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Abstract
Previous research have proven that directing consideration externally can facilitate extra fluent and automated motor management, whereas an inner focus of consideration could introduce extreme aware regulation and impair efficiency in land-based duties akin to archery, taking pictures, and golf placing. However, rising proof means that switching attentional focus could also be functionally useful for efficiency in complicated motor expertise that require steady coordination of a number of physique segments, akin to swimming. However, prior analysis has hardly ever manipulated switching attentional focus, leaving a vital hole in understanding how dynamic attentional regulation influences motor efficiency. To handle this hole, the current examine examined whether or not a switching focus technique would result in superior swimming efficiency in contrast with fastened inner or exterior focus methods. Twenty novice male swimmers (M_age = 11.50 years, SD = 0.76) carried out 25-m front-crawl sprints beneath 4 circumstances: no-instruction management, inner focus, exterior focus, and switching focus. The outcomes confirmed a major situation impact on swimming time, F(3, 57) = 16.20, p < .001, ηp² = .460, with the switching-focus situation producing shorter swimming instances than each the internal-focus and external-focus circumstances, whereas no important distinction was noticed between the internal-focus and external-focus circumstances. In addition, a major situation impact was discovered for attentional flexibility, F(3, 57) = 26.10, p < .001, ηp² = .579, with the switching-focus situation displaying greater attentional flexibility than the management, internal-focus, and external-focus circumstances. Both internal-focus and external-focus circumstances additionally demonstrated greater attentional flexibility than the management situation. However, no important distinction within the degree of attentional flexibility between the internal-focus and external-focus circumstances was noticed. These findings counsel that adopting a switching attentional focus could improve task-specific perceived attentional flexibility and is related to improved efficiency in complicated motor expertise, highlighting the significance of dynamic attentional regulation in swimming.
Summary
Keywords
attentional flexibility, attentional focus, Child athletes, performance, Swimming
Copyright
© 2026 Wang, Li, Zhao, Feng and Tsai. This is an open-access article distributed beneath the phrases of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or replica in different boards is permitted, supplied the unique writer(s) or licensor are credited and that the unique publication on this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted tutorial follow. No use, distribution or replica is permitted which doesn’t adjust to these phrases.
*Correspondence: Chi-Lun Tsai
Disclaimer
All claims expressed on this article are solely these of the authors and don’t essentially characterize these of their affiliated organizations, or these of the writer, the editors and the reviewers. Any product which may be evaluated on this article or declare which may be made by its producer shouldn’t be assured or endorsed by the writer.
This web page was created programmatically, to learn the article in its unique location you’ll be able to go to the hyperlink bellow:
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1853379/full
and if you wish to take away this text from our web site please contact us
