Which term describes a skill performed in a stable and predictable environment, such as archery?

Which term describes a skill performed in a stable and predictable environment, such as archery?

• A. Open
• B. Interactive
• C. Closed
• D. Coactive

Answer: (C)

Skills are categorized by how predictable the environment is. When the setting is stable and unchanging, the skill is closed. Archery exemplifies this: the archer performs the same movements—getting into position, drawing, aiming, and releasing—at a fixed distance to the target, with minimal need to adjust to moving cues or opponents. The environment remains constant, so success relies on consistency and precision rather than on reacting to changing conditions. That makes it a closed skill. In contrast, open skills require adapting to a dynamic, unpredictable environment or to a moving opponent, such as catching a ball in play or dribbling under defender pressure. The terms coactive and interactive describe how performers relate to others during a task, often involving simultaneous or opponent-based activity, which isn’t the case in solo archery.

Skills are categorized by how predictable the environment is. When the setting is stable and unchanging, the skill is closed. Archery exemplifies this: the archer performs the same movements—getting into position, drawing, aiming, and releasing—at a fixed distance to the target, with minimal need to adjust to moving cues or opponents. The environment remains constant, so success relies on consistency and precision rather than on reacting to changing conditions. That makes it a closed skill.

In contrast, open skills require adapting to a dynamic, unpredictable environment or to a moving opponent, such as catching a ball in play or dribbling under defender pressure. The terms coactive and interactive describe how performers relate to others during a task, often involving simultaneous or opponent-based activity, which isn’t the case in solo archery.