Module 08: Sports Psychology

Description: Motor skills are required for all types of learning—classically conditioned responses require motor execution, & we cannot reinforce behaviors animals are incapable of performing. This module explores how motor skills are acquired through feedback & practice, how arousal levels affect athletic performance, & how mental imagery enhances skill development. We examine theoretical frameworks explaining motor learning at neural & cognitive levels, from Adams’s two-stage theory to motor programs & schema theory.

Why This Module Is Important: Motor learning shows how operant principles extend from discrete to continuous behaviors:

• Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation: Shape continuous movements (walking, reaching) through feedback as reinforcement; modify ongoing behaviors rather than waiting for completion
• Sports Coaching: Apply reinforcement principles to fluid, continuous actions (swimming strokes, golf swings) that require mid-performance adjustment based on proprioceptive feedback
• Occupational Training: Extend shaping principles to continuous skilled movements (surgical procedures, musical performance) where real-time feedback guides behavior modification
• Behavioral Therapy: Apply operant principles to continuous daily living skills; understand how feedback during performance differs from outcome-based reinforcement (Module 13)
• Skill Acquisition Theory: Understand response chains in movement sequences; see how motor programs develop from repeated reinforcement of continuous behavior patterns

Motor skills learning bridges discrete operant behaviors & complex, real-world continuous performances requiring ongoing behavioral adjustment.

Module Learning Objectives: By the end of this module students will be able to…

• MLO1: Distinguish between response chain & motor program explanations for movement sequences. (CLO2, ULO3)
• MLO2: Apply the Yerkes-Dodson Law to predict how arousal levels affect performance across different task types & skill levels. (CLO4, ULO3)
• MLO3: Explain how knowledge of results & knowledge of performance function as reinforcement in continuous motor behaviors. (CLO3, ULO3)

Test Yourself: If you truly “know” this material then you will be able to…

• Analyze whether a skilled pianist’s performance is better explained by response chains or motor programs, using evidence from typing research & reaction time studies. (MLO1)
• Apply distributed practice schedules & knowledge of performance feedback to design an effective physical therapy program for stroke rehabilitation. (MLO2)
• Evaluate how knowledge of results in youth soccer differs from knowledge of performance, & predict which type of feedback will produce better long-term skill retention based on the guidance hypothesis. (MLO3)