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Differences in problem representation and procedural knowledge between elite and nonelite springboard divers
Abstract
The study examined two areas relevant to cognition and motor performance: problem representation and procedural knowledge. Divers were asked to report their thoughts following dive performance. Their reports were then transcribed and converted into network representations and production rules. Conversion results supported four hypotheses. The first hypothesis asserted that differences in problem representation between elite and non-elite divers would be consistent with differences between experts and novices in non-sport domains like mathematics and physics, as postulated by Chi and Glaser (1980). The first postulate stated that elite divers would have more central concepts in memory relevant to the dive. No difference between the two groups of divers was apparent. The second postulate stated that elite divers would have more features defining each node. Non-elite divers cited 29% fewer features than elites. The third postulate stated that elite divers would have more relations interrelating nodes. Elite divers revealed 65 interrelations, while non-elite divers indicated only 10. The fourth postulate stated that elite divers would form more robust relations between concepts. The concepts reverse dive and reverse 2 1/2 activated higher order concepts 24 times for elites but only 5 times for non-elites. The fifth postulate was that elite divers would associate more procedural knowledge with each dive. Elites associated 105 production rules. Non-elites associated only 40. The second hypothesis asserted that elite production rules would reflect a greater degree of learning in the areas of compilation and tuning. Results indicated that elite productions reflected greater proceduralization and composition--two subprocesses of compilation--and greater discrimination and strengthening--two mechanisms for tuning. The third hypothesis asserted that elite divers would represent the problem of dive performance on a higher level than would non-elites. Non-elite representations generally consisted of "naive" elements, while elite representations consisted of higher order elements. The fourth hypothesis asserted that elite divers would define the four problem components of a dive differently than would non-elites. Clear differences between the two groups were evident.
Subject Area
Educational psychology|Physical education
Recommended Citation
Huber, Jeffrey Jay, "Differences in problem representation and procedural knowledge between elite and nonelite springboard divers" (1989). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI8925242.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI8925242