Mechanisms for motivation and attentional focus effectsEnhanced expectancies, autonomy support, and an exter- nal attentional focus are thought to optimize skill acqui- sition and performance through effects on learning and memory, as well as brain structural and functional connectivity. Rewarding circumstances that enhance expectations for future performance success can potenti- ate even more success, improvement, and learning. Expectancies can operate through cognitive, attentional, behavioral, and neuromodulatory (dopaminergic) means to affect subsequent performance, fulfilling performance- affecting task-readying and priming roles, as well as memory-enhancing ones