Acquisition of a baseball-pitch through observation: What information is extracted?

The purpose of the present study was to compare the relative effects of observing video, stick figure and point-light model demonstrations on acquisition a Baseball pitch. Participants (ns = 41) in demonstration and control groups performed 5 trials in pretest, three blocks of 10 trials in acquisition phase, and two retention tests of 5 trials in 10 minutes and one week later. Participants´ performances were assessed by two raters at the level of overall movement and individual movement phases. Results showed similarities between demonstration groups in
acquisition phase and early retention test. Participants showed a significant improvement in stride and follow-through phases from pretest to acquisition blocks. The findings are discussed in terms of theoretical and methodological backgrounds.