{"date_created":"2026-03-05T16:55:30Z","publisher":"Elsevier BV","title":"Mobilizing effort in complex motor tasks: Try-harder instructions in deceptive actions","year":"2026","language":[{"iso":"eng"}],"keyword":["Effort","Try-harder instruction","Deception","Basketball","Head fake","Fake production"],"publication":"Psychology of Sport and Exercise","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."}],"volume":84,"author":[{"first_name":"Nils Tobias","full_name":"Böer, Nils Tobias","id":"52000","orcid":"0000-0002-0236-7282","last_name":"Böer"},{"first_name":"Michael B.","full_name":"Steinborn, Michael B.","last_name":"Steinborn"},{"first_name":"Matthias","last_name":"Weigelt","full_name":"Weigelt, Matthias","id":"36388"},{"full_name":"Güldenpenning, Iris","id":"52931","last_name":"Güldenpenning","orcid":"0000-0003-0549-5543","first_name":"Iris"}],"oa":"1","date_updated":"2026-03-05T16:58:54Z","doi":"10.1016/j.psychsport.2026.103083","main_file_link":[{"open_access":"1","url":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2026.103083"}],"publication_identifier":{"issn":["1469-0292"]},"publication_status":"published","intvolume":"        84","citation":{"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} }","short":"N.T. Böer, M.B. Steinborn, M. Weigelt, I. Güldenpenning, Psychology of Sport and Exercise 84 (2026).","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>.","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>","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>.","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>."},"department":[{"_id":"17"},{"_id":"266"}],"user_id":"52000","_id":"64859","article_type":"original","article_number":"103083","type":"journal_article","status":"public"}