Actually, they don't plot an intercept course ... they actively minimize a deviation from an intercept point ... if they lose lock, they miss. An outfielder can lose lock and still catch. There are several mechanisms going on in our brains, which these folks are trying to isolate.
Our brain is far superior to missile guidance systems
In many ways ... the focus of this research seems to be understanding that superiority, in order to design better guidance, tracking, and intercept machines.
LOL....ok ok, not to get into the engineering of guidance systems (I wasn’t attempting to get to that level)....so yes, missiles may “actively minimize a deviation from an intercept point”, which is ‘engineer’ for “it’s trying to intercept”. Also, if an outfielder loses “lock”, it is possible to still make a catch, but it’s DAMNED hard. “I lost it in the lights”..........”I lost it in the sun”.........etc., come to mind.
I think we’re agreeing far more than we are disagreeing here.
There is another aspect of perception which might be touched upon in an outfielder’s example, but isn’t isolated to rational argument.
Faith is a system of perception, the evidence of things not seen, the substance of things hoped for.
In sports, all three systems of perception may be involved. Our physical senses, such as our 5 senses of sight, touch, smell, taste, and smell; our rational senses, such as logic and memory recall of past events, rationalizing how common experience might play out; but also perhaps an element of faith, a system of perception in things not seen is also involved.
The Gnostics developed this into an art, however, they failed to first place faith through Christ, in what God provides, so their works were spiritually dead.
Nevertheless, if one is interested in the topic, there is a realm of the spiritual domain, available through faith in Christ, where one trains through the study of His Word, and is guided by God the Holy Spirit in how we continue to be set apart in fellowship with Him.
That fellowship isn’t limited to simple mental exercises, but is robustly involved in all things in life.
The outfielder problem is an interesting study in not only physics and mathematical logic, but also might reveal far more in regards to spiritual operation.