Is it possible to transfer the concept of external-internal focus of attention, originally developed in the field of sports, to aviation?
In sport-psychology researchers distinguish between an internal focus and an external focus of attention. An external focus of attention (concentrating on distal effects of a movement) tends to lead to better performance than focusing on the feeling of movement (internal). The aim of this work was to examine if these research results could be transferred to aviation, respectively if an internal focus automatically leads to bad flight performance? To figure this out, two flight simulator studies were conducted. In study 1 eighteen participants were tested whereas in study 2 twenty-four experienced pilots participated. Flight performance and cardiac activity were analyzed in dependence of the attentional focus. Effects of distracting noise, instrument failure, flight experience and flight licence were taken into consideration. In study 2 focus of attention could range from internal via proximal environment to distal environment. Bad meteorological conditions should cause a more proximal or internal focus of attention (instruments). Put simply, by these two studies the following questions are to be answered:Möchten Sie Ihre wissenschaftliche Arbeit publizieren? Erfahren Sie mehr über unsere günstigen Konditionen und unseren Service für Autorinnen und Autoren.