Cited by 1,238Sport Psychology and PerformanceMotor Control and AdaptationSports and Physical Education Research

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 359 of the 374 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; 3 of the 264 sources its claims cite were checked for support.

Optimizing performance through intrinsic motivation and attention for learning: The OPTIMAL theory of motor learning

Open access
Wulf, Gabriele, Lewthwaite, Rebecca·2016·Psychonomic Bulletin & Review

Abstract

Effective motor performance is important for surviving and thriving, and skilled movement is critical in many activities. Much theorizing over the past few decades has focused on how certain practice conditions affect the processing of task-related information to affect learning. Yet, existing theoretical perspectives do not accommodate significant recent lines of evidence demonstrating motivational and attentional effects on performance and learning. These include research on (a) conditions that enhance expectancies for future performance, (b) variables that influence learners' autonomy, and (c) an external focus of attention on the intended movement effect. We propose the OPTIMAL (Optimizing Performance through Intrinsic Motivation and Attention for Learning) theory of motor learning. We suggest that motivational and attentional factors contribute to performance and learning by strengthening the coupling of goals to actions. We provide explanations for the performance and learning advantages of these variables on psychological and neuroscientific grounds. We describe a plausible mechanism for expectancy effects rooted in responses of dopamine to the anticipation of positive experience and temporally associated with skill practice. Learner autonomy acts perhaps largely through an enhanced expectancy pathway. Furthermore, we consider the influence of an external focus for the establishment of efficient functional connections across brain networks that subserve skilled movement. We speculate that enhanced expectancies and an external focus propel performers' cognitive and motor systems in productive "forward" directions and prevent "backsliding" into self- and non-task focused states. Expected success presumably breeds further success and helps consolidate memories. We discuss practical implications and future research directions.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

The paper proposes the OPTIMAL theory of motor learning: practice conditions that enhance expectancies, support learner autonomy, and promote an external focus of attention optimize performance and learning by strengthening goal-action coupling. It reviews behavioral and neuroscientific evidence and proposes dopaminergic and functional-connectivity mechanisms.

Key findings

  • Enhanced expectancies improve motor performance and learning: feedback after “good” trials, positive social-comparative feedback, self-modeling, easy success criteria, perceived larger golf holes, and hypnosis-like suggestions all facilitated learning; for example, an easy goal in a visuomotor adaptation task enhanced 24-hour retention even when practice performance did not differ.
  • Autonomy support and choice enhance learning: self-controlled feedback, self-controlled use of assistive devices, choice of practice order, and even incidental choices such as golf-ball color improved retention; autonomy-supportive instructional language produced better cricket-bowling learning and higher self-efficacy than controlling language.
  • An external focus on the intended movement effect is reliably superior to an internal focus on body movements: it improves balance, accuracy, force production, speed/endurance, and movement form while reducing EMG activity, oxygen consumption, and heart rate, consistent with greater automaticity.
  • The proposed mechanism is that motivational and attentional factors strengthen goal-action coupling; enhanced expectancies are linked to dopaminergic responses, and external focus/autonomy may facilitate efficient switching from default-mode to motor networks. The paper lists 12 predictions in Table 1.

Methods

  • Theoretical/review paper; no new empirical experiment or primary dataset is reported.
  • It synthesizes prior behavioral motor-learning studies and cognitive, affective, and neuroscientific evidence, with learning assessed mainly through retention and transfer tests.
  • It proposes the OPTIMAL theory, describes plausible psychological and neural mechanisms, and discusses practical implications and future research directions.

Limitations

  • The authors state that future research must close empirical gaps, including eliciting dopaminergic responses with varied rewards/positive experiences and capturing network development and dynamic switching; dopamine measurement is challenging because it cannot currently be assessed via salivary or other less invasive methods than PET paired with dopamine-antagonist medication.
  • The authors describe the self-invoking trigger idea as “still somewhat speculative,” and the proposed dopaminergic and network-switching mechanisms are presented as plausible rather than fully tested.
  • Evident from the text: this is a narrative theoretical synthesis, not a systematic review or meta-analysis, and it does not provide a unified empirical test of the OPTIMAL theory across the reviewed tasks and populations.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.3758/s13423-015-0999-9

Cites

359 of 359 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

158 Not checked yet · 71 Own interpretation · 12 No basis given · 2 Own result · 1 Partly supported · 1 Sources not found · accuracy not yet measured

Verify all 258 references — free account

Show all 153 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 70
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 31
  • The quote only partly states this claim. 1
92 of 92
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    Expectations are among the motivational variables that can exert influence through implicit means.

    “Importantly, we presume that expectations are among the motivational variables that can exert influence through implicit means (e.g., stereotype threats, goals), although deliberative, explicit, forms of these variables were originally described (Bandura, 1977;Deci & Ryan, 1985).”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Dopamine neurons predominantly signal positive reward and expected success, while a smaller set of dopamine neurons responds to negative signals.

    “While dopamine neurons predominantly signal some manner of positive reward and expected success is therefore important, a smaller set of dopamine neurons is responsive to negative signals.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The nigrostriatal dopaminergic system, centered in the dorsal striatum, is associated with working memory and motor system functions such as motor planning and response selection.

    “The nigrostriatal dopaminergic system, centered in the dorsal striatum, has been associated with working memory and motor system functions, such as motor planning and response selection.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Learners who control feedback delivery typically ask for feedback when they believe their performance was relatively successful.

    “Indeed, learners able to control the delivery of feedback, typically report asking for feedback when they assumed their performance was relatively successful.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    A person's attentional focus often has a similar influence on performance during practice and on learning as measured by retention or transfer tests.

    “A person's attentional focus often has a similar influence on performance during the practice phase when focus instructions are given, and learning, as measured by retention or transfer tests.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    The undermining effect of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation reflects the controlling aspects of reward on behavior.

    “It is assumed to reflect the controlling aspects of reward on behavior.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Correlated low-level oscillatory resonance of activity patterns in participating regions can be observed at rest when regions have operated in concert.

    “Correlated low-level oscillatory resonance of activity patterns in participating regions can be observed at rest when regions have operated in concert.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The default mode network typically does not overlap with functional groupings involved in goal-directed and motor tasks.

    “The default mode network typically does not overlap with functional groupings involved in goal-directed and motor tasks.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Anticipation of success leads to future success.

    “Paraphrasing the saying linking current success to future success, the anticipation of success breeds success and the presence of dopamine, which supports the development of skill.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Dopamine supports the development of motor skill.

    “Paraphrasing the saying linking current success to future success, the anticipation of success breeds success and the presence of dopamine, which supports the development of skill.”
10 of 10

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Citations

Cites

Show all 374 references

Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. Chen, D. D., Hendrick, J. L., & Lidor, R. (2002). Enhancing self-controlled learning environments: The use of self-regulated feedback information. Journal of Human Movement Studies, 43, 69–86.
  2. Loosch, E. (1995). Funktionelle Variabilität in Dartwurf (Functional variability in dart throwing). Sportwissenschaft, 25, 417–425.
  3. Saemi, E., Wulf, G., Varzaneh, A. G., & Zarghami, M. (2011). Feedback after good versus poor trials enhances motor learning in children. Revista Brasileira de Educação Física e Esporte (Brazilian Journal of Physical Education and Sport), 25, 671–679.

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Metadata

Authors
Wulf, G., & Lewthwaite, R.
Affiliations
  • University of Nevada, Las Vegas (US)
  • University of Southern California (US)
Corresponding author
Wulf, Gabriele
Venue
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
Published
2016-01-29
Volume
23
Issue
5
Pages
1382-1414
ISSN
  • 1069-9384 (ISSN-L)
  • 1531-5320
OpenAlex
W2342925794
Cited by
1,238
References
374
Citations by year
2026: 204 · 2025: 152 · 2024: 165 · 2023: 124 · 2022: 129 · 2021: 146 · 2020: 118 · 2019: 92 · 2018: 54 · 2017: 38 · 2016: 10
FWCI
12.01
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Psychonomic Bulletin & Review (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Sport Psychology and Performance
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Motor Control and Adaptation
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation › Sports and Physical Education Research
Keywords
motor learning, intrinsic motivation, attentional focus, external focus, expectancy effects, learner autonomy, dopamine, optimal theory, skill acquisition, memory consolidation, brain networks, practice conditions
MeSH terms
Attention, Humans, Learning, Motivation, Motor Activity, Psychomotor Performance

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