Welcome to Motor Behavior and Skill Acquisition. The goal of the book is to provide guidance for university undergraduates pursuing professions that involve teaching movement skills to patients, clients, or students. The book provides a balance between the scientific study of human movement and the practical application of fundamental principles to interventions designed to teach individuals how to move effectively. The targeted readership is future physical educators, rehabilitative specialists, and sport trainers; however, the topics addressed in the book are of value for everyone. At some point in our lives, we all take on the role of a being a teacher of movement skills.
The book is unique in several ways. The first half describes how skills are learned from the academic perspectives of psychology, neuroscience, and kinesiology. In these chapters, the authors provide information drawn from five decades of cross-disciplinary academic study and research. The second half focuses on pedagogy and factors that are central to the art of teaching movement skills. In these latter chapters, the authors draw upon practical experiences and focus on conditions that are central to effective instructional interventions. The central themes that emerge from an academic study of skill acquisition and their application to real-world instructional settings are reinforced by providing the reader an opportunity to develop his or her own individualized motor-skill training program.
Ahmed Qazi's interests in motor skill learning and behavior stemmed from his desire to enter the rehabilitation field. After being introduced to theory-based research, however, Mr. Qazi decided to investigate and answer questions by conducting laboratory-based research. He has developed a keen interest in how skills are learned and enhanced throughout the life span and how those skills are applied to carry out tasks that range from the simple activities of daily living to highly complex movements in sports. Mr. Qazi is currently pursuing his PhD in Kinesiology with a concentration in Exercise Psychology at the University of Georgia.
Phil Tomporowski's five-decade long academic and personal quest to understand how skills are learned was ignited when he was introduced to the martial arts in college. Seeking answers to questions concerning how skills are developed led him to serve as an applied behavioral psychologist, a sport psychologist, cognitive-science researcher in military settings, universities, and elementary school settings. Dr. Tomporowski serves as the Director of the Cognition and Skill Acquisition Laboratory in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Georgia.