ABSTRACT

A good mantra when discussing attention is to say, “it’s a bit more complicated than that.” This short and unsatisfying phrase is usually not wrong, but begs the question of what complexity we add and how that improves our understanding. This is a major issue when it comes to attentional control and expert performance. In this chapter, I present a framework for exploring the multidimensional nature of attention in sport expertise. The major goal of this framework is to integrate binary distinctions that are often discussed in the literature to view attention as a multifaceted construct where the “optimal” focus of attention is dynamic and context dependent. This framework is useful for understanding the different ways in which attention can be deployed before, during, and after the execution of complex skills and the differential effects that attention might have on learning versus performance. A few major principles can still be drawn (e.g., expert performance is impaired when attention is internally focused on the execution of a skill) and I review evidence for how attention might be affecting the motor system to ultimately shape behavior but, of course, it is going to be a bit more complicated than that.