Perceptual and Motor Skills最新文献

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.

Research suggests that sporting experts show better response inhibition. Less is known about how expert athletes use cognitive inhibition. Experts may cognitively inhibit, or 'forget', previous errors via an expertise-induced-amnesia which suggests that experts have impoverished episodic memory due to the reduced task attention when performing well-rehearsed actions. This amnesia may be relevant at low-pressure, but most interestingly may be more of a factor at high-pressure. The aim of the present study was to examine whether sporting expertise predicted response inhibition (effectiveness and efficiency) and cognitive inhibition (error awareness) at low-pressure and high-pressure, respectively. Forty-five participants from various sports (static, interceptive or strategic) completed a measure of sporting expertise and a modified Stop Signal Task under two pressure conditions (manipulated via divergent task instruction). Regression results suggested that expertise only significantly predicted response inhibition effectiveness and efficiency at high-pressure. Interestingly, error awareness at high- and low-pressure were independent of sporting expertise. Finally, change scores across pressure conditions were small and near zero for all participants, not just experts, suggesting that all individuals performed similarly across low- and high-pressure conditions. Sporting expertise appears to facilitate response inhibition at high-pressure but the exact methods in which experts 'forget' errors and maintain performance remains unknown.

In this study, we investigated the impact of aspartame and sucrose on short-term cognitive performance. We employed a quasi-randomized-controlled, double-anonymous design, and had 130 participants undergo two study visits in a randomized order. The shorter visit included a dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan, a fasting blood glucose (BG) test, and cognitive assessments from the NIH-toolbox. During the longer visit, participants underwent fasting BG testing before consuming a 500 ml beverage of either a 0.05% aspartame solution, an 11% sucrose solution, or water (with these beverage groups randomized). BG tests and cognitive assessments were completed twice more, at 20-min post-beverage consumption (20m PC) and at 60-min post-beverage consumption (60m PC). BG responses were as predicted, with participants in the water and AS groups responding similarly and remaining at fasting levels, and the sucrose group showing a spike in BG at 20m PC and returning to baseline by 60m PC (p < .0001). We found no group differences in cognitive performance at any time point (p = .6172). Cognitive test performance improved from the first test to subsequent tests regardless of beverage group (p < .0001). Although we found no group differences in short-term cognitive performance as a function of sweetener condition, more research is needed to determine the short and long-term cognitive effects of artificial sweeteners.

Considering the situated nature of foreign language classroom boredom and dearth of research on the potential underlying mechanisms explaining the link between classroom environment and boredom, the present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of positive learning emotions (enjoyment, hope, and pride) and the moderating role of self-efficacy for motivation regulation in accounting for English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) students' classroom boredom. The participants were 643 Iranian learners who were selected by multi-stage cluster sampling and responded to four questionnaires measuring their foreign language classroom boredom, classroom environment, positive learning emotions, and self-efficacy for motivation regulation. The results of structural equation modelling showed that classroom environment could directly and positively predict students' boredom. Additionally, this link was mediated by learners' positive learning emotions and moderated by their self-efficacy for motivation regulation. The implications are discussed in light of the obtained findings.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of gaze behavior complexity, quantified by gaze entropy, on postural control complexity, assessed using center of pressure (COP) sample entropy (SampEn), during a single-leg stance task in younger and older adults. Method: This study employed a comparative experimental design with age group (younger vs. older adults) as a between-subject factor. Participants included 15 younger adults (31.33 ± 5.74 years) and 15 older adults (66.53 ± 1.77 years), who performed a single-leg stance task under manipulated visual exploration conditions designed to vary gaze behavior complexity. Gaze entropy was adjusted by controlling the range of visual exploration, while postural control complexity was assessed using center of pressure (COP) displacement and COP sample entropy (SampEn). All variables were analyzed to examine the effects of age group, gaze entropy condition, and their interaction. Results: Gaze entropy was significantly modulated by visual exploration conditions, independent of age, confirming successful manipulation of gaze complexity. In contrast, COP displacement and SampEn were significantly greater in older adults, indicating age-related declines in postural stability and increased control irregularity. A significant interaction was observed in the mediolateral (ML) direction, with older adults exhibiting increased SampEn under conditions of higher gaze entropy. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that visual exploration patterns influence postural regulation differently across age groups, highlighting age-related alterations in sensorimotor integration and attentional resource allocation for balance control.

The laterality of the lower limbs, reactive agility, and decision-related performance are key determinants of performance in young soccer players. This study investigated the effects of a bilateral soccer training program -incorporating both the preferred (PL) and non-preferred leg (NPL) -on reactive agility and decision-related performance across playing position in youth players. A total of 118 right-foot-dominant young soccer players were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (EXP), which underwent bilateral training, or a control group (CONT), which continued their usual training routine. Each group was further subdivided according to primary playing positions: side backs (SB), central backs (CB), central defending midfielders (CDM), central attacking midfielders (CAM), and forwards (FW). We assessed the players' lateral asymmetries before and after training using the Y-Agility test, the Agility and Skill test, and the Juggling coordination test. The results demonstrates significant improvements on the Agility and Skill Test across all playing positions in the EXP group and only among CBs in the CONT group (p < .05). Furthermore, within the EXP group, CDMs, CAMs and FWs showed significantly greater improvements than CBs and SBs (p < .05). These findings highlight the benefits of bilateral training in improving reactive agility, technical skills, and decision-related performance in young soccer players, and suggest that effects may vary according to playing position, though positional fluidity at the U15 level warrants cautious interpretation.

Fundamental movement skills (FMS) are foundational to children's motor development and long-term participation in physical activity. However, standardized assessments often fail to capture the diverse abilities and lived experiences of children with physical disabilities. This qualitative study explored how these children perceive and perform FMS. Seventeen participants ages 3 to 10 took part in two sessions: one to assess their FMS using the Test of Gross Motor Development, the 3rd edition, and another to discuss their understanding of specific skills through an unstructured interview. Thematic analysis of verbal and non-verbal data revealed three key themes. First, children's knowledge, motivation, and perceived competence varied widely, influenced by age, fatigue and task familiarity. Younger children tended to show strong confidence, while older children were more self-critical. Second, children used a variety of motor, material, environmental, and contextual adaptation strategies to support FMS execution, often co-constructed with the research team. These adaptations reflected individual needs more than task-specific demands. Third, children focused more on outcomes than on movement quality and had difficulty assessing their own performance. Visual feedback and playful contexts supported engagement and self-awareness. These results highlight the need for inclusive, personalized approaches that integrate both process- and product-oriented perspectives and actively involve children in shaping their learning experience. Future research should investigate how such strategies can be integrated into children's everyday environments.

Background: Paragliders may exhibit enhanced motor and sensory skills compared to the general population, as a result of the intense environmental demands associated with their sport. Understanding whether differences exist can provide insights into how amateur paragliders process sensory information, which can inform training methodologies, safety protocols, and post-injury rehabilitation strategies. Purpose: This exploratory study aimed to investigate sensory processing differences between amateur paragliders and non-extreme sports. Research Design and Study Sample: It is a quantitative comparative study involving 30 paragliding participants and 30 non-paragliding participants, all aged between 19 and 25 years. Data Collection: Participants completed the Sociodemographic Information Form and the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile (ASP). Results: The results revealed a statistically significant difference between the paragliding and non-extreme sports' groups in the low registration, sensory seeking, and sensory sensitivity quadrants of the ASP (p < .05). Conclusions: This study highlights distinct sensory processing profiles characterized by low registration, sensory seeking, and sensory sensitivity scores that are more typical of this paragliding sample. These sensory characteristics may help explain individuals' participation in high-risk activities by enabling them to tolerate or adapt to intense environmental stimuli. A better understanding of these traits can inform tailored training or safety strategies, potentially enhancing both performance and risk management among amateur paragliders.

Technological transformations occurring at the intersection of artificial intelligence and vocal music necessitate an epistemological reevaluation of both perceptual mechanisms and creative capacities. The integration of artificial intelligence with vocal music compels a reconsideration of perceptual mechanisms and creative potential. While prior research has focused primarily on the technical accuracy of AI systems, their influence on perception and broader cultural implications has remained largely unexplored. The present study addresses this research gap. This study quantitatively assesses the impact of AI on vocal-music processing. Employing a mixed-methods approach, it examines algorithmic integration within musical traditions, explores correlations between technical parameters and affective responses that characterize human-AI collaboration, and compares architectural variations among systems along with their perceptual consequences. Statistical analysis revealed differences in genre receptivity: contemporary music (EDM and jazz) received a mean score of μ = 9.0, whereas traditional genres such as opera (μ = 5.0) and classical music (μ = 6.0) remained at comparatively low levels. The integration of artificial intelligence enhanced musicians' creative output from M = 6.7 to M = 8.1 and increased audience engagement by 12%. Correlational analysis confirmed a strong association between emotional intensity and listener engagement (r = 0.72). Educational institutions may implement AI-enhanced vocal training programs; recording studios are adopting system-specific technologies tailored to desired affective outcomes; and cultural-heritage initiatives can leverage algorithmic assistance while preserving interpretive authenticity.