An information processing approach is taken to explain the concept of selective attention as it occurs in planning and executing the golf swing. Selective attention is likened to a door that has access to the central planning and execution centres. Principles of controlling the door to allow only relevant information to enter the movement planning and execution processes are discussed. Practical implications of this information processing model are given.
NeumannO., Theories of Attention, In: NeumannO.SandersA.F. eds., Handbook of Perception and Action: Vol. 3: Attention, Academic Press, San Diego, CA, 1996, 389–446.
AdlerC.H.CrewsD.HentzJ.A.SmithA.M.CavinessJ.N., Abnormal Co-Contraction in Yips-Affected But Not Unaffected Golfers: Evidence for Focal Dystonia, Neurology, 2005, 64(10), 1813–1814.
4.
SmithA.M.AdlerC.H.CrewsD.WharenR.E.LaskowskiR.BarnesK.Valone BellC.PelzD.BrennanR.D.SmithJ.SorensonM.C.KaufmanK.R., The ‘Yips’ in Golf: A Continuum Between a Focal Dystonia and Choking, Sports Medicine, 2003, 33(1), 13–31.
5.
RolandP.E.LarsenB.LassenN.A.SkinhofE., Supplementary Motor Area and Other Cortical Areas in Organization of Voluntary Movement in Man, Journal of Neurophysiology, 1980, 43, 118–136.
6.
HolmesP.CalmelsC., A Neuroscientific Review of Imagery and Observation Use in Sport, Journal of Motor Behavior, 2008, 40, 433–445.
7.
MillerG.A., The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two: Some Limits on Our Capacity for Processing Information, Psychological Review, 1956, 63, 81–97.
8.
BellR.J.SkinnerC.H.FisherL.A., Decreasing Putting Yips in Accomplished Golfers via Solution-Focused Guided Imagery: A Single-Subject Research Design, Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 2009, 21(1), 1–14.
9.
PooltonJ.M.MaxwellJ.P.MastersR.S.W.RaabM., Benefits of an External Focus of Attention: Common Coding or Conscious Processing?, Journal of Sports Sciences, 2006, 24(1), 89–99.
10.
WulfG.JiangS., An External Focus of Attention Enhances Golf Shot Accuracy in Beginners and Experts, Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 2007, 78(4), 384–389.
11.
WulfG.LauterbachB.TooleT., The Learning Advantages of an External Focus of Attention in Golf, Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 1999, 70, 120–126.
