Perceptual and Motor Skills

“Small sided games,” used effectively in many team sports as a form of training, can be mimicked in combat sports by fighting at different subjective intensities, based on adjectives proposed by coaches. This approach could aim at improving aerobic performance by using specific techniques. Nevertheless, an adequate perception of intensity is crucial. The aim of the study was to verify the ability of karatekas to interpret and perceive two different intensities during this integrated approach. Ten international level karatekas (M age=18 yr., SD = 3, range = 16–25) were asked to fight four matches (2 min. each) either at low or highest intensity. Physiological (heart rate, blood lactate) and perceptual (perceived effort) responses were different between intensities. However, physiological responses at low intensity were higher than expected and did not match effort perception. This could be attributable to the presence of an opponent, which probably raised the level of effort through a competitive component. At the highest intensity, physiological responses were similar to official competitions and other specific training protocols, whereas perceptual responses were higher than values found in literature.

According to attention-restoration theory (ART), natural environments can provide restorative experiences. In this pilot study, a mixed-methods approach was used to examine the potential of using exercise in a natural environment to enhance exercise behaviors. The study included an assessment study and an intervention study (overall n = 19). The participants underwent a standardized exercise program including biking and circuit strength training, either indoors or outdoors in nature. Measurements included connectedness to nature, perceived exertion, perceived environmental restorativeness, enjoyment, affect, future exercise intention, and self-reported exercise behavior. The participants also wrote a brief text describing the way in which the environment influenced their feelings while exercising. Quantitative data were analyzed using the Spearman rank correlation and linear mixed-effects modeling. The qualitative information was analyzed thematically. The integrated results indicated that, in accordance with ART, exercising in nature was associated with a greater potential for restoration and affective responses, which in some participants led to enhanced intention to exercise and increased exercise behavior. However, some perceived that the indoor exercise provided a more effective workout. Further studies on larger samples are needed.

The current study examined perceived event prestige as a mediator between sport involvement and sport participation behavioral intent. A total of 455 participants (M age = 28.6 yr., SD = 9.1) were recruited at the 2013 Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon. The findings indicated that a model in which perceived event prestige partially mediated the relationship between sport involvement and intent to return to the event was most representative of the data. While individuals with higher sport involvement were more likely to indicate an interest in continued participation, this relationship was strongest among those who perceived the event to be particularly prestigious. Thus, those who market mass participation sporting events should use strategies designed to emphasize the prestigious stature of the event and should employ measures to increase sport involvement among participants.

Music is a common accompaniment to exercise, but some running environments do not allow for personalized control over the music stimulus. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of listening to preferred versus non-preferred music on sex differences in running performance. The sample consisted of 20 women and 15 men (M = 20.7 yr., SD = 2.3) who reported running at least once per week over the previous year. The participants completed three 12-min. Cooper Tests (i.e., aerobic fitness test) accompanied by preferred, non-preferred, or no music in randomized order. A 2 × 2 repeated-measures analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the effect of music preference and sex on endurance running performance while controlling for the distance run with no music. Women ran further in the preferred music condition. However, music selection did not significantly change running performance for men. Listening to preferred instead of non-preferred music had a larger effect on the endurance running performance of women than men.

This study investigated the relationship between athletes' personality characteristics and the quality of the coach–athlete relationship. 84 female (M age = 20.6 yr., SD = 2.8) and 129 male (M age = 22.0 yr., SD = 3.3) elite youth athletes competing at least for 7 yr. participated in this study. The Five-Factor Personality Inventory (short version) and the Quality of Relationships Inventory were administered to all participants. Stepwise multiple regression analysis assessed which of the five personality factors predicted scores for the different subscales of the Quality of Relationships Inventory (Depth, Support, and Conflict). Results indicated that depth of relationship was not predicted by personality factors. On the other hand, neuroticism and extraversion were significant predictors of support dimension of relationship. Analysis indicated that conscientiousness was the strongest predictor of conflict. In conclusion, athletes' personality characteristics may be important in determining the quality of the coach–athlete relationship.

The present study compared brain activity of adolescents with or without burnout during their responses to a computerized version of the Stroop Color and Word Test. The Sport Adaptation of the Maslach Burnout Inventory was administered to 460 Korean high school student athletes. Electroencephalographic data were recorded from frontal, central, parietal, and occipital brain regions while these participants were performing the Stroop Color and Word Test. A 2 (group) × 2 (condition) × 15 (electrodes) three-way analysis of variance was used to analyze the data. Results indicated that the athletes without burnout exhibited significantly higher accuracy than their counterparts with burnout on the Stroop Color and Word Test. The athletes without burnout also showed higher amplitudes for theta, alpha, and beta power in the frontal areas than the athletes with burnout.

Since attention is an important prerequisite for learning, it is particularly worthwhile to promote it in schools, through specific interventions. The present study examined the effects of an acute bout of coordinative exercise in physical education on the attention of primary school children. A total of 90 fifth grade primary school children (41 boys, 49 girls; M = 11.0 yr., SD = 0.6) participated in the study and were randomly assigned to either the experimental or the control group. The experimental group received a cognitively demanding physical education lesson consisting of different coordinative exercises; the control group attended a normal sedentary school lesson. Before, immediately after, and 90 min. after each experimental condition, the children's attentional performance was tested using the revised version of the d2 Test of Attention (d2–R). Results of the repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that children's attentional performance increased through the specifically designed physical education lesson, not immediately but 90 min. after cessation. The results are discussed in terms of mechanisms explaining the relationship between acute physical exercise, and immediate and delayed effects on attention.

The Introversion/Extraversion dimension may interact with contextual interference, as random and blocked practice schedules imply distinct levels of variation. This study investigated the effect of different practice schedules in the acquisition of a motor skill in extraverts and introverts. Forty male undergraduate students (M = 24.3 yr., SD = 5.6) were classified as extraverts (n = 20) and introverts (n = 20) by the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire and allocated in one of two practice schedules with different levels of contextual interference: blocked (low contextual interference) and random (high contextual interference). Half of each group was assigned to a blocked practice schedule, and the other half was assigned to a random practice schedule. The design had two phases: acquisition and transfer (5 min. and 24 hr.). The participants learned variations of a sequential timing keypressing task. Each variation required the same sequence but different timing; three variations were used in acquisition, and one variation of intermediate length was used in transfer. Results for absolute error and overall timing error (root mean square error) indicated that the contextual interference effect was more pronounced for introverts. In addition, introverts who practiced according to the blocked schedule committed more errors during the 24-hr. transfer, suggesting that introverts did not appear to be challenged by a low contextual interference practice schedule.

In a recent article, Kwon, Nam, and Lee (2015) did not replicate the influence of syllable orthographic frequency on the inhibitory syllable frequency effect. Two reasons can account for this result. First, parsing syllables is not difficult in Hangul. Second, the pronunciation of the first syllable of the word stimulus was likely ambiguous.

This study was an evaluation of the effects of self-selected intensity and three prescribed intensities of strength exercises on affective responses. 16 healthy active male participants (M age = 25.1 yr., SD = 5.5; M height = 168.0 cm, SD = 31.8; M weight = 84.4 kg, SD = 8.6) were randomly assigned to a control condition without exercise (Control); three prescribed exercise intensities at 40% of one-repetition maximum (1RM), 60% 1RM, and 80% 1RM; and one self-selected intensity (Self-selected). Affective response was assessed by the Feeling Scale and the Felt Arousal Scale. All prescribed intensities showed increased activation and only the session at 80% 1RM showed reduction valence compared to the Control condition. Thus, the affective response to strength training does not seem to be influenced by exercise intensity.

Early childhood education majors' (N = 83) perceived self-efficacy for teaching fundamental motor skills (FMS) were examined. An experimental group (n = 49) enrolled in a 14-wk. physical education and games course and 34 students made up a comparison group. A perceived self-efficacy questionnaire on teaching FMS was applied for both groups before and after the physical education and games course. The 14-wk. course improved early childhood majors' self-efficacy for teaching FMS.

Although perceived exertion scales were initially applied to endurance and cyclic exercises, they have been also used to monitor resistance training. The current article analyzes different criteria for the application of perception scales to resistance exercises. In addition, the proper use of perceived exertion to reflect the effect of different resistance training configurations including the fluctuation of velocity is also discussed. Furthermore, this paper also speaks to the issues of correct instructions and anchored scaling procedures, as well as how to use the perception scales to accurately select the loads, determine the number of repetitions per set, or to assess the effects of the training volume associated with different strength manifestations.

This study investigated the superimposition of the projected markings on the road with head-up display, as well as their effects on the driver's speed. Two experiments were conducted. In Exp. 1, driving operations were simulated with a desktop computer to assess 18 deceleration markings (from the factors position, shape, and color) and determined the factors and levels influencing driving speeds. Based on the results of Exp. 1, six deceleration markings (from the factors shape and color) were selected in the driving simulator for conducting Exp. 2. The results of Exp. 1 showed that markings at the sides were better than the markings in the center. In Exp. 2, there was no significant difference between the effects of the arrangement of markings and the change of shape and color on driving stability. Yellow and white colors had no significant effect on speed; however, bar markings were better than zigzag markings. The results indicated that the projection of markings on a head-up display was helpful for indicating necessary deceleration.

The perceptual process of obtaining and using visual information plays a critical role in determining the quality of interception performance. Eye-movement characteristics and their association with interception accuracy where the constraints imposed on the task influence the eye-movement control are not well understood. The effects of spatial and temporal constraints were examined and associated with target motion on interception accuracy and gaze control strategy. Twenty-four (M = 28 yr., SD = 10; 10 women) inexperienced dart throwers volunteered for the study. Eye movements were measured while the participants attempted to intercept a horizontally moving target with a thrown dart. A mixed design experiment was employed with a between- (specification of interception point) and a within- (target speed) subjects factor. As target speed increased, spatial errors about the moving target increased but temporal errors decreased. Specifying a fixed location for target interception resulted in greater errors about the moving target. The point of gaze tended to center on the interception point, and this became more evident with increased target speed and the specification of a fixed interception point. The experimental findings provide support for a visual search strategy that exhibits compliance with the constraints of the task.

The purpose of this study was to reveal if the use of low power ophthalmic glasses (diopter values within the ± 1.00D range) in ophthalmic care may be beneficial for the treatment of low refractive vision disorders. 40 university students (10 men, 30 women), who used low power glasses at close distances (for reading on paper or on a computer screen: 40–60 centimeters approximately), voluntarily took part in this study. Ages of the participants ranged from 20 to 43 years (M = 24.9, SD = 4.4). Mean spherical refractive error was −0.38 diopters (SD = 0.49; range = −1.00-0.88). A yes/no Signal Detection procedure was used to assess whether the participants' visual sensitivity (d') or criterion of response (c) changed when they used the optical correction. There were no changes in visual sensitivity index, but significant changes in criterion of response were observed when the students used their optical correction. Changes in the criterion of response suggested the presence of a placebo effect.

Identifying the factors that influence the body image of body builders is important for understanding this construct. The aim of this study was to analyze the association between body image and age, socioeconomic status, and place of residence of body builders from two cities in Brazil. A cross-sectional study of 301 body builders with an average age of 25.2 yr. (SD = 3.5) was carried out. The Muscle Silhouette Measure scale was used, in which the discrepancy between current and desired silhouette was examined. Older body builders showed greater discrepancy between current and desired silhouette, reflecting their desire for a more muscular body.

This research assessed whether public space users will adopt a least-effort approach and choose a less suitable seat nearby or seek the most suitable seat, even if it is farther away from them when the decision is made. How distance assessment affects seat choice was investigated through an observational survey, which allowed the identification of behavioral patterns. Those behavioral patterns were then tested in a paired comparison experiment with 40 participants. The results showed that the effect of distance on seat choice is related to the difference in distance between the options and that a sufficient difference can cause trade-offs between distance and seat properties. The necessary difference in distance is conditioned by the activity and the seat properties.

The purpose of this theoretical analysis and synthesis is to indicate how left-eye sighting dominance may lead to reading failure through dysfunctional right hemisphere letter encoding. Differing compensatory strategies are postulated to lead to outcomes that include the development of the phonologically impaired and phonologically proficient subtypes of dyslexia as well as specific spelling disability. Evidence is presented indicating that these disorders might be prevented by delaying the introduction of letter writing until the age of 8 years. Early childhood speech categorization in children genetically at-risk of developing dyslexia is also considered from this perspective. Convergent support for this premature writing hypothesis is provided by a comparison with the development of the left-hand inverted writing posture.

This cross-sectional study investigated location of body fat, with specific focus on abdominal fat, among normal weight and overweight women who accurately or inaccurately perceived their weight status. Young, adult women (N = 120; M age = 19.5 yr., SD = 1.2) were asked to classify their weight status using the Self-Classified Weight subscale from the Multidimensional Body–Self Relations Questionnaire. Actual weight status was operationalized via dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Overweight women who thought they were normal weight had an average of 19 pounds more fat than normal weight women with 1.5 pounds of excess abdominal fat. Interventions to raise awareness among overweight women unaware of their fat level are warranted. However, these interventions should balance consideration of potential detriments to body image among these women.

Hand grip force adjustment errors to ascending and descending phases of a sinusoidal target force in a controlled force exertion (CFE) test were measured and the laterality of responses evaluated. 75 men (M age = 19.6 yr., SD = 1.6) performed the CFE test after one practice trial by matching handgrip force to target level (5–25% of maximal grip force). The CFE errors in ascending and descending phases of the target force were calculated as the absolute differences between actual force and target force in each phase. There were significantly smaller CFE errors in the ascending phase for both dominant and non-dominant hands, but CFE error for the dominant hand was significantly smaller in both phases. Therefore, error in force exertion in the ascending and descending phases of the target force differed, and laterality influenced error in both phases.

Intervention programs for people with acquired brain injury and extensive motor and communication impairment need to be diversified according to their characteristics and environment. These two studies assessed two technology-aided programs for supporting leisure (i.e., access to songs and videos) and communication (i.e., expressing needs and feelings and making requests) in six of those people. The three people participating in Study 1 did not possess speech but were able to understand spoken and written sentences. Their program presented leisure and communication options through written phrases appearing on the computer screen. The three people participating in Study 2 did not possess any speech and were unable to understand spoken or written language. Their program presented leisure and communication options through pictorial images. All participants relied on a simple microswitch response to enter the options and activate songs, videos, and communication messages. The data showed that the participants of both studies learned to use the program available to them and to engage in leisure and communication independently. The importance of using programs adapted to the participants and their environment was discussed.