93212 - Movement and Sport Psychology

Learning outcomes

At the end of the cours the student:

-knows the various methods for the measurement of motor behavior and the evaluation of motor skills

-Knows the most fundamental theories related to the cognitive aspects of motor control (e.g. perceptual elaboration, attentional selection, information theory principles)

-Is familiar with models of motor learning, in particular with relation to the learning and retention of motor skills involved in sports and motor rehabilitation.

-Is familiar with recent developments in technology for measurement of behavior and stimulation (e.g. VR, for sports training and motor re-abilitation). 

Course contents

The fundamental aim of the course is to communicate to the students the main theories and techniques that are available to the cognitive psychologist in order to understand and measure motor behavior, and to familiarize them with their applications to the sport setting.

These will be the topics we will touch:

-Historical context and main research techniques in the study of motor control

-Interaction between sensation, perception and motor control

-Main theories regarding motor control

-Coordination

-Application of cognitive theories of motor control to sports

-Individual and team mental representations in sport

-Role of attention in learning and execution of sport skills

-Digital techniques in the training of sports vision

-New developments and perspectives in the application of neuroscientific techniques to sports. 

Readings/Bibliography

For the general theory part: slides provided by the teacher.

Reference text: (selection of chapters from) Schmidt, Lee, Winstein, Wulf, Zelaznik: Motor control and learning: a behavioral emphasis. Human Kinetics.

For the applications to sports and training: Selection of scientific papers provided by the teacher.

Teaching methods

The course will be held in mixed modality, i.e. with frontal lesson that students will be able to attend either in the classroom or remotely (unless mandated differently by COVID regulations). 

Attendance is strongly recommended, also because the exam will be based on the material that will be discussed in the classroom. 

Assessment methods

The assessment method will be by means of a written text with 4 open questions, to be completed in 60 minutes. 

Each question will be assigned up to 8 points. A total score of 31 or more will correspond to a grade of 30 e lode.

For the students with reading disabilites or who have limited knowledge of Italian, upon request it will be possible to take the exam in oral format. 

Teaching tools

All of the slides will be provided by the teacher through IOL and they will be the objective of the exam.

We will try to use as much as possible the digital supports (online forums, meetings on Teams) to favor the interaction between students and teacher.

Office hours

See the website of Matteo Valsecchi