Replicability

[OriginalResonance]

Hi. I've been ruminating over the intricacies of decision making and I thought I should come here and look for some opinion. My questions pertain to the field of sports psychology: why can't a skill/technique be replicated consistently under fixed conditions? And why do athletes switch strategies despite previous success? Is the human brain constantly primed for variation? I've my answers for these questions but would be more than interested in alternative views to my own. Cheers

[Kallisti]

Define 'fixed conditions'.  There's a huge amount in a persons life, from both a nature and nurture perspective, before you actually get around to teaching them.

I'm sure you could do it with clones raised from birth, but thats one of those 'mad science'' things they don't let you do anymore.  Maybe if I move to France...

[SWM]

there are a couple of topics related to decision making already on the forum that you may be ablke to reignite some discussion on.

why can't a skill/technique be replicated consistently under fixed conditions?

perhaps the fact that we are not mechanical/robotic that we are physically and psychologically dynamic. that any repeated action is  ony an imitation/ approximation of a previous actions.

And why do athletes switch strategies despite previous success?

the desire to impove and refine.

just guessing really.

Is the human brain constantly primed for variation?

could you elaborate?

[Karaten]

In a truly repetitive situation, a single strategy will be most effective, however, in a situation where climates change, specifically against other teams, you need to be unpredictable.

In a game of order, the element of surprise is victorious, thus he who comes first, and acts first, loses. The one who acts through chaos, and is therefore unpredictable, then has the upper hand. Strategy defeats the strategy it is designed to, but chaos is much harder to plot against.