Research shows you can improve your golf swing by watching TV
LONDON, ON, April 27 /CNW/ - You can improve your own game by watching
sports on TV according to new research conducted at The University of Western
Ontario. For the first time, research has proven that it's possible to learn
complex physical actions by observing others.
Paul Gribble, Departments of Psychology and Physiology & Pharmacology at
Western, and his student Andrew Mattar, found that when observing others
performing complex motor tasks, we cannot help but to learn as well. Their
unique findings represent the first direct evidence that we can form new
"internal models" for motor control solely on the basis of visual observation.
The findings were published in the recent edition of Neuron.
"It would seem that the hours spent watching sports on television can not
only tell our conscious minds about what movements need to be made, but more
importantly can inform our motor systems about how to make them," says
Gribble.
Previous research has shown that when observing others perform motor
tasks, people can learn something about "what" to do. This study found that
individuals also learn "how" to perform complex motor tasks merely by
observing others. Gribble and Mattar also found that observing the actions of
another, sets off the same brain circuits responsible for planning and
carrying out our own actions.
"One of the striking findings of our study is that motor learning can
happen without actually moving - just by observing someone else moving," he
says. "The motor systems - the brain areas involved in generating movements -
are being subconsciously activated when we observe the actions of others. Our
brains are essentially imitating the actions we observe, in our minds, without
us being aware of it."
For further information: please contact Paul Gribble at (519) 661-2111,
ext. 82237; or Christine Roulston, Communications & Public Affairs, at
(519) 661-2111, ext. 85165
