Perceptual and Motor Skills最新文献

Understanding muscle activation during exercises is crucial for devising effective training programs. We examined correlations between self-reported and electromyographic (EMG) muscle activity during upper-body exercises performed at loads corresponding to 4-6 repetition maximums (RMs). Thirteen male sub-elite soccer players who had previously engaged in resistance training participated in two testing sessions. In the initial session, the loads corresponding to 4-6 repetitions were determined for six exercises: Lat Pull Down (LPD), Barbell Bent Over Row (BBOR), Dumbbell Row (DR), Barbell Pull Over (BPO), Dumbbell Reverse Fly (DRF), and Dumbbell Concentration Curl (DCC). At post-exercise, participants rated their perceived muscle activation for three targeted muscles in each exercise on a 1-10 point Likert scale (LS). In the subsequent session, we used EMG to measure the activity of eight agonist and synergist muscles during these exercises. We found that one of two synergist muscles consistently demonstrated higher activity levels. Interestingly, we observed no difference in activity between primary and secondary (or synergist) muscles across all exercises. Most importantly, we found no significant correlation between the perceived muscle activation rate and the EMG measured activation level for any exercise. In conclusion, our findings suggest that, despite differential muscle activity during specific exercises, self-reported muscle activation may not accurately correspond to actual muscle activation, as measured via EMG, due to the participants' poor interoceptive awareness of muscles. These data highlight the potential limitations of relying on perceived muscle activation as a sole gauge of training intensity.

As Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may have an unknown influence on the self-reports of physical activity of adults with ADHD and there is a need for high quality self-report assessments of this kind, we examined the test-retest reliability and construct validity of the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire-Health Contributions Score (GLTEQ-HCS) in its use with 35 adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (26 females, 9 males; Mage = 28.7, SD = 6.3 years). Participants completed the GLTEQ twice and wore an ActiGraph GT9X-accelerometer for seven-days. An intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) determined test-retest reliability, and we determined construct validity based on correlations between the GLTEQ-HCS and minutes/day of sedentary behavior (SB), light physical activity (LPA), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), as well as differences in SB, LPA, and MVPA among the three GLTEQ-HCS subgroups. The GLTEQ-HCS had excellent test-retest reliability [ICC = 0.98, 0.95 to 0.99], and it was positively correlated with MVPA (r = 0.47, p = .006; r_s = 0.52, p = .002). There was a significant and large difference in minutes/day of device-measured MVPA between the three GLTEQ-HCS groups [F (2,32) = 7.30, p = .003, η² = 0.33]. These results provide psychometric support for using the GLTEQ-HCS with adults who have been diagnosed with ADHD.

Single-limb stance (SLS) is a demanding postural task, widely used for balance assessment in both research and clinical practice. Despite extensive data on elderly and clinical populations, less is known about younger and healthier adults. Our aim in this study was to assess balance during a SLS task among a cohort of healthy adults to determine whether there are age or sex group or testing condition differences in performances. In this cross-sectional study, we involved 120 participants aged 30-65 years and divided them into four age sub-groups with equal numbers of males and females in each. We assessed balance during a 45-s SLS task on a] the Delos Postural Proprioceptive System for both lower limbs in two conditions - open eyes (OE) and closed eyes (CE). We calculated stability (SI) and autonomy (AU) indices and used analysis of variance to determine that there was no significant effect of limb dominance or sex on balance parameters. However, there was a significant interaction effect between age group and testing condition for both SI and AU (p < .001 for both), with balance worsening as age increased only in the CE condition. These results highlight a pattern of balance decline with age when vision is eliminated from balance performance, underscoring the critical relationship between sensory input and postural control as people age.

In this study, we explored the impact of tilted designs of anthropomorphic app icons on users' perceptions of icon vividness across three experiments. In Experiment 1, tilting with an angle of 45° to the left increased perceived icon vividness. In Experiment 2, sequential icon tilt angles at 30° intervals manipulation showed that small tilt angles (e.g., 30° to the left or right) enhanced participant perceptions of dynamism and vividness, and participants perceived greater vividness in anthropomorphic app icons with slight tilting, driven by this increased dynamism. In Experiment 3, we excluded the effect of the completeness of icons on these participants' evaluations and affirmed that slightly tilting designs was an effective visual strategy for improving perceived vividness to attract users.

We aimed to examine the effects of motor performance improvements produced by practice on corticospinal tract excitability during motor imagery (MI) of identical movements. Participants performed a motor task with no guidelines displayed on the monitor (performance test); the participants only imagined performing the task without performing the movement (MI test), and the participants performed the power output and then adjusted it (exercise). The output force conditions were 20, 40, and 60% of the maximum voluntary contraction, and the objective was for 21 participants to learn each output force condition. The outcome of the performance test was calculated as the difference between the actual motor output and the target. During the MI test, we applied a single transcranial magnetic stimulation during imagery, assessed the corticospinal tract excitability of the right first dorsal interosseous by motor-evoked potential (MEP) amplitude, and recorded the vividness of the MI in each trial. We evaluated performance and MI before practice (Pre-test), after 150 practice sessions (Post-test 1), and after another 150 practice sessions (Post-test 2). The MEP amplitude was significantly reduced at Post-test 2 compared to Pre-test. The vividness of the MI improved with practice. Corticospinal tract excitability during MI decreased as motor performance improved. Thus, actual motor practice was also reflected in the MI of the exercise. Performance improvement was accompanied by a decrease in redundant activity, enhancing the efficiency and appropriateness of the exercise.

By 2030, one in six people worldwide will be at least 60 years old, with associated sensorimotor changes that complicate daily activities. Aging suits simulate these conditions for younger individuals to enhance their empathy and understanding of older adults' challenges. Research on aging suits has recently increased, with evidence that these suits impair younger adults' motor performance, but a greater understanding of the motor changes induced by aging suits and to identify any factors that may modify them more research is needed. In this research, we explored how the presentation of the suit and the wearer's physical activity level affected motor performance. We divided 95 younger adults into two groups: (a) one informed about the suit's aging properties (aging suit group); and (b) one in which participants were told that it was a posture training suit (posture training group). Each group was further divided into low and high physical activity levels by a median-split method. Participants completed two fine motor tasks (i.e., placing and building bricks) and two gross motor tasks (i.e., heel-to-toe walking and figure-of-eight walking/running) with and without the suit. The aging suit significantly affected motor performance on all tasks, but participants aware that it was an aging suit performed worse on the figure-of-eight walking/running task than participants who thought it was a posture training suit. In addition, for the same motor task, the groups engaged in low physical activity were more affected by wearing the suit than those engaged in high physical activity. Thus, how aging suits are presented and the general activity level of wearers significantly influenced the aging suits' effects on motor performance. The findings from this study can guide future researchers in validating the use of these suits in larger studies.

Emotional states are fundamentally related to cognitive processes such as attention, perception, memory and learning, and they play a very important role in helping to assess daily challenges. Thus, we need tools that measure emotions in the context of Physical Education. In this study, we adapted and tested the factor structure of the Achievement Emotion Questionnaire - Short Version (AEQ-SV) in the Italian physical education context. We administered the AEQ-SV to 867 participants (M age = 16.43 years, SD = 1.23) enrolled in Italian physical education classes to analyze the questionnaire's psychometric properties using Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM), an internal reliability analysis, and a criterion validity analysis. The AEQ-SV subscales consisted of eight emotions and 32 items. Reliability analyses revealed acceptable fit indices and adequate temporal stability. Linear regression analysis showed that positive emotions positively predicted academic performance, while negative emotions negatively predicted academic performance. These results are in line with research on the original scale, and these data support the use of the AEQ-SV in the Italian educational context.

In the present study, we addressed (a) Chinese students' level of enjoyment in studying Japanese; (b) the independent and interactive predictive associations of student attitudes towards the Japanese language and their perceived Japanese proficiency with their Japanese classroom enjoyment; and (c) the gender as a potential moderating variable in these relationships. Three hundred participants completed three questionnaires assessing their attitudes towards the Japanese language, perceived Japanese proficiency, and Japanese classroom enjoyment. Descriptive analysis, multiple regression analysis, and path analysis revealed the following: (a) high overall student enjoyment in the Japanese classroom; (b) student attitudes towards both Japanese and their perceived Japanese proficiency were significant positive predictors of their levels of Japanese classroom enjoyment; (c) there was no significant interaction in the relationship between student attitudes towards the Japanese language and their perceived Japanese proficiency and Japanese classroom enjoyment; and (d) gender differences significantly moderated the relationships between perceived Japanese proficiency and Japanese classroom enjoyment, characterized by a stronger relationship among female participants; but gender was not a significant mediator in the relationship between attitudes towards the Japanese language and Japanese classroom enjoyment. We discuss these findings and their pedagogical implications, as well as the limitations of this study and future research directions.

Given the value of student engagement and its impact on academic performance, it is critical to identify factors that influence student engagement in different educational contexts. To do so, we examined the contributions of perceived teacher autonomy support and school climate in English as a foreign language (EFL) students' learning engagement. We conducted online surveys of 331 Chinese intermediate English learners. We substantiated the validity of the survey scales for measuring these three latent variables through confirmatory factor analyses (CFA), and we employed structural equation modeling (SEM) to identify interrelationships in these variables of interest. Both perceived teacher autonomy support and school climate were significantly and positively related to student engagement, with school climate more strongly correlated than teacher autonomy support. These findings suggest that teacher autonomy support and a positive school climate are important contributors to student engagement in EFL classrooms, and we discussed practical implications of these discoveries for EFL teachers.

Our aim in this study was to test the effect of 10 sessions of biofeedback (BFB) on physiological, psychological, and cognitive functioning of international tennis players. In this randomized controlled trial, we recruited 16 international tennis players (11 male, 5 female; M_age = 17.31, SD = 0.87 years), who were randomly assigned to either an intervention group (IG; n = 8) or a control group (CG; n = 8). Those in the IG received 10 multimodal BFB sessions over four weeks, while those in the CG received no intervention. We assessed physiological, psychological, and cognitive parameters before and after the intervention and found a positive effect for skin temperature, state anxiety, and cognitive performance in the IG versus the CG. We provide preliminary data that 10 sessions of multimodal BFB improved cognitive functions and reduced anxiety symptoms in international tennis players. Future investigators should consider increasing sample size, incorporating an active CG, and studying these effects across diverse athletic disciplines.