Why is selective attention important in sport?

The short-term memory has limited capacity, so only the most important cues can be processed. A filter on distractions improves concentration and speeds up reaction time.

Give an example of selective attention in a named sport.

A tennis player receiving serve focuses on the ball and the server's racket. The player ignores the crowd, the umpire and movement in the stands.

How does selective attention reduce reaction time?

Selective attention reduces the amount of information entering the short-term memory. Fewer items to process means a decision can be made more quickly.

How does selective attention differ between a beginner and an expert?

An expert knows which cues matter and filters out the rest automatically. A beginner attends to too many cues, often the wrong ones, and becomes overloaded.

OCR A-Level Physical Education H555

Skeletal and Muscular Systems

Topic overview Shoulder, elbow and wrist joints and muscles Hip, knee and ankle joints and muscles Planes of movement, muscle roles and contractions Analysing movement in sporting actions Motor units and muscle fibre types

The Cardiovascular System

Topic overview Heart rate, stroke volume and cardiac output at rest The cardiac cycle and conduction system Cardiac responses to exercise and recovery The vascular shunt mechanism Venous return and heart rate regulation

The Respiratory System

Topic overview Breathing frequency, tidal volume and minute ventilation Mechanics of breathing at rest and in exercise Regulation of breathing Gas exchange at the alveoli and the muscles

Energy for Exercise

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Environmental Effects on Body Systems

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Diet, Nutrition and Ergogenic Aids

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Aerobic Training

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Strength and Flexibility Training

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Training and Lifestyle Diseases

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Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation

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Biomechanical Principles and Levers

Topic overview Newton's laws and force calculations Forces and free body diagrams Centre of mass and stability Levers and mechanical advantage Limb kinematics, force plates and wind tunnels

Linear and Angular Motion

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Fluid Mechanics and Projectile Motion

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Skill Classification, Practice and Transfer

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Memory Models

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Personality and Attitudes

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Motivation and Arousal

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Anxiety

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Aggression

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Social Facilitation and Group Dynamics

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Goal Setting

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Attribution

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Confidence and Self-Efficacy

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Leadership

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Stress Management

Topic overview Stress and stressors in sport Self-talk, thought stopping and rational thinking Mental rehearsal, imagery, goal setting and mindfulness Relaxation, biofeedback, centring and breathing control

Sport in Pre-Industrial and Industrial Britain

Topic overview Popular recreation in pre-industrial Britain Urbanisation, rational recreation and the railways Amateurism and professionalism in Victorian sport Public schools and the cult of athleticism

Sport in the 20th and 21st Centuries

Topic overview Amateurism and professionalism in the 20th century Social change and sport in 20th-century Britain Class, gender and access in 21st-century sport The globalisation of sport

The Olympic Games and Global Sporting Events

Topic overview Coubertin and the aims of the modern Olympics Berlin 1936 and Mexico City 1968 Munich 1972 and the Cold War boycotts Hosting a global sporting event

Drugs in Sport

Topic overview Legal supplements and illegal doping Why elite performers dope Consequences of doping for society, sport and performers Strategies against doping

Violence and Gambling in Sport

Topic overview Causes of player and spectator violence Implications of violence in sport Preventing violence among players and spectators Match fixing, bribery and illegal betting

Commercialisation and the Media

Topic overview What drives the commercialisation of sport Impacts of commercialisation Television, radio, press and internet coverage Positive and negative effects of the media Sport as a commodity and the golden triangle

Routes to Sporting Excellence

Topic overview From talent identification to elite performance Schools, clubs and universities in elite success UK Sport and the national institutes Drop-out from elite programmes

Modern Technology in Sport

Topic overview Technology and elite performance Technology and general participation Technology and fair outcomes Technology and entertainment

Memory Models

Selective attention

3 things to know
Component 02

Overview

Selective attention in the multi-store model, reaction time, beginners and experts, how coaches improve it, arousal and the cue utilisation hypothesis, the goalkeeper facing a penalty, and what makes a cue stand out.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started

Key term

How does arousal affect selective attention, and which hypothesis describes the link?

Key term

What is selective attention?

Key term

Where does selective attention operate in the multi-store model?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
What is selective attention?
Model answer
Selective attention is filtering relevant information from irrelevant information in the sensory store. Only the relevant information passes to the short-term memory.
2
Where does selective attention operate in the multi-store model?
Model answer
Selective attention operates between the short-term sensory store and the short-term memory. Selective attention acts as a filter on the flood of sensory input.
3
Why is selective attention important in sport?
Model answer
The short-term memory has limited capacity, so only the most important cues can be processed. A filter on distractions improves concentration and speeds up reaction time.
4
Give an example of selective attention in a named sport.
Model answer
A tennis player receiving serve focuses on the ball and the server's racket. The player ignores the crowd, the umpire and movement in the stands.
5
How does selective attention reduce reaction time?
Model answer
Selective attention reduces the amount of information entering the short-term memory. Fewer items to process means a decision can be made more quickly.
6
How does selective attention differ between a beginner and an expert?
Model answer
An expert knows which cues matter and filters out the rest automatically. A beginner attends to too many cues, often the wrong ones, and becomes overloaded.

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Skeletal and Muscular Systems

The Cardiovascular System

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Energy for Exercise

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