Jackson College of Graduate Studies
The effects of focused attention on batting performance of collegiate athletes.
Abstract
dc:description.abstractProper thinking is essential to effective batting in baseball and softball. However, the qualities that define "proper thinking" are unspecified and therefore require examination. That is, on what should a batter focus for optimal performance? Ten baseball players and 13 softball players competing at the NCAA Division II collegiate level were individually given internal and external focus instructions related to their swings and completed four rounds of hitting. Two experimenters blind to condition recorded the result of each swing; hits in fair territory received one point and hits in foul territory received zero points. Results indicated no significant difference between Focus Instruction administered and the mean number of fair hits. However, a significant interaction was found for class level, with upperclassmen (juniors and seniors) performing significantly better during both distal and proximal external conditions compared to lowerclassmen (freshmen and sophomores). Results also indicated a significant effect for sex with females outperforming males during all conditions. This study is important in discovering the impacts of focused attention instructions on the performance of collegiate level players.
Degree
thesis:*- Grantor
- Jackson College of Graduate Studies
- Year dc:date.issued
- 2013
Author and committee
dc:creator, dc:contributor.*- Author dc:creator
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- Craig, Lauren C.
- Advisor dc:contributor.advisor
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- Youll, Lorry
- Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
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- Loughlin, Patricia
- Vanhoy, Mickie
Rights
dc:rights- Statement dc:rights
-
- All rights reserved by the author, who has granted UCO Chambers Library the non-exclusive right to share this material in its online repositories. Contact UCO Chambers Library's Digital Initiatives Working Group at diwg@uco.edu for the permission policy on the use, reproduction or distribution of this material.
Identifiers
dc:identifier.*- Dc Identifier Other
- (AlmaMMSId)9979275085202196