Modeling and Motor Skill Acquisition

This paper reviews the psychological and motor performance modeling literature to identify important factors involved in and affecting the modeling process as it relates to motor skill acquisition. Topics discussed include modeling theory, task specificity of modeling effects, the importance of symbolic coding, temporal spacing of demonstrations, social factors influencing modeling, and the role of modeling in reducing anxiety when unfamiliar motor activities are learned. Future research directions are discussed and implications for physical educators and coaches who employ modeling as an instructional technique are outlined.