AlevelPE_SkillAcq

� When KR is combined with effective KP, a player or athlete can modify their actions in the future
� KR must not provide too much information otherwise the performer will not know what to pay attention to or how to help future attempts

See also the �Feedback� sheets by Wesson et al. which explains KR and KP in more detail.

(5) TERMINAL FEEDBACK
� received after a performance has finished
� may be given immediately by the coach or some time later, such as when analysing a video of the performance
� is important because it strengthens the schema in learning

(6) CONCURRENT (Continuous) FEEDBACK
� occurs during a performance
� has the aim of improving skills or techniques while a performer is in action
� may be extrinsic � a coach shouting information
� or intrinsic � the feel of the movements (the feel and sound of hitting the shuttlecock during the rally)

(7) POSITIVE FEEDBACK
� used as a form of reinforcing skill learning
� is feedback which gives information aimed at a constructive development of performance
� positive reinforcement, praise and encouragement about good performances
� the knowledge from poor performances which gives insight about errors and their possible correction
� When a skill is performed correctly giving a successful outcome. The player then knows what to repeat for the next time they do that particular action. This can get them aroused and the player is more motivated. This type of feedback is essential for beginners. For example, a basketball player performs a good jump shot and the coach tells tem it had good technique.

(8) NEGATIVE FEEDBACK
� Received if the performance was incorrect, to discourage a repetition of the action.
� negative reinforcement, negative criticism about poor performances
� this feedback must be used carefully as it can easily demotivate the player
� This type of feedback should be used to ensure that future performances are more successful rather than having a detrimental effect.

FUNCTIONS OF EXTERNAL FEEDBACK

Motivational
� success is motivational
� failure can act as a spur to motivation
� feedback produces motivation, or energises the learner to increase effort. It makes the learner slightly more enthusiastic about the activity and encourages them to try harder.

Reinforcing
� behaviour that is rewarded tends to be repeated
� so praise for a correct performance will act as positive reinforcement
� which will influence the performer to desire to repeat the correct performance
� it supplies reinforcement for incorrect actions as it also works as reinforcement when given as a form of mild rebuke

Informational
� feedback provides information about errors hence the performer will be able to correct errors
� the learner is able to associate this information with other information, e.g, kinaesthetic feedback, so that he might be able to adjust future performances accordingly.

Punishment
� shouldn�t be used ideally but players do sometimes misbehave or refuse coach�s or teacher�s advice.
� Only to be used if all other feedback appears ineffective as punishment carries risk.
� Punishment should not:
          - be physical or involve physical activity
          - demean the learner or damage their self-esteem
          - be given in frustration or anger
� Punishment should:
          - be perceived as such by the learner
          - be given after warning
          - be used consistently and fairly
          - be used against the undesirable behaviour, not the person
          - be supplemented by positive reinforcement and motivational feedback

FEEDBACK DEPENDENCY
� external feedback should be used with care because the performer may come to depend too heavily upon it and will not develop internalfeedback
� some performers can become dependent on feedback
� for example, a perfomer continually receiving feedback from a coach or significant other about the quality of performance or technical competence
� if this feedback is withdrawn or cannot be given then performance can deteriorate
� as in a field event - an athlete in a major games who cannot function without feedback from a coach about his/her technique and who therefore will fail

FEEDBACK AND STAGES OF LEARNING

Beginners:
� Information feedback should be simnple and concise
� It should focus on sequence and timing so that the motor programme can be developed effectively
� It should be given as frequently as possible, after each trioal if feasible
� It should help the learner identify important cues
� It should rely on visual and verbal input

Intermediate:
� Feedback can be given less frequently
� The learner needs opportunity to link the feel of the movement with teh outcomes, so information feedback shold
    focus on this
� Feedback can be more detailed

Advanced:
� Less extrinsic feedback required
� What is given should be details and technical

Further points:
� A teacher or coach should give extrinsic feedback to the beginner as he / she may not be able to detect errors of their own because of limited kinaesthetic awareness. For example, a novice gymnast might not be aware of what a good handstand feels like and therefore feedback related to the end result would help him or her detect errors. The coach could use a video of performance to show the novice how he performed.

� The more advanced the performer, the more precise the feedback can be. The beginner needs only to receive feedback about general movement patterns, whereas the expert can receive more specific comments that would in fact be lost in the novice.

� The expert is more capable of minimising the extrinsic feedback delay that always occurs. He is able to anticipate errors, e.g. the novice rugby player has to wait and see that his kick in open play has been sliced before deciding on an action, whereas the expert feels that the kick is sliced and thus reacts quicker.

FEEDBACK USED EFFECTIVELY IN PRACTICAL ACTIVITIES
� Improvements in performance are largely as a result of the feedback that is provided by a coach
� The coach must always consider crucial aspects of feedback, particularly quality and appropriateness of the type used
� Different forms of feedback seem to be appropriate at for performers of different skill levels (stages of learning)
� Every performer has a different personality and therefore may prefer and respond to better to different forms of feedback than other performers
� Also, one form of feedback may be more appropriate for a particular sport or activity than another
� There is evidence that learners rely heavily on visual / verbal feedback, and only in the later stages of learning are they able to make use of internal or kinaesthetic feedback

Example: The coach of a trampolinist should use simple verbal feedback, and playing a video of the performance in slow motion is a good teaching aid. Once the major errors have been corrected the feedback would become less frequent. Any feedback given must be as accurate as possible and should not contain too much information. The trampolinist needs to develop her own awareness of what movement is good and what movement is poor

� A common generalisation is that the sooner extrinsic feedback occurs after the action, the better, hence, immediate feedback. Similarly, any delay between giving immediate feedback and the next performance will be detrimental, because the performer forgets the advice! But information-processing theory suggests the performer needs time to process intrinsic and concurrent feedback before dealing with any further information. In any case, immediate extrinsic feedback is not always practical. However, extrinsic feedback should not delay the next attempt at the skill too long, otherwise forgetting occurs. Similarly, extrinsic feedback should not be given after every attempt. The learner, once he/she understands the task and has an idea of what if feels like to perform, should be allowed to concentrate on the internal feedback available

� There is a limit to the amount of information that the learner can take in, because of the limits of the STM. The precision of feedback depends on the stage of learning
� A good coach gives positive information feedback first, followed by error correction and finally some motivational comment
� The amount of feedback which should be given is difficult to gauge. The teacher or coach should focus on the critical components of the skill, i.e. those subroutines which are essential to early mastery. But too much concentration on detail in the early stages can impede effective learning
� The specificity of the extrinsic feedback required depends on the age and stage of the learner and his/her capacity to process information

See also the �Feedback� sheets by Wesson et al. which explains KR and KP in more detail.

Remember:                         There is no failure,
                                                    only feedback

This rule teaches us to apply one of the most powerful skills in all of Sport Psychology called Optimistic Reframing. Practising this skill allows us to find something useful or beneficial in challenging or difficult situations. In this way we turn the negative performance into positive, goal-oriented feedback.

HOMEWORK - FEEDBACK

1. Get on to �physed.co.uk� and fill in the gaps in this pack under the titles:
(i) Feedback dependency
(ii) Feedback and stages of learning
2. Define the term feedback, and briefly describe four functions of feedback. (5 marks)
3. Look at the diagram below which illustrates two ways of classifying sources of feedback. Where possible explain the kinds of feedback available to a performer which would be classified as W, X, Y, and Z. (4 marks)

                                                                    KR                           KP

                                   TERMINAL             W                             X

                            CONCURRENT             Y                             Z

4. What conditions concerning the provision of feedback should a coach bear in mind when helping a performer to improve their level of performance? (7 marks).
5. Feedback can affect motivation. Using a skill in your chosen activity and personal experience, explain what type of feedback is appropriate to motivate the novice and how might this change for the skilled player? (4 marks)
6. Read chapter 10.6 in Davis et al. Text book �Motor output and feedback� and answer the following three questions:
a) Briefly explain what is meant by the term �motor programme� (2 marks)
b) Briefly explain �Open Loop Theory� (2 marks)
c) Briefly explain �Closed Loop theory� (2 marks)

FEEDBACK
� information which is used during and after an action or movement

Feedback (FB) occurs as a result of an action. A performer receives information during or after the performance of a skill (the response to a stimulus), and can use this information to alter future performances.

�It allows us to compare our performance with the �model� of the correct skill and thus to note errors and make adjustments. It tells us about the appropriateness or accuracy of the action so that we can monitor and adapt our behaviour as a result of previous performance � in other words, it is involved in the explanation of how we learn skills.� (Barbara Woods, 1998)

THE IMPORTANCE OF FEEDBACK
� visual feedback for the beginner helps the performer to gain insight into a performance and its quality
� demonstration of faults and corrections as feedback should be correct, since the performer will attempt to imitate the demonstration
� verbal feedback should be restricted during the early stages of learning since too much information can confuse the performer
� during the later stages of learning, the performer should have extra attentional capacity which should enable greater detail to be communicated
� asking questions about the feelings involved in a performance is a form of feedback
� the importance of feedback is high to the coach (or teacher) teaching a performer skills since knowledge of performance is a way of improving skill levels

DIFFERENT TYPES OF FEEDBACK
There are several forms of feedback. For this course you will need to know and apply to your chosen activity:

          (1) Intrinsic feedback;
          (2) Extrinsic feedback;
          (3) Knowledge of Performance (KP);
          (4) Knowledge of Results (KR);
          (5) Terminal feedback;
          (6) Concurrent (continuous) feedback;
          (7) Positive feedback;
          (8) Negative feedback.

(1) INTRINSIC FEEDBACK
� Information received from within the performer via proprioceptors developing a kinaesthetic awareness
� Used for error detection as the movement is in progress and feedback after movement has been completed (reinforcement of performance)
� Novice performers will need extrinsic feedback so that they are able to link feelings of movement with correct performance, therefore developing intrinsic feedback
� As a performer becomes more skilled they are able to detect and correct their own faults. For example, an experienced gymnast will be able �feel� if they opened from a tuck position at the correct time.

(2) EXTRINSIC FEEDBACK
� Information about the performance that is in addition to intrinsic FB.
� Information received from external sources usually via sound or vision, through exteroceptors, from:
          - a coach / official
          - other players / spectators
          - score board
          - video
          - the press / TV
� Used extensively by novice and intermediate performers as they have not yet developed their kinaesthetic awareness.
� Can be directed towards performance of athlete (knowledge of performance) or about their result (knowledge of results)

(3) KNOWLEDGE OF PERFORMANCE (KP)
� Information received by a performer about their performance and technique (its quality / rhythm / aesthetics)
� usually extrinsic, particularly for novice / beginners
� also received intrinsically, for example, experienced performers gaining kinaesthetic feedback.
� Technological developments now provides a great deal of information about the movements and techniques

(4) KNOWLEDGE OF RESULTS (KR)
� information about the outcome of a performance
          - number of tackles made in a rugby game
          - number of passes successful / went astray (accuracy)
          - number of tackles made / missed
          - goals scored
          - recorded times / distances
� extrinsic and easy to measure
� Other examples: the catcher of the ball is aware that the ball is safely caught or the round of applause that the gymnast gets after completing her beam sequence.