Video Feedback and Expert Modeling Can Promote Skill Development

Feedback is a critical element of skill acquisition.  When we think of feedback we usually think of a coach giving an athlete information about her performance or perhaps the athlete receiving information directly from her own eyes, such as seeing the ball hit the floor after an attack.  Whether extrinsic or intrinsic, feedback provides athletes with information that can guide future performances.  Feedback can help athletes link cause and effect (e.g., hitting the right side of the ball causes it to move left) and provide motivation to continue training as well.  Without effective feedback, practice loses much of its purpose.

An increasingly popular form of feedback is video replay.  Video replay gives athletes a unique perspective on their performance unavailable through other means - the ability to see themselves in action (and at different speeds).  According to research, video replay combined with expert video modeling can promote skill acquisition and retention.  This research may support the use by coaches of video replay systems (such is TiVO) in the practice gym to assist athletes' skill development. 

In a study conducted at the University of South Florida a researcher examined the effects of combining expert video modeling and video feedback on the development of athletic skills used in gymnastics routines. "Video feedback" involves showing a recorded video clip of an athlete performing a particular skill (or part of it) to that athlete while "video modeling" shows the athlete a video of an expert performing the skill.

Participants were four 7-10 year old competitive gymnasts.  Each gymnast performed a specific skill and then viewed a video of an expert gymnast performing the same skill. The gymnast then viewed a replay of her own performance followed by a slow motion with freeze frame comparison of her performance with that of the expert model.  Lastly, the gymnast viewed the expert video clip again, followed by her own performance of the skill.

The results showed that the gymnasts’ skills increased following exposure to video feedback and modeling when combined with normal practice sessions.  It was also noted that "improvements were largely maintained during follow-up assessments," indicating successful skill retention as well.

Link to Study:  http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1145&context=etd

Title: Expert video modeling with video feedback to enhance gymnastics skills.

Research Shows Younger Children Unable to Understand Negative Feedback

Research published in the Journal of Neuroscience says that 8-9 year old children learn radically different from 11-13 year olds and adults.[1]  The difference relates to how children of different ages process negative and positive feedback.

According to researchers, 8-9 year old children respond disproportionally inaccurately to negative feedback whereas the opposite is true in 12 year olds.  As negative feedback generally signals a need to adjust current behavior, the younger children have a more difficult time interpreting it.  The ability to make the interpretive leap necessary to respond accurately to negative feedback appears to develop as children become closer to the age of 11.

This information can have significant consequences for volleyball coaches teaching children under twelve.

The research, Evaluating the Negative or Valuing the Positive?  Neural Mechanisms Supporting Feedback-Based Learning Across Development is available at the Journal of Neuroscience website here.

NOTES

[1]  von Duijvenvoorde, A., Zanolie, K., Rombouts, S., Raijmakers, M., Crone, E. (2008).  Evaluating the Negative or Valuing the Positive?  Neural Mechanisms Supporting Feedback-Based Learning Across Development.  The Journal of Neuroscience 28(38) : 9495-9503.