PUB - Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld

All animals must act in their environment in order to survive. They must also react to changes in the environment, for example, when threats or beneficial opportunities arise. Responses are defined as any reaction of the organism to external or internal events. Responses can pertain to one or more levels of body function ranging from cognition, behavior, and physiology to endocrine and biochemical reactions. The overall purpose of human and animal responses is optimal adaptation to environmental demands. In sports, humans develop and hone sophisticated, explicit systems of action and reaction, often with the sole purpose of competing with one another. At first glance, athletes' responses seem to be simple. A runner waits for the starter's gun, and upon perception of the signal, she sprints as fast as possible toward the finish line. However, humans in general, and athletes in particular, respond in multiple distinct ways to action-relevant events such ...