TY - JOUR
T1 - Focus of attention affects performance of motor skills in music
AU - Duke, Robert A.
AU - Cash, Carla Davis
AU - Allen, Sarah E.
PY - 2011/4
Y1 - 2011/4
N2 - To test the extent to which learners performing a simple keyboard passage would be affected by directing their focus of attention to different aspects of their movements, 16 music majors performed a brief keyboard passage under each of four focus conditions arranged in a counterbalanced design-a total of 64 experimental sessions. As they performed the test passage, participants were directed to focus their attention on either their fingers, the piano keys, the piano hammers, or the sound produced. Complete MIDI data for all responses were digitally recorded by software written specifically for this experiment. Consistent with findings obtained in tests of other physical skills, the results show that performance was most accurate and generalizable when participants focused on the effects their movements produced rather than on the movements themselves, and that the more distal the focus of attention, the more accurate the motor control.
AB - To test the extent to which learners performing a simple keyboard passage would be affected by directing their focus of attention to different aspects of their movements, 16 music majors performed a brief keyboard passage under each of four focus conditions arranged in a counterbalanced design-a total of 64 experimental sessions. As they performed the test passage, participants were directed to focus their attention on either their fingers, the piano keys, the piano hammers, or the sound produced. Complete MIDI data for all responses were digitally recorded by software written specifically for this experiment. Consistent with findings obtained in tests of other physical skills, the results show that performance was most accurate and generalizable when participants focused on the effects their movements produced rather than on the movements themselves, and that the more distal the focus of attention, the more accurate the motor control.
KW - focus of attention
KW - motor learning
KW - music skills
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79952980967&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0022429410396093
DO - 10.1177/0022429410396093
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:79952980967
SN - 0022-4294
VL - 59
SP - 44
EP - 55
JO - Journal of Research in Music Education
JF - Journal of Research in Music Education
IS - 1
ER -