Date: 06.05.2025
Location: Gurten, Berne
Organisers: Dr. Stephan Zahno, Dr. Damian Beck
Participants: Mathilde Truffer, Constanze Dammeyer, Dr. David Harris, Dr. Tom Arthur, Prof. Dr. Ernst-Joachim Hossner
Cancellations
- Prof. Dr. Stefan Künzell: Unfortunately, Prof. Dr. Stefan Künzell had to travel to Lithuania at relatively short notice due to an Erasmus project and was therefore unable to attend the satellite workshop.
- Dr. Ralf Kredel: Due to illness
Aim and focus of the workshop
The workshop primarily served to provide targeted support to PhD candidates Mathilde Truffer and Constanze Dammeyer as part of the doctoral programme "Problem-oriented Sport Science" (2025-2028). The focus was on the presentation and critical-constructive discussion of their ongoing PhD projects. In addition to empirical questions in specific project steps, the aim of the workshop was to discuss two fundamental theoretical frameworks in motor skills research (active inference and optimal feedback control) in depth and to reflect on them with a focus on the research work.
Presentations
Mathilde Truffer and Constanze Dammeyer each presented their current research projects, which deal with the topics of "Dealing with uncertainty in interpersonal coordination" and "Dealing with uncertainty in older adults" (1.5 hours each, including discussion). The subsequent discussion on Mathilde's project focused primarily on methodological and empirical aspects, while Constance's project was discussed in depth, particularly with regard to its planned transfer as a training tool for clinical practice. In addition, guests David Harris and Tom Arthur presented their latest research based on the Bernese Talks. In addition, Stephan Zahno and Damian Beck presented further projects from the BT department on the topic of the satellite "Motor control under uncertainty", revealing promising links between the projects.
Theoretical discussions
A significant part of the workshop consisted of an in-depth examination of fundamental theories on dealing with motor uncertainty. In particular, the approaches of active inference (Friston, 2010) and optimal feedback control (Todorov & Jordan, 2002) were discussed. In addition to referring to these theories throughout the workshop, we reserved 1.5 hours for an in-depth theoretical discussion. In the theoretical discussion, the participants concluded that although the two theories have different roots (neurobiology vs. control theory), they largely converge in their theoretical core and no different predictions can be derived from the models – at least in the context of the sport-related issues being addressed by the two research groups.
Conclusion
The satellite workshop provided a valuable opportunity for intensive scientific exchange and networking in an inspiring environment with our guests Dr. David Harris and Dr. Tom Arthur. The combination of the satellite workshop with the Bernese Talks on Monday was also a great success. In addition to joint laboratory visits and discussions, our guests Dr. David Harris and Dr. Tom Arthur laid a solid foundation in their presentations at the Bernese Talks on Monday, which stimulated in-depth discussions on Tuesday. All participants look back with satisfaction on a successful workshop on the Gurten.
