The Perception & Action Podcast

We have all seen it.  A great athlete has a chance to win a championship.  All that is required for them to do something they have done hundreds of times before…sink a 3 foot putt, make a free throw, kick a 20 year field goal. And they miss!  In this episode I explore the fascinating topic of choking under pressure. Why do some athletes excel in these situations while others fail?  What causes cho...

This past Friday one of my personal favorite sporting events kicked off…the Rugby World Cup.  The NFL Football season is also of course now in full swing.  So, which sport has the bigger hits: football or rugby?   Links to articles discussed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7tGY-VDx3o http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2015-09-11/jarryd-hayne-49ers-nfl-rugby-league-running-back-position-cut-sa...

News:  Do NBA All Stars run further and faster? Do in-car technologies make drivers complacent?   Articles: Exploring Game Performance in the National Basketball Association Using Player Tracking Data How does a collision warning system shape driver's brake response time? The influence of expectancy and automation complacency on real-life emergency braking Google car accident data   More informati...

Is the claim that visual training can “improve vision” deceptive and worthy of a $150K fine from the FTC?  Can we say that the benefits of visual training will transfer to sports performance?   Links to articles discussed: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2015/09/ftc-charges-marketers-vision-improvement-app-deceptive-claims Improved Vision and On Field Performance in Baseball through...

How long do athletes retain the sports skills they learn: 5 years, 10 years, forever?  If they do lose something, what is it?  How easy is it to transfer from one sport to another?  What factors determine whether or not transfer will be successful?  This episode explores the topic of retention and transfer of sports skills. Links to articles discussed: Long-term effects of type of practice on the...

Did Serena Williams choke under pressure in her historical US Open loss?   Is virtual reality training going to revolutionize quarterback play? It certainly doesn't seem to be working for Auburn's Jeremy Johnson.       Links to Articles Discussed: http://espn.go.com/tennis/usopen15/story/_/id/13618884/us-open-numbers-explain-why-serena-williams-queen-clutch http://espn.go.com/tennis/usopen15/story...

News: Can surfers really detect a perfect wave? Are smart phone notifications distracting us?   Articles: Eddie would(n’t) go! Perceptual-cognitive expertise in surfing The Attentional Cost of Receiving a Cell Phone Notification   More information: http://www.perceptionactionpodcast.libsyn.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc) Tw...

How do we know how well a new training program or piece of sports equipment is working?  Is looking at how performance changes in practice (by plotting a "learning curve") really the best way to assess skill acquisition. No, no it isn’t.  In this episode I make the case for going off the learning curve in favor of other ways of measuring skill learning in sport. Technically Challenged:   Review of...

News: Are coaches using too much sports technology to evaluate players? How do police officers handle the pressure of a high speed chase? Articles: Blaming Bill Gates AGAIN! Misuse, overuse and misunderstanding of performance data in sport Psychophysiological Assessment of Acute Stress Induced by High-Pressure Law-Enforcement Driving: A Pilot Study More information http://www.perceptionactionpodca...

Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden once said: “The importance of repetition until automaticity cannot be overstated”. Reaching a stage where some skills can be performed “automatically” is thought to be one of the main goals of sports training and one of the defining characteristics of being an expert.  But what exactly does it mean for a sports skill to be “automatic” and how exactly is...

News: Is listening to heavy metal music bad for you?   Articles: Three Decades Later: The Life Experiences and Mid-Life Functioning of 1980s Heavy Metal Groupies, Musicians, and Fans   More information http://www.perceptionactionpodcast.libsyn.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc) Twitter: @Shakeywaits Email: robgray@asu.edu   Cr...

What should an athlete focus their attention on when performing their sport? Should you pay attention to how your body is moving, the crowd, your opponents, what you need to buy at the store after the game, or something else?  Is it the same if you just learning the sport?  In this episode I focus my attention of focusing attention. What Grinds My Gears:  Does sports science get enough respect?  I...

News: Are brain areas that produce movement involved in anticipating it? How can we reduce motion sickness? Articles: Alleviating Simulator Sickness with Galvanic Cutaneous Stimulation An action-incongruent secondary task modulates prediction accuracy in experienced performers: evidence for motor simulation   More information http://www.perceptionactionpodcast.libsyn.com/ My Research Gate Page (pd...

Why do great athletes claim that on some nights baseballs look as big as a grapefruit, basketball hoops are like oceans and things move in slow motion? Are they just blowing a lot of hot air or is this really the way they see the world?  In this episode, I explore embodied perception in sport…the idea that the way we see the world changes as a function of our action capabilities (e.g., whether we...

News:  Can the threat of losing $50K on one putt make a pro golfer choke? Why is "back again" shorter than there?   Articles: The impact of pressure on performance: Evidence from the PGA TOUR The Return Trip Is Felt Shorter Only Postdictively: A Psychophysiological Study of the Return Trip Effect   More information http://www.perceptionactionpodcast.libsyn.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my ar...

How does an athlete get their glove, racquet, hand, or foot to the right place at the right time to hit, catch or strike a moving object? In this episode, I explore visual information that can be used to judge the time to contact and direction of motion of an approaching object and how it can be applied to the outfielder problem.    Research Confessions:  The time I nearly published completely art...

How do great athletes seem to know what is going to happen next?  What information to they use to predict the next serve will be cross court instead of down the line, how does a baseball batter know the next pitch will be a fastball, and how does an NFL quarterback know the defense will blitz? Can these abilities be improved through training? In this episode I explore the topic of anticipation in...

What should an athlete look at when performing their sport?  For example, should a soccer goalkeeper keep their eye on the shooter’s leg when trying to stop a penalty kick or on their upper body?  Should a golfer look at the ball or the hole when putting?  Do expert athletes look at different things than novices? Is it really possible to always keep your eye on the ball? In this episode, I examine...

Since the early 1980's, there have been several vision training programs developed which propose to improve the vision of athletes resulting in an associated improvement in their sports performance. Do these training programs actually work?  Or could practice time be put to better use?  In this episode, I review the research that has evaluated the effectiveness of these programs.   Links to articl...

Sports talk is littered with phrases related to our eyes.  We talk of great court vision, a good eye at the plate  and seeing the ball well.  But just how critical is vision to an athlete? Do professional athletes see better than we do?  Can you play sports effectively if you have poorer than 20/20 vision? In this episode I dive into the topic of research in vision in sports. Links to articles men...

A preview of the new Perception & Action Podcast. An exploration of how psychological research can be applied to improving performance, accelerating skill acquisition and designing new technologies in sports, driving and aviation. Hosted by Rob Gray, professor of Human Systems Engineering at Arizona State University, the podcast will review basic concepts and discuss the latest research in these a...

30 sec Promo http://www.perceptionactionpodcast.libsyn.com/