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 …

Exercise training is widely promoted as a method to enhance both physical health and
cognitive function. Although routine exercise engenders physiological adaptations to the …

Self-determination theory is a broad and widely applied theory of motivation, personality
development, and wellness. The theory began with a narrow focus on intrinsic motivation but …

Review of the evidence on, and fundamental questions about, efforts to improve executive
functions, including working memory Page 166 8 Review of the Evidence on, and Fundamental …

Autonomy, defined as self-regulation and integration in acting, is central to healthy
psychological development and functioning. Classic organismic and dynamic theories have …

Two factors that have been shown to facilitate motor learning are autonomy support (AS)
and enhanced expectancies (EE) for performance. We examined the individual and …

Numerous studies in the motor learning domain have demonstrated learning advantages of
self-controlled practice relative to yoked conditions. In separate lines of evidence in the …

Highlights•Expectations for positive experience/outcomes benefit motor performance and
learning.•Conditions that support performer autonomy benefit motor performance and …

Objectives The purpose of this study was to examine the combined effects of external focus
instructions and autonomy support on motor performance of children. In addition, we sought …

We examined whether the combination of two factors that have consistently been found to
enhance motor learning–an external focus (EF) of attention and autonomy support (AS) …