The debate surrounding the dichotomy of two main approaches in movement science has been dominating discussions in sport psychology and movement science for more than two decades. Whereas the more ecologically oriented approach (perception-action coupling: the action approach) defines movement coordination in nonlinear dynamic and synergetic terms, the motor approach focuses on the motor system and, frequently, motor programs. Some years ago, the discussion over valid approaches in the field of motor control and learning was described as a paradigm crisis (Abernethy & Sparrow, 1992). Nowadays, the debate between these two competing perspectives finally seems to be more settled, "with both sides agreeing to disagree" (Summers, 1998). A closer inspection, however, reveals the emergence of a class of new approaches. These show remarkable similarities with one another but cannot be aligned to either side in the traditional debate. These new approaches have many views in common. They emphasize the goal-directedness of actions, the importance of anticipated perceptual effects, and the crucial role of mental representations in action control. Traditionally, the primary problem of motor control has been taken to be organizing the correct pattern of muscular activation. The perceptual-cognitive approaches, in contrast, propose that the crucial step is constructing the appropriate mental representations, because these representations primarily govern the tuning of motor commands and muscular activity patterns. Hence, such approaches are characterized by the common idea that voluntary movements might basically be planned, performed, and stored in memory by way of representations of anticipated effects. An increasing number of studies in sport psychology (e.g., Schack, 2004), general psychology (e.g., Nattkemper & Ziessler, 2004), and neuropsychology (e.g., Jeannerod, 2004) seem to support this idea. Perceptual-cognitive control might act on many levels, spanning the range from simple perceptual- motor interactions to sophisticated goal planning and movement construction processes. As a result, a number of psychological and neuropsychological papers share the opinion that actions establishes a cognitive structure and are subject to perceptual-cognitive control. The perceptual-cognitive approach to movement control means a renaissance and revitalization of classic ideas such as the "ideomotor" approach adopted by James (1890) and Lotze (1852) in the 19th century or the model-theory studies on the construction of movement presented by Bernstein in the middle of the 20th century (Bernstein, 1947). Actually, this perspective never disappeared completely; it seems to have become eclipsed by the dominant controversy between the motor and action approaches. Nowadays, as the strong limitations of these approaches become increasingly obvious, the notion is emerging that a perceptualcognitive framework might well be the way to overcome them. Obviously, there is still much to be done. However, a growing body of new insights and the high level of experimental and theoretical work investigating the perceptual-cognitive approach make a very promising impression. The emerging perceptual-cognitive perspective is of particular significance for sport psychology, because it can be applied to complex movements. This makes it possible to consider vital questions on action control in a new light. The goal of this Special Issue is to compile a selection of current work highlighting a perceptual-cognitive approach, and thus to open up a field for new perspectives and discussions.
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