When all-star baseball player Normar Garciaparra stepped up to the plate, he had a ritual to perform before he could bat. First, he adjusted the Velcro straps on his batting gloves. He patted both his arms, then his hips. He crossed himself and touched his cap. He tapped his feet as he swung his bat multiple times in a windmill motion.
The ritual worked for Garciaparra. He spent 13 years in the major leagues, nine of which were with the Boston Red Sox. He twice held the title of the American League’s leading hitter, and was the first right-handed hitter to do so since Joe DiMaggio in 1940.
Garciaparra, however, was likely unaware of his movements as he went through his pre-bat ritual. Scientists have learned that once people develop a formulaic way of performing a task, they no longer have to think about it. Researchers are now trying to ...
