Is an external focus for everyone? Contrasting approaches in dance
While much research suggests that adopting an external focus of attention improves performance, Andrade et al. (2020) found that this was not the case for experienced amateur and professional ballet dancers performing the en dehors double pirouette (EDDP). This finding contrasts with the survey of professional dancers (Guss-West & Wulf, 2016) covered in last week’s blog post, where about 28% of respondents reported using external foci, often in the form of images, for various ballet movements. This blog post will explore the contrasting findings of these two articles, focusing on the potential reasons why an imagined external focus (IEF) did not improve EDDP performance in Andrade et al.'s (2020) study.
Contrasting Findings: External Focus in Practice vs. Experiment
Guss-West and Wulf (2016) surveyed 53 professional ballet dancers about their attentional focus while performing four movements: balance in fifth demi-pointe or pointe, balance in arabesque demi-pointe or pointe, pirouette en dehors, and grand jeté en avant. Their results showed that while many dancers reported concentrating on coordinating their movements (internal focus), a significant portion used imagery-based external foci. For instance, some dancers described imagining themselves as a swan or their energy expanding outwards. This suggests that some professional dancers utilise external foci, potentially recognising their benefits through experience.
Andrade et al. (2020) investigated the effects of different attentional foci on the performance of the EDDP, a complex ballet turn requiring balance and coordination. They instructed 40 dancers, 23 amateurs and 17 professionals, to perform the EDDP under three conditions: no focus (NF), internal focus (IF), and imagined external focus (IEF). Surprisingly, they found no significant differences between the three focus conditions in terms of movement quality or kinematic variables. This suggests that, at least for the EDDP, an IEF does not provide an immediate performance advantage for experienced dancers.
Possible Explanations for the Lack of IEF Benefits
Andrade et al. (2020) proposed several explanations for their unexpected findings, highlighting the influence of task nature and personal factors.
Form-Based Task and Outcome-Creating Focus: The EDDP is a form-based task where the movement itself is the primary determinant of performance. Dancers aim to achieve a specific movement pattern for aesthetic purposes. Unlike tasks involving implements, where internal focus can distract from goal achievement, an internal focus on the EDDP can be an "outcome-creating focus." This means that focusing on the movement itself can directly contribute to achieving the desired outcome.
Familiarity with Internal Focus: Ballet training traditionally emphasises an internal focus on body movements. Both Guss-West and Wulf (2016) and Andrade et al. (2020) acknowledge that dancers typically focus internally, either spontaneously or due to instructions. This habitual use of internal focus may explain why it did not hinder performance in Andrade et al.'s (2020) study. Experienced dancers may have integrated this familiar focus strategy into their skill execution, rendering it no longer disruptive.
Effectiveness of Imagined vs. Explicit External Focus: Andrade et al. (2020) acknowledge that the IEF instructions, relying on imagery, might be less effective than an explicit external focus on a physical object. The effectiveness of imagery depends on individual understanding and motor imagery ability. While image-based instructions are common in ballet, the study's participants reported greater adherence to IF than IEF. This suggests that using a physical object as an external cue might yield different results.
Rethinking Automaticity in Expert Performance: The Constrained Action Hypothesis (Wulf et al., 2001) suggests that internal focus disrupts automatic coordination processes. However, Andrade et al. (2020) question whether complex skills like pirouettes ever become fully automatic for ballet dancers. They argue that expert performance might involve a continuous interplay of automatic and conscious processing. Therefore, the internal focus might not have negatively impacted the dancers because their performance was not entirely automatic.
Conclusion
The contrasting findings of Guss-West and Wulf (2016) and Andrade et al. (2020) highlight the nuanced relationship between attentional focus and performance in dance. While some professional dancers report using imagery-based external foci, possibly benefiting from this strategy, an IEF did not enhance EDDP performance in experienced dancers. The specific nature of the task, dancers' familiarity with internal focus, and the effectiveness of different types of external cues might explain these findings. Further research, particularly on the role of explicit external foci in learning and performing various dance techniques, is needed to fully understand these complex interactions.
