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. 2019 Feb 11;5(1):6.
doi: 10.1186/s40798-019-0178-z.

On the Relatedness and Nestedness of Constraints

Natàlia Balagué  1 , Rafel Pol  2 , Carlota Torrents  3 , Angel Ric  4 , Robert Hristovski  5
Affiliations

On the Relatedness and Nestedness of Constraints

Natàlia Balagué et al. Sports Med Open. .

Abstract

The purpose of this opinion paper is providing a platform for explaining and discussing the relatedness and nestedness of constraints on the basis of four claims: (a) task constraints are distributed between the person and the environment and hence are relational variables, (b) being relational, task constraints are also emergent properties of the organism/environment system, (c) constraints are nested in timescales, and (d) a vast set of constraints are correlated through circular causality. Theoretical implications for improving the understanding of the constraints-led approach and practical applications for enhancing the manipulation of constraints in learning and training settings are proposed.

Keywords: Circular causality; Constraints-led approach; Fast-changing constraints; Nested organization; Perceived affordances; Slow-changing constraints; Task constraints; Timescales.

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Conflict of interest statement

Author’s Information

Non applicable

Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate

Not applicable

Consent for Publication

Not applicable

Competing Interests

The authors, Natàlia Balagué, Robert Hristovski, Rafel Pol, Carlota Torrents, and Ángel Ric, declare that they have no competing interests.

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Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Left: Newell’s model [5]; organismic, environmental, and task constraints as independently defined interacting entities. Right: organismic and environmental constraints as independently defined interacting entities, and task constraints as emergent properties of the organism–environment system
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
L. Messi enacting a tunnel to escape from a defender close to the touchline
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Classification of organismic and environmental constraints according its relatively faster or slower rate of change. Some examples are provided
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Example of nested constraints operating at different timescales and correlated through circular causality. The exact timescales given in the figure are only orientative (e.g., goals or motivation can be defined at different timescales)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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