Psychophysiological Tools & Techniques to Predict Perceptual Motor Task Outcomes

The process of perceiving environmental information, analyzing it, formulating a plan of action, and carrying out said plan is vital to our day to day lives. This loop occurs for every motor task we perform, from actions as simple as elbow flexion to as complex as performing surgery. As such, it is imperative to understand what physiological, psychological, and neurocognitive factors most dictate success or failure in the motor performance loop. Prior research has shown that measures from each of these facets have strong relationships with motor performance outcomes, though these findings tended to rely on artificially produced stress in laboratory environments. The present study investigated how these factors influence motor outcomes in real world performance, via a high-level rifle marksmanship competition. Thirty-seven male participants of the Precision Rifle Series competed in multiple stages of fire running the gamut from stationary long-distance marksmanship to moving targets at unknown distances to repositioning and shooting multiple targets. Heart rate variability, competitive stress, perceived workload, mindfulness, and emotional regulation measures were taken throughout the competition, allowing for an evaluation of previous findings in a real-world setting. To ensure the collected data represented general motor performance and not solely precision marksmanship, a secondary study was conducted concurrently involving a fictional putting competition in which the same measures were collected. In brief, frequently utilized measures of physiology, neurocognitive status, psychology, anxiety, and workload were assessed in both laboratory and real-world scenarios. Notably, both in-lab and real-world evaluations of these metrics agreed with the current literature, providing evidence that they are valid for use in real-world scenarios. Moreso, the use of commercially available wearable technology which allows for data collection during rigorous activities in austere environments was demonstrated. Lastly, advancements in the Integrative Framework of Stress, Attention, and Visuomotor Performance were explored utilizing both in-lab and real-world competition data. In both settings, a challenge assessment, which indicates that the participant feels they have the resources necessary to meet task demands, was associated with greater performance, lower internal workloads, and lower neurocognitive fatigue.