Citation

Ogasa K, Nakamoto H, Ikudome S, Mori S. Taiikugaku kenkyu 2016; 61(1): 133-147.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Japanese Society of Physical Education)

DOI

10.5432/jjpehss.15080

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to clarify how psychological pressure impacts on perception, motor planning and performance. Fourteen male college students (mean age 21.5, sd=1.6 years) performed 2 tasks in succession under both no-pressure and pressure conditions; the perception task required them to judge the perceptual distance to the target, while the action task required them to putt a golf ball, aiming for the perceived target location. We measured the perceived target distance (subjective perception), displacement and maximum velocity of the club head (motor planning), and putting distance (motor performance) during the tasks; the target was created using Müller-Lyer illusion figures that induced distorted depth perception. While this form of pressure did not affect subjective perception, the illusion influenced subjective perception, i.e. F (1, 13)=24.25, p<.01, ηp2=.65. Despite the fact that the target distance never changed physically during the task under both conditions, the participants perceived the distance to be closer or further when the Müller-Lyer figures were presented. Moreover, the maximum velocity of the club head during the putting movement changed depending on the perceived distance to the target that was distorted by the Müller-Lyer figures, i.e. F (1, 13)=7.58, p<.05, ηp2=.37. A similar result was observed in terms of putting distance, i.e. F (1, 13)=10.23, p<.01, ηp2=.44. In other words, both subjective perception and motor planning were biased by the illusion, and these biases influenced subsequent performance. The study results suggest that if perception is distorted by psychological pressure, then the motor planning based on this distorted perception results in a change of performance under pressure.