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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

Of course it's trivial to create a machine with superhuman strength or speed but there's a reason it's just shooting a free throw here. If you put this thing in actual competition with multiple agents it will become a glorified mannequin.

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

I'm looking forward to reading that when it comes out. I've pointed that direction a bit when writing about co-adaptive landscapes. I'd love to chat more sometime.

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

Also, you mention the question about additive contributions vs synergies. We tested that question with multifractal and surrogate analysis in a dyadic task and also in an 11v11 match with vector autoregressive modeling. Chapters 4 and 6 might be of interest. www.researchgate.net/publication/...

researchgate.net

(PDF) An Ecological Dynamics Perspective on Flow in Sport

PDF | This thesis utilises an ecological dynamics perspective to investigate the concept of flow experiences in the domain of sport. The study of flow... | Find, read and cite all the research you nee...

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

Chapter Seven reviews the thesis and summarises its contributions to research. The thesis advances the study of flow in sport through metatheoretical analysis, theoretical development, the introduction of new methods to the field, and empirical findings.

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

coordination through analysis of player movements in a football match. Vector autoregressive modelling of time-variation in local Hurst exponents identified directional influences in the spread multifractal fluctuations within and across teams.

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

to model a self-report measure of flow as a dependent variable, finding that the multifractal properties of both attackers and defenders were significant predictors of flow. Chapter Six extends the cascade modelling strategy to the level of intra- and inter-team

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

Thesis while also bringing a measure of anticipatory synchronisation developed in the study of chaotic systems to the behavioural sciences. Chapter Five utilises cascade dynamics

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

would involve nonlinear cross-scale interactivity. The results of multifractal analysis and surrogate analysis identified cross-scale interactions in all trials, supporting the hypothesis of interaction dominant dynamics. Chapter four introduces the cascade modelling strategy used throughout the

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

Chapter Three develops a theoretical account of flow in sport and generates testable hypotheses about the dynamics of performance behaviour in flow activities. Chapter Four begins the empirical portion of the thesis by testing the hypothesis that performance behaviour in a dyadic 1v1 task

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

Chapter Two uses the framework developed in Chapter One to query the metatheoretical foundations of the concept of flow and identify difficulties prevalent framings may create for flow research. Beginning from the alternative foundations of the ecological metatheory,

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

Chapter One provides a background for the thesis by identifying a common language for analysing the ontological nature of sports and the experiences they are capable of providing.

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

To support these aims, the theoretical and empirical contributions of this thesis focus on the fundamental action and perception processes underlying competitive coordination to facilitate new directions for flow research.

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

Abtract: This thesis utilises an ecological dynamics perspective to investigate the concept of flow experiences in the domain of sport. The study of flow in sport is motivated by the objective of understanding the nature of sport and the experiences which may motivate individuals to engage in it.

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

Here is the accepted version of my thesis. A huge thanks to my supervisory team and everyone who supported me. A few chapters are already published some are still in review, so this is a sneak peek for anyone interested in the empirical findings. www.researchgate.net/publication/...

researchgate.net

(PDF) An Ecological Dynamics Perspective on Flow in Sport

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

Santiago, this is a really cool study. I'd love to see more evolutionary ecology and biological thinking applied to team sports.

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santiago salinas @ssalinas.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

1/12 Really proud of this paper! We borrowed tools from biology to ask a simple question: does who you play with actually matter in football? (Spoiler: it does, a lot.) 🧬 🤝 ⚽ Paper here: authors.elsevier.com/a/1mUusArnpe...

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

I'm pleased to share a preprint of a chapter I wrote for an upcoming book on embodied cognition. I try to tackle some thorny questions surrounding unit and scale as they relate to symbols and dynamics in cognitive science. www.researchgate.net/publication/...

researchgate.net

(PDF) Experience, scale, and co-adaptation

PDF | While the ontological and epistemological issues surrounding the status of the mind and its relation to the body are often considered abstract... | Find, read and cite all the research you need ...

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 19/04/2025

Produced famous player x" or something like that. I don't think these people would ever care what skill acquisition science finds. They are just not open to science a lot of the time, in my experience.

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 19/04/2025

There are many training activities that are quite obviously motivated by the idea that skill acq is the storage of context-independent movement patterns. I don't think it's some great evil for coaches to use those activities but the justification is usually just "well this coach did it and they

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 19/04/2025

Thanks for signposting the barrett et al article, i hadn't seen it. What I mean by "received view" of skill is that coaches may not know or explicitly think about it but it pervades practice via copying and means you mention.

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

coaching practice, and I don't have data on the prevalence of these practices so I'd be open to changing my mind if shown convincing data to the contrary. Curious on your thoughts.

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

I don't make it some big moral issue and I think kids being active, outside, interacting with caring adults is certainly a net positive so inefficient skill acq doesn't trigger me like it does some, but I do think we can do better. Of course, some of this is anecdotal. I don't study

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

coaches right now (lovely people). What's painfully obvious is that the recieved view of coaching is centered around getting kids to repeat movements and then hopefully stand in the right areas of the pitch. So, it does feel to me that this is where coaches start out more often than not.

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

training event it seems clear to me that this individual-level definition of skill still motivates practice design. Nick Gearing's work has also shown that football academy coaches are still attached to individual technical training. Anecdotally, I'm working with a few new grassroots football

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

For example, practice fidelity will defined differently depending on whether you think skill is an adaptive functional performer-environment relationship or a property of the individual performer. I still see a lot of advocacy for the latter, and if you roll up to a random youth sports

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

What evidence supports this form of inclusivity? I have a sense that supporters of mixing feel they are inherently less dogmatic or more nuanced, but is enforcing C (A+B) any different than enforcing A or B? Second is the idea that CLA creates straw men.

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

that I find a bit concerning right now. First is a sort of generic "both/and" inclusivity that doesn't allow for preference/selectivity. I think we need to have a serious discussion about whether doing both A and B is actually doing A and B, or a third thing C.

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

Thanks for these thoughtful insights. I think we've agreed that these LP vs NLP studies have key limitations as a general format (relying on group mean and assuming the purpose of skill acq research is to draw a box around around a set of activities). But there are two trends in skill acq

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 12/04/2025

Damian has arrived! Also, really enjoyed co-authoring this chapter with this group. Check it out here 👇

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

To my knowledge, Ripoll never tested this requirement empirically. We have the data to answer this question now. Results will be out shortly!

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

Finally, Ripoll's claims echo Alan Newell's confidence in an independent "knowledge level" operating in distinction from physical dynamical processes. This requires the process in question to unfold at a single, "vertically separated" timescale (Simon, 1977).

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

A rather puzzling statement from Hubert Ripoll here (perspectives on cognition and action in sport, Araujo, Ripoll, Raab eds.) First of all, what is a "conventional playing system" if not an evolved form of interaction?? Second, if not from repeated interactions where the heck does it come from?

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 24/03/2025

Transfer of calibration between hand and foot: Functional equivalence and fractal fluctuations (Stephen & Hajnal, 2011) link.springer.com/content/pdf/...

link.springer.com

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 23/03/2025

I'm far more likely to look at a specific academic's google scholar or researchgate page to see what they've been working on or read up on a topic/area. Do I just not pay much attention to journals? Part of me wonders if it's a bit generational based on days of print journals. Thoughts?

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 23/03/2025

Question for academics: I often see academics speak about journal-specific readership. I'm curious how common it is for academics to follow journals. Personally, I don't think "hmm let me see what's out in journal x".

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Ted McCormick @tedmccormick.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

it is grimly hilarious that, given the immense, decades-long fetishization of "leadership" and "leadership skills" in business-oriented academia and politics, even unto the formation of leadership institutes, there should turn out to be no leaders in any positions of power

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Reposted by David Farrokh

Kevin Mitchell @wiringthebrain.bsky.social · 08/03/2025

What is cognition? www.wiringthebrain.com/2025/03/what... - some weekend musings on this tricky concept, with lots of help from all you Blueys!

wiringthebrain.com

What is cognition?

“Cognition” is one of those terms that we use a lot, but which is actually rather hard to define. The question of what constitutes cognition...

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 08/03/2025

Interesting read. As an ecological psychologist I would have worried I was creating a straw man of mainstream cognitive science if I attributed some of those definitions to them 😂 Seems like Pylyshyn's 1980 definition is still influential.

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

This is a good overview of the type of empirical results that have often been unfairly dismissed by cognitive scientists. www.researchgate.net/profile/Dami...

researchgate.net

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

The question of whether someone can considered be a cognitive scientist without accepting mental representation as the hard core remains. If no, then cog sci has to deal with the body of empirical results from these other fields. If yes, then other forms of explanation must be acceptable.

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

but we are also told that these alternatives cannot constitute a competing paradigm/revolution because cog sci already includes these things. It can't be both. If you want a pluralistic cognitive science you can't restrict explanation to a limited form of computational modeling.

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

The problem is that cognitive science wants it both ways when it comes to the "hard core" of computation over representation. Strong empirical programs have been scoffed at and quickly dismissed because they didn't explain in these terms (see below) onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Searching for General Principles in Cognitive Performance: Reply to Commentators

The commentators expressed concerns regarding the relevance and value of non-computational non-symbolic explanations of cognitive performance. But what counts as an “explanation” depends on the pre-t...

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 10/02/2025

of the coupling (competitive or cooperative / roughly the direction of the arrows in his diagram) in the context of human participants. I've considered intentional stance but that's already used by Dennett in a different context. Intentional valence? Any suggestions?

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David Farrokh @davidfarrokh.bsky.social · 10/02/2025

Question for academic bluesky: A lot of my work is on co-adaptation. Co-adaptive couplings include both competitive and cooperative couplings. I've used De Poel's taxonomy of couplings quite a bit but I'm trying to decide how to refer to the nature www.frontiersin.org/journals/psy...

frontiersin.org

Frontiers | Anisotropy and Antagonism in the Coupling of Two Oscillators: Concepts and Applications for Between-Person Coordination

Coupled oscillators provide a pertinent model approach to study between-person movement dynamics. While ample literature in this respect has considered the i...

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Kate Nave @kathrynnave.eurosky.social · 05/02/2025

The open access version of A Drive to Survive is now available to download for free! direct.mit.edu/books/oa-mon... (If you've already read the preprint, I'd really appreciate a download of the official version... for the *metrics*) - also it has way less typos.

direct.mit.edu

A Drive to Survive: The Free Energy Principle and the Meaning of Life

How the purposive behavior of living systems outstrips the constraints of the free energy principle.Since 2005, Karl Friston's proposal that the principle

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