Bullseye: Effects of autonomy support and enhanced expectancies on dart throwing

The present study examined the combined influence of two motivational key factors in the OPTIMAL theory of motor learning,(1) enhanced expectancies (EE) and autonomy support (AS), on the learning of a dart-throwing task. In one group (AS/EE), participants were provided with a success criterion that could be met relatively easily (EE) and two small choices (AS). A control group practiced under neutral conditions. On Day 1, participants completed a pretest and six 12-trial blocks of practice from a 2m distance to the bullseye. Two days later, retention and transfer (novel distance of 2.37 m) tests were conducted. Self-efficacy was assessed throughout the practice phase and before the retention test. The results showed that the AS/EE group had higher self-efficacy during practice and demonstrated greater dartthrowing accuracy on the retention and transfer tests compared with the control group. The findings have implications for practical settings: They show that providing learners with a liberal definition of success and minor choices can be sufficient to enhance motor skill learning.

Automated summary

The study examined the combined influence of enhanced expectancies (EE) and autonomy support (AS) on dart-throwing task learning. Results showed that learners with liberal success criteria and minor choices had higher self-efficacy and better dart-throwing accuracy, indicating the positive impact of such factors on motor skill learning.