Perceptual and Motor Skills最新文献

Artistic swimming (AS) choreographies are evaluated by judges who assign scores based on pre-established criteria. Since perception and cognition are key mechanisms involved in scoring AS performances, visual search patterns and pupillary responses may vary according to judges' levels of expertise. This exploratory study aimed to compare visual search behavior, pupil diameter variability, and scoring between expert and novice AS judges during the evaluation of the Straight Ballet Leg and Rio figures. Six expert and seven novice judges wore an eye-tracker while evaluating 2D video projections of these figures. The results indicated that expert judges exhibited shorter fixations away from the athlete's body, made more fixations on the athlete's upper limbs, and fewer fixations on the lower limbs and areas outside the athlete's body. They also showed greater variability in pupil diameter and assigned higher scores compared to novice judges. Regardless of expertise, judges directed more fixations toward the upper limbs when evaluating the Rio figure and more toward the lower limbs when evaluating the Straight Ballet Leg figure. These findings suggest that expert AS judges display distinct patterns of visual attention - focusing on relevant areas (e.g., upper limbs) while disregarding irrelevant ones (e.g., areas outside the body) - along with greater cognitive load and superior scoring performance, indicative of highly automated cognitive processes.

This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the participants' ability to perceive trunk positions by comparing the trunk position sense (TPS) and subjective vertical test results. The effect of age on the perception of trunk position was also evaluated. Verticality perception was measured in the sitting position using the subjective vertical visual (SVV) bucket test and the subjective vertical postural (SVP) test with an automatic chair in the frontal plane. The repositioning accuracy of the trunk joint perception was measured using the TPS and assessed using a 3D-printed laser point support fixed to the xiphoid process during 30° of trunk lateral flexion in sitting and standing positions. Subsequently, the absolute angular deviation was calculated. The TPS data of the groups were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. The Bland-Altman test was used to calculate the agreement between the evaluation methods. In addition, the sensitivity and specificity of the TPS_sitting, TPS_standing, and verticality tests were compared using a receiver operating characteristic curve. A total of 26 young and 26 older adults were included in this study. Older adults had a greater absolute angular deviation in the TPS_standing in the counterclockwise and total directions than the young adults. Agreement was greater between TPS_sitting and TPS_standing with SVV in young and older adults and between TPS_standing and SVP in older adults. TPS_standing has a greater sensitivity for clinical application in older adults. Therefore, the TPS is a viable instrument for assessing active trunk proprioception in young and older adults and has greater agreement with verticality tests.

Objectives: To investigate the effects of landing height, descent strategy, and gender on ankle proprioception, and to explore the correlation between ankle proprioception performance, landing height, and step-off/drop-off descent strategy. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Thirty-four participants (21 males and 13 females) volunteered. Ankle proprioception was assessed by a customized ankle inversion discrimination apparatus for landing (AIDAL) under different descent strategies (step-off vs. drop-off) and with two landing heights (15 cm vs. 30 cm). Area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) was employed as the ankle proprioceptive discrimination score. Three-way repeated measure analysis of variance (RM-ANOVA) was used to examine the main effects of landing height, strategy, and gender, and interactions. Pearson's correlation analysis was used to investigate correlations between ankle proprioception and landing conditions. Results: Three-way RM-ANOVA revealed a main effect of landing height on ankle proprioception (i.e. 15 cm vs. 30 cm) (F = 6.090, p = 0.019, η_p² = 0.160), while there was neither a main effect of descent strategy (F = 1.727, p = 0.198, η_p² = 0.051), or gender (F = 0.016, p = 0.898, η_p² = 0.001), nor any interactions (p = 0.100-0.932). Pearson's correlation analysis indicated that at two different landing heights, ankle proprioception AUC scores with the same descent strategy had moderate correlations (Pearson's r = 0.400-0.430, p = 0.012-0.031), but there was no significant correlation between the two different landing strategies (r = 0.110-0.250, p > 0.050). Conclusion: Altered descent strategy for landing did not significantly affect ankle proprioception, whereas increased landing heights were associated with worse ankle proprioception performance. Ankle proprioception performance in landing showed significant correlations between different heights, but not between strategies. There was no gender difference observed across all landing conditions. The current findings may inform task-specific training, injury prevention, and the design of proprioception assessments based on different testing circumstances.

Background: The Five Times Sit to Stand test (FTSST) is an outcome measure designed to examine functional lower extremity strength. While the test has been utilized with a variety of populations, less is known about its validity properties with parallel instrumented balance and isokinetic muscle performance in older men. The objective of the study was to determine if the FTSST demonstrates concurrent validity with both instrumented and functional measures of physical performance in older community-dwelling men. A second aim was to compare the measure in faller versus nonfaller performance and assess its predictive capacity for falls. Methods: Thirty-one healthy community-dwelling men were enrolled in the study (mean age 68.5 ± 5.5). A cross-sectional design was utilized. Participants completed a circuit of six physical performance tests, including the FTSST, Timed Up and Go Test (TUG), the NeuroCom Motor Control (MCT) and Sensory Organization (SOT) Tests, the Activities -Specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC), and knee isokinetic strength. Results: The FTSST significantly predicted falls and correlated with the TUG (r = .59; p < .001), MCT composite score (r = .39; p = .03), and knee extension peak torque (-.41; p = .03). Fallers demonstrated significantly slower FTSST times (13.1 ± 2.7 seconds vs. 10.4 ± 3.2 seconds.; p = .017). Significance: The FTSST demonstrates concurrent validity with the MCT, TUG and knee extension peak torque. FTSST performance was significantly slower among fallers versus non faller participants and predicted faller status. Exploratory findings support the continued use of the tool for functional screening activities in older men.

Frequency-following responses (FFRs) are neural signals that reflect the brain's encoding of acoustic characteristics, such as speech intonation. While traditional machine learning models have been used to classify FFRs elicited under various conditions, the potential of deep learning models in FFR research remains underexplored. This study investigated the efficacy of a three-layer artificial neural network (ANN) in detecting the presence or absence of FFRs elicited by a rising intonation of the English vowel /i/. The ANN was trained and tested on FFR recordings, using F0 estimates derived from the spectral domain as input data. Model performance was evaluated by systematically varying the number of inputs, hidden neurons, and the number of sweeps included in the recordings. The prediction accuracy of the ANN was significantly influenced by the number of inputs, hidden neurons, and sweeps. Optimal configurations included 6-8 inputs and 4-6 hidden neurons, achieving a prediction accuracy of approximately 84% when the signal-to-noise ratio was enhanced by including 100 or more sweeps. These results provide a foundation for future applications in auditory processing assessments and clinical diagnostics.

Motor imagery (MI) and action observation (AO) are considered effective tools to improve performance in athletes. This systematic review aims to investigate the existing literature on the effects of MI, AO, and the combined use of both methods on sport performance in healthy athletes. This study was conducted following the PRISMA guideline statement. Electronic databases were originally searched. The randomized controlled studies that were published (from January 2000 to May 2024) in the PubMed, Web of Science, MEDLINE, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases were checked. Eligible studies were independently reviewed by 2 reviewers. Quality assessment was made using the PEDro scale and Cochrane Risk-of-Bias Tool for Randomized Trials. Nine studies (a total of 339 participants) were selected for the analysis. Four studies combined MI and AO methods, while five studies implemented MI training alone. Sport performance parameters including speed, reaction time, sport-specific performance, strength, power performance, and maximum oxygen consumption were evaluated through studies. Eight studies reported significant improvements in various performance parameters, while a study applying one session of MI reported no change in oxygen consumption. The findings indicate that MI, AO, and their combined use may offer significant benefits for sports performance parameters such as speed, reaction time, and strength. While the combination of MI and AO shows promising potential, further research is needed to establish its efficacy. However, no conclusive evidence currently identifies the optimal protocol for maximizing their effectiveness in enhancing sports performance.

Background: Malnutrition, encompassing underweight (UW) and overweight or obesity (OW/OB), is a global health challenge that significantly impacts children's physical fitness and motor development. Purpose: As limited research exists on these relationships in young children, this study investigated differences in health-related physical fitness (HRPF), motor-related physical fitness (MRPF) and motor skills (MS) in UW and OW/OB children and associations between these fitness characteristics and body composition parameters. Research Design: A cross-sectional study design was used. Sample: 298 children (150 boys, 148 girls; mean age 6.84 ± 0.96 years) was drawn from the ExAMIN Youth SA and the BC-IT studies in the North-West Province of South Africa. Data Collection and Analysis: Measurements included anthropometric measures, body composition assessed using bioelectrical impedance analysis, and evaluations of HRPF, MRPF, and MS). Data were analysed using SPSS (v. 26.0). Results: In the group, 26% were underweight, 11.1% overweight, and 8% obese. OW/OB children had poorer physical and motor fitness (p < .05) and motor skills (p > .05) than normal-weight (NW) peers, while underweight children significantly outperformed both OW and OB and normal-weight children. All body composition parameters were largely and negatively associated with strength, aerobic capacity (r > 0.5), speed, agility and balance in obese children. Fat-free mass, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference revealed positive, more minor and inconsistent associations (r > 0.2) in NW and UW children. Waist circumference (WC) and FFM correlated positively with balance and catching in UW and NW children, with negative correlations between balance and BMI and WC in overweight and obese groups. Conclusions: These different degrees of associations with physical and motor fitness and motor skills in under- and overweight children are important when designing early interventions to prevent childhood obesity.

Background: Efficient visual information processing and cognitive control of saccadic eye movements are critical for reading acquisition in early school. Identifying children at risk of reading difficulties requires reliable assessment tools that can be implemented on a large scale. The Developmental Eye Movement (DEM) test provides an indirect measure of the efficiency of visuo-attentional processes related to eye movements in a simulated reading task. Purpose, Research Design, and Study Sample: To support its use as a screening tool, we conducted a normative validation of the DEM-test in a large, unselected cohort of 1,059 French school-aged children (6-11 years old). Data Collection and Analysis: Age- and grade-specific norms (means and percentile ranks) were established for vertical time, adjusted horizontal time, and error rates. Additionally, we examined its sensitivity to reading difficulties in 46 poor readers and 56 dyslexic children. Results: The results showed a significant developmental progression for all DEM-test indices across age groups, a correlation between DEM-test scores and reading performance (measured by the Alouette test), and significant differences between French, American, and Italian normative data, confirming the influence of language on DEM-test performance. Our findings also revealed a high prevalence of visuo-attentional deficits in poor readers and children with dyslexia. Moreover, the DEM test demonstrated high sensitivity in identifying children at risk of reading difficulties, whether due to a specific reading disorder or a general reading delay. Conclusions: This study provides French-specific normative data for the DEM-test and highlights its potential for large-scale implementation in educational settings. Our findings support using the DEM-test as a quick, non-invasive, and early screening tool to detect reading problems at their onset. By facilitating early identification, this proactive approach could help reduce educational inequalities and guide public health and education policies.

This paper reports on a study investigating the level and correlates of foreign language classroom anxiety among pre-adolescent students. The participants were 385 L1 Chinese primary school students of L2 English, aged between 8 and 13 (with a mean age of 10.73), who completed a validated English Classroom Anxiety Scale and a questionnaire tapping: (1) three learner-centered predictor variables (i.e., gender; attitudes towards English, and perceived relative standing among peers in English proficiency; The participants' age was provided by their parents or caregivers) and (2) six teacher-centered predictors (i.e., attitudes towards the English teacher; teacher strictness, friendliness, joking, and predictability; and the frequency of the teacher's English usage in class). Data analysis showed that the participants generally experienced a moderately low level of English classroom anxiety. English classroom anxiety showed no significant difference among Years 3 to 5 participants but significantly decreased in Year 6. Girls and boys did not differ significantly in their English classroom anxiety levels. Attitudes towards English, attitudes towards the English teacher, perceived relative standing among peers in English proficiency, and age significantly negatively predicted English classroom anxiety, in descending order of magnitude. Teacher friendliness and the teacher's frequency of English usage in class significantly and negatively predicted English classroom anxiety but only marginally so. Three variables under consideration, teacher joking, strictness, and predictability, were not significant predictors of English classroom anxiety. The results and their (pedagogical) implications are discussed and the limitations of this study are put forward.

Running is a functional movement skill in team sports that requires timing, coordination and symmetry in swing, stance and flight phases, continuously shaped by constraints of specific performance contexts (e.g., running with and without a ball). The aim of this study was to examine how interlimb coordination, symmetry and temporal variability in running patterns are regulated by changes in task design and player's experience level. Participants in this study were novice (N = 12; 2 months practice experience) and trained/intermediate (N = 12; 12 months practice experience) basketball players who ran at their typically preferred pace around a basketball court in two conditions: running only and running whilst dribbling a basketball. Running gait was assessed by recording mean temporal measures of stance, swing and flight phases, along with measures of temporal variability, bilateral symmetry and phase coordination index in the two conditions. Findings of this study revealed that changes in task constraints, from running without the ball to dribbling, resulted in less functional interlimb coordination, increased asymmetry and variability, regardless of player's experience level. In conclusion, these findings suggest that interlimb coordination, symmetry and variability are temporal running gait parameters that become attuned to required adaptations to specific task constraints (e.g., when dribbling a ball), regardless of experience level. These findings have important implications for the design of training tasks for development of running speed while coordinating actions in team sports.