The Perception & Action Podcast 567 – An Ecological Account of Previewing and Using Advance Information
Mar 31, 2026
Discussion of how route previewing shapes movement fluency in climbing and why experts benefit most. Exploration of gaze strategies used during route inspection and their links to performance. Reframing opponent statistics and advance information as informational constraints that guide intention. Practical coaching ideas for training previewing, attention education, and using simulated practice with situational info.
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Gray's Baseball Study On Advanced Information
- Rob Gray's baseball study showed batting improves when hitters get information about a pitcher's tendencies.
- The benefit vanished or reversed when the pitcher changed distributions and was strongest when the hitter experienced the tendencies themselves.
Advanced Info Is Not Ecological Information
- Advanced information differs from previewing because it provides propositional, non-representative knowledge not specifying affordances.
- Video and stats are not the same information a performer will use to control actions in real time.
Previewing Reveals Affordances Not Plans
- Previewing perceives affordances rather than building stored motor plans.
- Climbers visually pick up graspability, supportability, and nested affordances using information tied to their effectivities like grip strength.