Scope

This section is designed to advance research in foundational and applied aspects of psychological movement science. By essence, movement is fundamental to human experience and may be considered as the body language of the brain. Movement dynamics may be viewed as a succession of stable position unlocked by rapid or slow movements directed or not to behavioral goals. From reflex to voluntary action the control of movement is exerted by the treatment of coming information following two main streams organized in bottom-up sequences modulated by top-down influences produced by mental activity. Consequently, the final behavior results from a complex dialogue between the internalization of biomechanical constraint and mental states. Better understanding of maturational and developmental aspects of control of posture and movement has also shed important lights on motor control. In addition, sensorimotor experience in general and sports-related experience in particular exert an important influence on psychological development in childhood and beyond. Technological advances have allowed simultaneous recordings of biological signals (kinematic and dynamic of movement, muscle activities, EEG and evoked potentials) coupled with psychological testing during sport activities. The importance of eye and head movements in the emergence of winning sensori-motor strategies is a good example of the influence exerted by movement science in sport performance. The development of new artificial tools such as those offered by virtual reality and neuro-feedback training is central for the new alliance between movement science and sport psychology. The importance of the stress related mechanisms in the accomplishment of high performance is another field of research which is supported by the present topics.

Movement Science and Sport Psychology aims to provide a platform for innovative research that promotes our understanding of the multifaceted nature of motor performance. The interdisciplinary character of the scientific investigation is thus encouraged. It publishes high-quality studies in the areas of motor control and learning, sport and exercise psychology, social psychology of human movement, and physical rehabilitation. Research that crosses traditional divides between sensory-motor, cognitive, and social domains as those performed in the recently developed virtual reality environment is especially encouraged. Integrative physiology and translational researches in which basic findings obtained in the laboratory are firstly moved to elite sports and then transferred to practice settings for improving rehabilitation process and health community are welcome. Experimental and non-experimental designs, and psychological, neuroscientific, physiological and biomechanical analyses that provide insights into psychological dimensions of movement behavior are welcome. Studies that address the impact of physical activity on psychological functioning are also of interest. This Frontiers section may also promote scientific debates about different movement theories such as for example those derived from the equilibrium point hypothesis, the self-organizing dynamic pattern, the embodied cognition theory linking perception, action and emotion and the mirror neuron concept. All of these non-exclusive theoretical grounds associated to new original paradigm and pertinent results are welcome.

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