Post #15428
199

This study investigates multimodal physiological adaptation in novice shooters learning a complex sensorimotor task without external guidance. Researchers evaluated twenty-eight right-handed men aged eighteen to twenty-one with no prior shooting experience as they performed twenty series of five shots at a target while their brain waves, eye movements, heart rate, muscle activity, and respiration were monitored. Using mixed Bayesian logistic regression, the authors identified several physiological predictors of hit probability, including increased frontal theta power, an increased heart rate interval reflecting cardiac slowing, and holding one's breath or inhaling at the moment of the shot. Over the course of the shooting session, participants spontaneously shifted their physiological responses toward greater efficiency, showing increases in theta power, beta asymmetry, and heart rate interval alongside decreases in inhalation depth and biceps muscle activity. The findings demonstrate that beginners can spontaneously optimize various physiological systems to match patterns typical of professional shooters, though coordinating specific actions like breathing phases with shot release still requires explicit instruction.