---
_id: '64859'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: This study investigated whether external effort mobilization through try-harder
    instructions enhances performance in complex motor tasks, as reflected by the
    reduction of costs associated with producing a deceptive action. Basketball passing
    movements with and without head fakes were examined in a reaction-time paradigm.
    Participants were generally instructed to initiate the movement as fast and accurately
    as possible, while try-harder instructions were presented in 25 % of trials, prompting
    participants to mobilize all their cognitive resources to perform even faster.
    To investigate if athletic expertise modulates the potential effects of effort
    mobilization, basketball novices and experienced players were tested. Results
    demonstrated that try-harder instructions generally improved participants’ performance,
    facilitating faster response initiation times and movement execution, as well
    as a specific reduction in initiation time variability. Novices benefited more
    than experienced players, indicating that effort results in greater improvement
    when complex motor actions (for example, passes with head fakes) are not yet fully
    stabilized and lack automated fluency. This pattern suggests that effort enhances
    performance in complex actions when performance is limited by the amount of cognitive
    capacity available, supporting the coordination of partly conflicting movement
    components within tight temporal constraints. The findings extend previous research
    on effort mobilization from simple to complex motor tasks. Try-harder instructions
    appear to enhance performance primarily by reducing attentional lapses rather
    than generally improving processing speed. Future research should investigate
    the effectiveness of effort mobilization in experienced athletes in situations
    of high concurrent cognitive load.
article_number: '103083'
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Nils Tobias
  full_name: Böer, Nils Tobias
  id: '52000'
  last_name: Böer
  orcid: 0000-0002-0236-7282
- first_name: Michael B.
  full_name: Steinborn, Michael B.
  last_name: Steinborn
- first_name: Matthias
  full_name: Weigelt, Matthias
  id: '36388'
  last_name: Weigelt
- first_name: Iris
  full_name: Güldenpenning, Iris
  id: '52931'
  last_name: Güldenpenning
  orcid: 0000-0003-0549-5543
citation:
  ama: 'Böer NT, Steinborn MB, Weigelt M, Güldenpenning I. Mobilizing effort in complex
    motor tasks: Try-harder instructions in deceptive actions. <i>Psychology of Sport
    and Exercise</i>. 2026;84. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2026.103083">10.1016/j.psychsport.2026.103083</a>'
  apa: 'Böer, N. T., Steinborn, M. B., Weigelt, M., &#38; Güldenpenning, I. (2026).
    Mobilizing effort in complex motor tasks: Try-harder instructions in deceptive
    actions. <i>Psychology of Sport and Exercise</i>, <i>84</i>, Article 103083. <a
    href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2026.103083">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2026.103083</a>'
  bibtex: '@article{Böer_Steinborn_Weigelt_Güldenpenning_2026, title={Mobilizing effort
    in complex motor tasks: Try-harder instructions in deceptive actions}, volume={84},
    DOI={<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2026.103083">10.1016/j.psychsport.2026.103083</a>},
    number={103083}, journal={Psychology of Sport and Exercise}, publisher={Elsevier
    BV}, author={Böer, Nils Tobias and Steinborn, Michael B. and Weigelt, Matthias
    and Güldenpenning, Iris}, year={2026} }'
  chicago: 'Böer, Nils Tobias, Michael B. Steinborn, Matthias Weigelt, and Iris Güldenpenning.
    “Mobilizing Effort in Complex Motor Tasks: Try-Harder Instructions in Deceptive
    Actions.” <i>Psychology of Sport and Exercise</i> 84 (2026). <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2026.103083">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2026.103083</a>.'
  ieee: 'N. T. Böer, M. B. Steinborn, M. Weigelt, and I. Güldenpenning, “Mobilizing
    effort in complex motor tasks: Try-harder instructions in deceptive actions,”
    <i>Psychology of Sport and Exercise</i>, vol. 84, Art. no. 103083, 2026, doi:
    <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2026.103083">10.1016/j.psychsport.2026.103083</a>.'
  mla: 'Böer, Nils Tobias, et al. “Mobilizing Effort in Complex Motor Tasks: Try-Harder
    Instructions in Deceptive Actions.” <i>Psychology of Sport and Exercise</i>, vol.
    84, 103083, Elsevier BV, 2026, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2026.103083">10.1016/j.psychsport.2026.103083</a>.'
  short: N.T. Böer, M.B. Steinborn, M. Weigelt, I. Güldenpenning, Psychology of Sport
    and Exercise 84 (2026).
date_created: 2026-03-05T16:55:30Z
date_updated: 2026-03-05T16:58:54Z
department:
- _id: '17'
- _id: '266'
doi: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2026.103083
intvolume: '        84'
keyword:
- Effort
- Try-harder instruction
- Deception
- Basketball
- Head fake
- Fake production
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
  url: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2026.103083
oa: '1'
publication: Psychology of Sport and Exercise
publication_identifier:
  issn:
  - 1469-0292
publication_status: published
publisher: Elsevier BV
status: public
title: 'Mobilizing effort in complex motor tasks: Try-harder instructions in deceptive
  actions'
type: journal_article
user_id: '52000'
volume: 84
year: '2026'
...