Browsing by Subject "autourheilu"

Expert performances and expertise are interesting topics from a layman's as well as a researcher's point of view. According to the expertise theory and the theory of achieving expert performance at least 10 years of regular and intensive practice is needed to reach the international top level and to attain an appreciated position in one's own field. Besides practice also learning and attention enabling it are prerequisites for developing performances. Attention plays an important role in learning, and it has been tested at schools especially among young school children. The earlier studies examining the connection in question show that with the help of an attention concentration test the future school success of children can be estimated (e.g. Hotulainen, Thuneberg, Hautamäki, Vainikainen, 2014). In this study the racing drivers' attention was measured by using the Attention Concentration Test (ACT) created by Ad van der Ven in 2005. In addition, their cognitive power of deduction was measured with the help of a Formula test dealing with topics of formula autosports. Furthermore, a comparison was made in order to see if there was any connection between the number of career practice days and the logical reasoning. The purpose of the study was to find out how the number of races and career practice days of the racing drivers affected their success in autosports, and to compare the results with the expertise theory. It was also studied how attention is connected with expert performance and success both in autosports and in school, and whether the number of career practice days in autosports have any impact on the results of the ACT test. Furthermore the racing drivers' estimates of their own driving skills were compared with their success in racing. The AKK-Motorsport's junior team group, who represent Finnish top level, was chosen as the target group of the study. Thirteen drivers aged 13 to 21 participated in the study with four of them racing in touring and formula series and nine in different karting series. The results gained in the study showed there was no significant connection between attention and success in school or racing. However, the number of career practice days had a statistically significant connection to success in racing. Those having driven more during their career succeeded better than those having driven less. In the Formula-themed test measuring the logical power of deduction the most experienced drivers succeeded best. The young racing drivers' self-concept and awareness of their own strengths were more accurate when their estimates of their own driving skills were directly connected with their success in racing.