| Competitive cyclists from the Seattle, WA area ( N = 48), ranging in age from 19-54 years were recruited to participate in a study of attention and performance outcome. The purposes of this study were to (1) investigate whether performance outcomes for competitive athletes would be better in two experimental associative conditions (i.e., breath and pain) than a control condition, and (2) explore the interaction between attentional styles, measured by the Attentional Focusing Questionnaire (AFQ, and performance outcomes. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: control, focus on breathing (breath), and focus on lower body sensations (pain). All conditions completed two laboratory sessions each consisting of a 10 km time trial on a Velotron (Racermate, Inc., Seattle, WA) ergometer. There were no focus instructions given for time trial 1. The breath and pain groups were asked to change their focus in time trial 2. Analysis revealed a number of statistically insignificant results that produced noteworthy graphical representations. Performance significance was considered when interpreting the results which suggested that the experimental conditions affected performance. Performance was defined by duration of time trials, power output (wattage), peak power (peak wattage) and Ratings of Perceived Exertion (RPE). There were interactions between attentional style, condition and measures of performance outcome. Recommendations are made regarding personal focus anchors (PFA's) in relation to performance enhancement and future research. |
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