The effects of conscious processing on golf putting proficiency and kinematics

Toner, John; Moran, Aidan

Abstract

Researchers have suggested that skill performance deteriorates when people try to exert conscious control over automatic actions. Unfortunately, little is known about the effects of different types of conscious processing on skilled performance by expert athletes. We conducted two experiments to address this issue. Experiment 1 investigated the influence of a specific form of conscious control (making technical adjustments to a stroke) on the putting skills of expert golfers. The expert golfers maintained putting proficiency (i.e. number of putts holed) when making technical adjustments. However, this form of conscious processing altered the timing and consistency of golfers' putting strokes. Experiment 2 compared the influence of technical adjustments and conscious monitoring (paying attention to the execution of the stroke) on expert golfers' putting skills. Technical adjustments had no disruptive influence on expert golfers' putting proficiency but did reduce the consistency of their strokes. However, conscious monitoring was found to impair putting proficiency. The implications of the work for theory and future work are discussed.

Citation

Toner, J., & Moran, A. (2011). The effects of conscious processing on golf putting proficiency and kinematics. Journal of sports sciences, 29(7), 673-683. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2011.553964

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 10, 2011
• Online Publication Date: Mar 16, 2011
• Publication Date: Apr 1, 2011
• Deposit Date: Nov 13, 2014
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 13, 2014
• Journal: Journal of sports sciences
• Print ISSN: 0264-0414
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 29
• Issue: 7
• Pages: 673-683
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2011.553964
• Keywords: Conscious control, Explicit monitoring, Expertise, Kinematics, REF 2014 submission
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/467646
• Publisher URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02640414.2011.553964?scroll=top&needAccess=true
• Additional Information: This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of sports sciences on 16 Mar 2011, available online: http://wwww.tandfonline.com/10.1080/02640414.2011.553964
• Contract Date: Nov 13, 2014