PUB - Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld

Previous studies regarding to the influences of preferences attentional focus on skilled putting performance showed competing hypotheses and inconsistent evidences, and rarely recorded the dynamic changing process of attentional focus objectively. Purpose: The present study aimed to discuss the association between self-selected attentional focus and putting performance in amateur golfers. This study focused on the attentional processes through the electroencephalographic (EEG) indicators including mu rhythm and T4 alpha power, which could be helpful to understand the underlying mechanisms of internal and external attentional processing. Method: Thirty-two right-handed amateur golfers performed 60 putting with a 3-meter distance while indicating the focus of attention they used in each putt, along with their EEG and putting performance recorded. Results: Participants preferred to putt by using an external focus, but no differences in putting performance and absolute error were observed between the internal and external focuses. Additionally, the results revealed decreases in mu rhythm and T4 alpha power before the golfers' movement execution regardless of the focus used. Conclusion: The amateur golfers show identical performance no matter using an internal or external attentional focus in a self-selected condition. This study suggests that self-selection and personal preferences might have impacts on the relationship between attentional focus and putting performance. Future study should take personal preference into consideration while investigating relevant issues. In terms of EEG indicators, using the mu rhythm and T4 alpha power to differentiate the internal or external focus processing should be cautious in future research.