ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the process of skill development, considering the cortical and central nervous system changes that take place. It then considers both traditional and ecological approaches to skill acquisition and development before considering the key factors that influence this process. During recent years, a number of studies have highlighted that several brain structures forming the cortico–striatal (CS) or the cortico–cerebellar (CC) anatomical systems are crucial for mediating the acquisition and execution of motor skills as they reach the various stages of learning. Studies using functional brain imaging technology such as positron emission tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), in particular, have enabled researchers to better understand the plastic changes that occur within these neural systems as performance improves with practice on motor tasks. Ecological dynamics is a systems-oriented theoretical rationale for understanding the emergent relations in a complex system formed by each performer and a performance environment.
