, the piano hammers, or the sound produced. Complete MIDI data for all responses were digitally recorded by software written specifically for this experiment. Consistent with findings obtained in tests of other physical skills, the results show that performance was most accurate and generalizable when participants focused on the effects their movements produced rather than on the movements themselves, and that the more distal the focus of attention, the more accurate the motor control.

Paper brief

Loading…

Cite this work

Citation unavailable for this work.

BibTeX RIS CSL-JSON

No public copy is stored for this record, so only the metadata is cited.

Citations in this library

Citation map →

Stored only when both papers are in the corpus — 133 citations exist upstream.

References

2001The automaticity of complex motor skill learning as a function of attentional focus 2002When paying attention becomes counterproductive: Impact of divided versus skill-focused attention on novice and experienced performance of sensorimotor skills.1998Instructions for Motor Learning: Differential Effects of Internal Versus External Focus of Attention 2001Directing attention to movement effects enhances learning: A review 2003Increasing the distance of an external focus of attention enhances learning 2002Enhancing the Learning of Sport Skills Through External-Focus Feedback 1999The Learning Advantages of an External Focus of Attention in Golf 2004Haste does not always make waste: Expertise, direction of attention, and speed versus accuracy in performing sensorimotor skills

Cited by

2017External focus of attention and autonomy support have additive benefits for motor performance in children 2012Instructing Skilled Athletes to Focus Their Attention Externally at Greater Distances Enhances Jumping Performance 2020The Attending Mind 2016Attentional Focus in Classical Ballet

Explore the map →

Papers that cite the same references — the relational fallback while embeddings are still backfilling.

Imported from OpenAlex (CC0) — nothing here is generated.