​Many studies have shown the effectiveness of verbal instructions and observational training on the improvement of children’s motor skills; however, there is not enough information about the simultaneous effects of these two variables. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of attention instructions during observation of the model on gaze behavior and accuracy of overarm throwing in children. 24 children 7 to 10 years of age with normal growth selected purposefully and randomly divided into two internal and external attentions during modeling groups. Training in both groups included observation 10 times skilled model overarm throwing’s film with eye movement recording, with the difference that before it each group received its own instruction. The results of mix-ANOVA and paired and independent t-tests showed that both groups showed a significant increase from the pre-test to post-test in the accuracy (p=0.001; p=0.001) and duration of the quiet eye (p=0.005; p=0.001) of overarm throwing. In the post-test, the external attention during modeling group compared to the internal attention during modeling had significantly higher accuracy (p=0.01) and longer quiet eye duration (p=0.001). Also, the external attention during modeling had more percentage viewing time to relevant external cues (ball and trajectory). Therefore, directing visual attention to movement effect of observed pattern cause improvement in motor performance and visual-motor expertise in children.

Keywords: Observational Learning, Focus of Attention, Quiet Eye, Visual Search, Overarm Throwing, Children

     

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