Pub Date : 2025-10-22DOI: 10.1016/j.humov.2025.103425
Yago Emanoel Ramos , Mariana Teixeira Santos , Iago Nudelman Reis Yamamoto , Cecília Bastos da Costa Accioly , Jean-François Daneault , Daniel Gomes de Almeida Filho , José Garcia Vivas Miranda
This study explores handedness through a multidisciplinary approach, integrating biomechanical analysis and electroencephalography (EEG) to uncover differences in motor strategies and brain lateralization among right-handed, left-handed, and ambidextrous individuals. Seventy participants were assessed using motion capture and EEG during writing and drawing tasks performed with both dominant and non-dominant hands. Biomechanical data were analyzed through the lens of motion optimization, using the Movement Element Decomposition (MED) method, while EEG data focused on event-related synchronization/desynchronization (ERD/S) patterns. Results highlight that right-handers demonstrate stronger lateralization for fine motor tasks, with optimized neural and biomechanical adaptations favoring the right hand. In contrast, left-handers exhibit specialization for impedance control with their right hand, suggesting distinct motor planning strategies. EEG findings corroborate these behaviors, showing that right-handers require less cognitive effort when using their dominant hand for writing, whereas left-handers show heightened parietal activity associated with sensorimotor integration during similar tasks. The study reveals an asymmetry in motor skill acquisition, possibly related to left-handed adaptations to right-hand-dominated environments. These insights contribute to understanding handedness's role in motor control and brain organization, with implications for neurorehabilitation.
{"title":"Handedness and brain lateralization: A nonlinear motor approach combined with EEG","authors":"Yago Emanoel Ramos , Mariana Teixeira Santos , Iago Nudelman Reis Yamamoto , Cecília Bastos da Costa Accioly , Jean-François Daneault , Daniel Gomes de Almeida Filho , José Garcia Vivas Miranda","doi":"10.1016/j.humov.2025.103425","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.humov.2025.103425","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study explores handedness through a multidisciplinary approach, integrating biomechanical analysis and electroencephalography (EEG) to uncover differences in motor strategies and brain lateralization among right-handed, left-handed, and ambidextrous individuals. Seventy participants were assessed using motion capture and EEG during writing and drawing tasks performed with both dominant and non-dominant hands. Biomechanical data were analyzed through the lens of motion optimization, using the Movement Element Decomposition (MED) method, while EEG data focused on event-related synchronization/desynchronization (ERD/S) patterns. Results highlight that right-handers demonstrate stronger lateralization for fine motor tasks, with optimized neural and biomechanical adaptations favoring the right hand. In contrast, left-handers exhibit specialization for impedance control with their right hand, suggesting distinct motor planning strategies. EEG findings corroborate these behaviors, showing that right-handers require less cognitive effort when using their dominant hand for writing, whereas left-handers show heightened parietal activity associated with sensorimotor integration during similar tasks. The study reveals an asymmetry in motor skill acquisition, possibly related to left-handed adaptations to right-hand-dominated environments. These insights contribute to understanding handedness's role in motor control and brain organization, with implications for neurorehabilitation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55046,"journal":{"name":"Human Movement Science","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 103425"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145356900","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-21DOI: 10.1016/j.humov.2025.103421
Derek J. Otterstetter, Kate A. Hamel, David I. Anderson
Alexander technique (AT) is a method of behavior modification that seeks to improve coordination by modifying habitual reactions to the stimuli that incite action. Previous studies have shown that a single session of AT-based postural instructions (Lighten Up) can improve axial stiffness, postural control during quiet stance, and step initiation in older adults with Parkinson's disease, as well as balance and postural control in healthy older and younger adults relative to instructions that encourage muscular effort or relaxation. In the present study, we investigated the effects of AT-based postural instructions on steady state gait in young adult participants with no prior experience with Alexander Technique. Forty-four participants (29 female, 15 male; 23.4 ± 4.2 years old) utilized three sets of instructions while walking: Lighten Up, Pull Up, and Relax and also completed a Control condition in which they walked normally without any additional instructions. We found minimal differences between Lighten Up, Pull Up, and the Control conditions, with a significantly smaller Coefficient of Variation in the Lighten Up and Pull Up conditions compared to the Control condition for Stride Velocity. We found the most notable differences in the Relax condition, where participants walked significantly slower, took significantly shorter Stride Lengths, and spent significantly more time in Double Support compared to the other three conditions. Participants also had significantly higher gait variability in the Relax condition compared to the Lighten Up, Pull Up and Control conditions. Instructions to Relax clearly compromised steady state gait.
{"title":"The effects of Alexander technique-based postural instructions on gait in healthy young adults","authors":"Derek J. Otterstetter, Kate A. Hamel, David I. Anderson","doi":"10.1016/j.humov.2025.103421","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.humov.2025.103421","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Alexander technique (AT) is a method of behavior modification that seeks to improve coordination by modifying habitual reactions to the stimuli that incite action. Previous studies have shown that a single session of AT-based postural instructions (Lighten Up) can improve axial stiffness, postural control during quiet stance, and step initiation in older adults with Parkinson's disease, as well as balance and postural control in healthy older and younger adults relative to instructions that encourage muscular effort or relaxation. In the present study, we investigated the effects of AT-based postural instructions on steady state gait in young adult participants with no prior experience with Alexander Technique. Forty-four participants (29 female, 15 male; 23.4 ± 4.2 years old) utilized three sets of instructions while walking: Lighten Up, Pull Up, and Relax and also completed a Control condition in which they walked normally without any additional instructions. We found minimal differences between Lighten Up, Pull Up, and the Control conditions, with a significantly smaller Coefficient of Variation in the Lighten Up and Pull Up conditions compared to the Control condition for Stride Velocity. We found the most notable differences in the Relax condition, where participants walked significantly slower, took significantly shorter Stride Lengths, and spent significantly more time in Double Support compared to the other three conditions. Participants also had significantly higher gait variability in the Relax condition compared to the Lighten Up, Pull Up and Control conditions. Instructions to Relax clearly compromised steady state gait.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55046,"journal":{"name":"Human Movement Science","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 103421"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145349855","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-21DOI: 10.1016/j.humov.2025.103424
Yaping Wang , Yanchun Liu , Jingjing Xiang , Jia Liu
Theoretical and empirical evidence suggests a link between motor skills and executive functioning, yet the nature of this relation remains relatively unexplored in children with intellectual disabilities. This study focuses on exploring the developmental relationships between motor skills and executive functioning in this population. We utilized a longitudinal approach to follow 101 children with intellectual disabilities, ranging in age from 7 to 17, across three measurement points with one-year intervals. At each measurement point, participants completed tasks evaluating gross motor skills, fine motor skills, and executive functioning. Random intercept cross-lagged panel modeling revealed distinctive motor–executive function relationship patterns. Specifically, fine motor skills and executive functioning reciprocally predicted each other between Time 1 and Time 2. Additionally, fine motor skills at Time 2 significantly predicted executive functioning at Time 3, whereas the reverse pattern was not observed. In contrast, no significant longitudinal relationship was found between gross motor skills and executive functioning. These findings suggest that interventions integrating fine motor skills and executive functioning could be essential for children with intellectual disabilities, providing an important avenue to support their skills development.
{"title":"Developmental relationships between motor skills and executive functioning in children with intellectual disabilities","authors":"Yaping Wang , Yanchun Liu , Jingjing Xiang , Jia Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.humov.2025.103424","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.humov.2025.103424","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Theoretical and empirical evidence suggests a link between motor skills and executive functioning, yet the nature of this relation remains relatively unexplored in children with intellectual disabilities. This study focuses on exploring the developmental relationships between motor skills and executive functioning in this population. We utilized a longitudinal approach to follow 101 children with intellectual disabilities, ranging in age from 7 to 17, across three measurement points with one-year intervals. At each measurement point, participants completed tasks evaluating gross motor skills, fine motor skills, and executive functioning. Random intercept cross-lagged panel modeling revealed distinctive motor–executive function relationship patterns. Specifically, fine motor skills and executive functioning reciprocally predicted each other between Time 1 and Time 2. Additionally, fine motor skills at Time 2 significantly predicted executive functioning at Time 3, whereas the reverse pattern was not observed. In contrast, no significant longitudinal relationship was found between gross motor skills and executive functioning. These findings suggest that interventions integrating fine motor skills and executive functioning could be essential for children with intellectual disabilities, providing an important avenue to support their skills development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55046,"journal":{"name":"Human Movement Science","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 103424"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145350201","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-15DOI: 10.1016/j.humov.2025.103420
Naoto Hida, Tomoya Kokue, Kenichi Sugawara
Background
Understanding propulsive and braking mechanisms during gait acceleration and deceleration is essential for ensuring gait stability in daily life.
Research question
We aimed to clarify propulsive and braking mechanisms during accelerating and decelerating human gait by analyzing the ground reaction force (GRF) and center of mass external moment (COM Mext).
Methods
We requested 30 healthy young adults to walk under four conditions (normal, maximum, accelerated, decelerated) while kinematic and kinetic data were recorded using a 3D motion capture system and force plates. GRF, COM Mext, and spatiotemporal gait parameters were analyzed.
Results
Accelerated walking (AW) increased walking velocity and step length, while decelerated walking (DW) reduced them. AW had significantly reduced GRF posterior components in early stance phase, and higher GRF anterior and vertical components in the late stance, resulting in a reduced COM Mext (larger anterior rotation momentum) in the late stance. DW showed significantly elevated GRF vertical and posterior components in the early stance, resulting in a higher COM Mext (smaller anterior rotation momentum) in the early stance.
Significance
Acceleration was characterized by elevated propulsive and vertical GRF during the late stance to facilitate COM forward rotation. Deceleration was characterized by elevated braking and vertical GRF in the early stance to reduce the abrupt COM forward rotation. Our findings may help the development of effective programs aimed at improving acceleration and deceleration abilities during gait.
{"title":"Propulsive and braking mechanisms during acceleration and deceleration in human gait","authors":"Naoto Hida, Tomoya Kokue, Kenichi Sugawara","doi":"10.1016/j.humov.2025.103420","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.humov.2025.103420","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Understanding propulsive and braking mechanisms during gait acceleration and deceleration is essential for ensuring gait stability in daily life.</div></div><div><h3>Research question</h3><div>We aimed to clarify propulsive and braking mechanisms during accelerating and decelerating human gait by analyzing the ground reaction force (GRF) and center of mass external moment (COM M<sub>ext</sub>).</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We requested 30 healthy young adults to walk under four conditions (normal, maximum, accelerated, decelerated) while kinematic and kinetic data were recorded using a 3D motion capture system and force plates. GRF, COM M<sub>ext</sub>, and spatiotemporal gait parameters were analyzed.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Accelerated walking (AW) increased walking velocity and step length, while decelerated walking (DW) reduced them. AW had significantly reduced GRF posterior components in early stance phase, and higher GRF anterior and vertical components in the late stance, resulting in a reduced COM M<sub>ext</sub> (larger anterior rotation momentum) in the late stance. DW showed significantly elevated GRF vertical and posterior components in the early stance, resulting in a higher COM M<sub>ext</sub> (smaller anterior rotation momentum) in the early stance.</div></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><div>Acceleration was characterized by elevated propulsive and vertical GRF during the late stance to facilitate COM forward rotation. Deceleration was characterized by elevated braking and vertical GRF in the early stance to reduce the abrupt COM forward rotation. Our findings may help the development of effective programs aimed at improving acceleration and deceleration abilities during gait.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55046,"journal":{"name":"Human Movement Science","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 103420"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145310070","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-15DOI: 10.1016/j.humov.2025.103422
Do-Kyung Ko , Beom Jin Choi , Nyeonju Kang
This study aimed to investigate bimanual force coordination in 36 healthy young adults employing a vector coding method. The participants performed bimanual force control at two targeted force levels (i.e., 10 % and 40 % of maximum voluntary contraction [MVC]) and the Purdue Pegboard Test. Force accuracy was used to assess bimanual force control performance. Vector coding analysis was conducted to estimate the quantity and quality of bimanual force coordination. Further, the correlation between bimanual force coordination and bimanual dexterity was investigated. Lower force accuracy was observed at 40 % of MVC. The coordination quantity analysis revealed that left- and right-hand phases were more frequently observed at 10 % of MVC, whereas the greatest quantity of in-phase coordination was observed at 40 % of MVC. Notably, anti-phase coordination demonstrated higher quality in error correction despite its lower quantity. Moreover, a greater quantity of anti-phase coordination at 40 % of MVC was associated with superior bimanual dexterity. These results indicated that quantifying the quantity and quality of coordination using the vector coding method provides a novel framework for identifying specific motor control strategies during bimanual tasks.
{"title":"Bimanual force coordination using the vector coding approach: Quantifying coordination quantity and quality","authors":"Do-Kyung Ko , Beom Jin Choi , Nyeonju Kang","doi":"10.1016/j.humov.2025.103422","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.humov.2025.103422","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aimed to investigate bimanual force coordination in 36 healthy young adults employing a vector coding method. The participants performed bimanual force control at two targeted force levels (i.e., 10 % and 40 % of maximum voluntary contraction [MVC]) and the Purdue Pegboard Test. Force accuracy was used to assess bimanual force control performance. Vector coding analysis was conducted to estimate the quantity and quality of bimanual force coordination. Further, the correlation between bimanual force coordination and bimanual dexterity was investigated. Lower force accuracy was observed at 40 % of MVC. The coordination quantity analysis revealed that left- and right-hand phases were more frequently observed at 10 % of MVC, whereas the greatest quantity of in-phase coordination was observed at 40 % of MVC. Notably, anti-phase coordination demonstrated higher quality in error correction despite its lower quantity. Moreover, a greater quantity of anti-phase coordination at 40 % of MVC was associated with superior bimanual dexterity. These results indicated that quantifying the quantity and quality of coordination using the vector coding method provides a novel framework for identifying specific motor control strategies during bimanual tasks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55046,"journal":{"name":"Human Movement Science","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 103422"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145309989","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-10DOI: 10.1016/j.humov.2025.103418
Thijs Tankink , Juha M. Hijmans , Raffaella Carloni , Han Houdijk
Introduction
People with a lower-limb amputation must undergo a process of co-adaptation with a prosthesis to achieve optimal walking performance. Human-in-the-loop optimization could identify optimal prosthetic settings, while also providing insight into the process of motor learning during prosthetic tuning. The aim of the study was to investigate the time course of motor learning of people with transtibial amputation during the human-in-the-loop optimization process of a prosthetic foot, in which the stiffness and alignment were optimized to minimize metabolic cost.
Methods
Ten people with a transtibial amputation underwent an optimization protocol while walking on an instrumented treadmill with an experimental prosthetic foot with tuneable stiffness and alignment. We aimed to minimize the metabolic cost of walking by optimizing the stiffness and alignment, using an evolutionary optimization algorithm consisting of 6 generations of 6 trials. To monitor motor learning throughout the optimization process, motor learning trials with initial standard settings were repeated after each generation. Occurrence of motor learning over time was assessed by comparing metabolic cost and walking biomechanics during motor learning trials.
Results
Metabolic cost during the motor learning trials decreased significantly (≥ 6.8 %) over time (p = 0.01). This reduction in metabolic cost was limited to the first four generations of the optimization process (i.e., 56 min).
Conclusion
Motor learning of people with a transtibial amputation plays a significant role during prosthetic tuning. Motor learning extended over at least 56 min in our human-in-the-loop optimization experiment. Co-adaptation of the user should therefore be taken into account during tuning of prosthetic devices.
{"title":"Time course of motor learning during human-in-the-loop optimization of a prosthetic foot","authors":"Thijs Tankink , Juha M. Hijmans , Raffaella Carloni , Han Houdijk","doi":"10.1016/j.humov.2025.103418","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.humov.2025.103418","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>People with a lower-limb amputation must undergo a process of co-adaptation with a prosthesis to achieve optimal walking performance. Human-in-the-loop optimization could identify optimal prosthetic settings, while also providing insight into the process of motor learning during prosthetic tuning. The aim of the study was to investigate the time course of motor learning of people with transtibial amputation during the human-in-the-loop optimization process of a prosthetic foot, in which the stiffness and alignment were optimized to minimize metabolic cost.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Ten people with a transtibial amputation underwent an optimization protocol while walking on an instrumented treadmill with an experimental prosthetic foot with tuneable stiffness and alignment. We aimed to minimize the metabolic cost of walking by optimizing the stiffness and alignment, using an evolutionary optimization algorithm consisting of 6 generations of 6 trials. To monitor motor learning throughout the optimization process, motor learning trials with initial standard settings were repeated after each generation. Occurrence of motor learning over time was assessed by comparing metabolic cost and walking biomechanics during motor learning trials.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Metabolic cost during the motor learning trials decreased significantly (≥ 6.8 %) over time (<em>p</em> = 0.01). This reduction in metabolic cost was limited to the first four generations of the optimization process (i.e., 56 min).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Motor learning of people with a transtibial amputation plays a significant role during prosthetic tuning. Motor learning extended over at least 56 min in our human-in-the-loop optimization experiment. Co-adaptation of the user should therefore be taken into account during tuning of prosthetic devices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55046,"journal":{"name":"Human Movement Science","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 103418"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145270372","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-08DOI: 10.1016/j.humov.2025.103414
Mu Qiao
Purpose
We studied the catching accuracy during the skill acquisition of juggling using a probabilistic model, which was justified by the Bayesian brain hypothesis that the internal model constantly updates its parameters based on prior experiences and new practice. We wondered how practice can increase the probability of catching a ball (θ) in juggling by changing the shape of the posterior distribution of θ.
Methods
We recorded the juggling performance of 192 students over 17 days. Using the Bayesian approach, under a prior distribution of beta(θ|1,3), we calculated the posterior distribution of θ and its expectation (E[θ]) and variance (Var(θ)) on each day of practice.
Results
In a decelerated pattern, participants improved E[θ] from 0.43 to 0.86 and reduced Var(θ) from 0.029 to 0.001 over 17 days. Using the posterior distribution, we estimated the probability of different performance outcomes on each day of practice.
Conclusions
The probabilistic model suggests that during motor learning, participants shifted the weight from prior experience to current practice and updated θ in the posterior distribution. Instead of choosing θ close to its theoretically optimal value (i.e., maximum likelihood estimation) across days of practice, participants selected sub-optimal θ at the beginning and gradually improved θ to its optimal value during learning. Our model not only contributes to the theoretical understanding of skill acquisition from a probabilistic perspective but also could be applied to some other discrete motor skills requiring hand-eye coordination.
{"title":"Modeling motor learning in juggling: A Bayesian approach","authors":"Mu Qiao","doi":"10.1016/j.humov.2025.103414","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.humov.2025.103414","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>We studied the catching accuracy during the skill acquisition of juggling using a probabilistic model, which was justified by the Bayesian brain hypothesis that the internal model constantly updates its parameters based on prior experiences and new practice. We wondered how practice can increase the probability of catching a ball (θ) in juggling by changing the shape of the posterior distribution of θ.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We recorded the juggling performance of 192 students over 17 days. Using the Bayesian approach, under a prior distribution of beta(θ|1,3), we calculated the posterior distribution of θ and its expectation (E[θ]) and variance (Var(θ)) on each day of practice.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>In a decelerated pattern, participants improved E[θ] from 0.43 to 0.86 and reduced Var(θ) from 0.029 to 0.001 over 17 days. Using the posterior distribution, we estimated the probability of different performance outcomes on each day of practice.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The probabilistic model suggests that during motor learning, participants shifted the weight from prior experience to current practice and updated θ in the posterior distribution. Instead of choosing θ close to its theoretically optimal value (i.e., maximum likelihood estimation) across days of practice, participants selected sub-optimal θ at the beginning and gradually improved θ to its optimal value during learning. Our model not only contributes to the theoretical understanding of skill acquisition from a probabilistic perspective but also could be applied to some other discrete motor skills requiring hand-eye coordination.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55046,"journal":{"name":"Human Movement Science","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 103414"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145260262","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-08DOI: 10.1016/j.humov.2025.103417
Sebastian Merker , Stefan Pastel , Dan Bürger , Kerstin Witte
Virtual reality in artistic gymnastics has hardly been researched yet, but could have positive effects on learning movements, particularly on the balance beam, whose width and height demand significant effort. This study aimed to identify suitable gymnastics elements for the execution with a head-mounted display (HMD), considering potential performance impacts related to its size, weight, and limited field of view. Twelve basic elements covering the characteristics of the balance beam were performed by 36 competitive gymnasts (16.5 ± 6.6 years) on a low beam (10 cm) with and without the HTC VIVE Pro Eye HMD, which displayed the real environment through its cameras instead of a virtual one. A helmet with similar dimensions and weight to the HMD was used as a third condition to isolate vision effects. Licensed judges evaluated all trials for recognition and execution based on international scoring rules. Both analyses show that the performance was more impacted by restricted vision than by additional weight. Execution quality varied significantly between the condition with and without HMD for all movement characteristics, although the differences were smaller for jumps, holds/acrobatic non-flight elements and leaps than for elements with turns. Consistent with this, no significant differences in jumps and holds/acrobatic non-flight were found between the original and helmet conditions. In summary, elements without longitudinal axis rotations are well-suited for HMD execution, and results can be improved with better hardware and longer familiarization. Future studies should prioritize good optical resolution, a large field of view, and compact design over low weight when selecting HMDs.
虚拟现实技术在艺术体操中的应用研究还很少,但它可能对学习动作有积极的影响,特别是在平衡木上,它的宽度和高度都需要很大的努力。本研究旨在确定适合头戴式显示器(HMD)执行的体操元素,考虑其尺寸,重量和有限视野对性能的潜在影响。36名年龄(16.5±6.6岁)的竞技体操运动员在低梁(10厘米)上完成平衡木的12个基本动作,佩戴或不佩戴HTC VIVE Pro Eye HMD,该设备通过摄像头显示真实环境,而不是虚拟环境。与HMD尺寸和重量相似的头盔被用作隔离视觉效果的第三个条件。持牌裁判根据国际评分规则对所有试验的认可和执行情况进行评估。两项分析都表明,视力受限对视力的影响比体重增加对视力的影响更大。在有和没有HMD的条件下,执行质量在所有动作特征上都有显着差异,尽管跳跃、保持/杂技非飞行元素和跳跃的差异比有转身的元素要小。与此一致的是,在原始条件和头盔条件之间没有发现跳跃和保持/杂技非飞行的显著差异。总之,没有纵轴旋转的元素非常适合HMD执行,并且可以通过更好的硬件和更长的熟悉时间来改进结果。未来的研究在选择头显时应优先考虑良好的光学分辨率、大视场和紧凑的设计,而不是低重量。
{"title":"Influence of wearing a head-mounted display on the movement execution of basic elements on the balance beam in women's artistic gymnastics","authors":"Sebastian Merker , Stefan Pastel , Dan Bürger , Kerstin Witte","doi":"10.1016/j.humov.2025.103417","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.humov.2025.103417","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Virtual reality in artistic gymnastics has hardly been researched yet, but could have positive effects on learning movements, particularly on the balance beam, whose width and height demand significant effort. This study aimed to identify suitable gymnastics elements for the execution with a head-mounted display (HMD), considering potential performance impacts related to its size, weight, and limited field of view. Twelve basic elements covering the characteristics of the balance beam were performed by 36 competitive gymnasts (16.5 ± 6.6 years) on a low beam (10 cm) with and without the HTC VIVE Pro Eye HMD, which displayed the real environment through its cameras instead of a virtual one. A helmet with similar dimensions and weight to the HMD was used as a third condition to isolate vision effects. Licensed judges evaluated all trials for recognition and execution based on international scoring rules. Both analyses show that the performance was more impacted by restricted vision than by additional weight. Execution quality varied significantly between the condition with and without HMD for all movement characteristics, although the differences were smaller for jumps, holds/acrobatic non-flight elements and leaps than for elements with turns. Consistent with this, no significant differences in jumps and holds/acrobatic non-flight were found between the original and helmet conditions. In summary, elements without longitudinal axis rotations are well-suited for HMD execution, and results can be improved with better hardware and longer familiarization. Future studies should prioritize good optical resolution, a large field of view, and compact design over low weight when selecting HMDs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55046,"journal":{"name":"Human Movement Science","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 103417"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145260232","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-02DOI: 10.1016/j.humov.2025.103415
Júlia O. Faria , Maria E.C. Favretto , Isadora S. Bezerra , Thiago F. Santos , Tenysson W. Lemos , Marina M. Villalba , Eduardo B. Junqueira , Paulo R.P. Santiago , Renato Moraes
Falls are the leading cause of injury among older adults, often occurring during walking. Effective training programs are essential for reducing falls, and the distribution of practice may influence motor skill learning. This randomized clinical trial investigated the effects of different perturbation-based balance training (PBT) session distributions on postural stability and fall risk in older adults with a history of falls. Thirty participants were randomly allocated to either a massed practice group (2 sessions/day; n = 15) or a distributed practice group (1 session/day; n = 15). Both groups underwent four PBT sessions involving acceleration and deceleration perturbations, followed by a retention test one week later. We assessed the margin of stability (MoS), the number of falls during sessions, and dynamic balance using the Mini-BESTest before and after training. Assessments were performed by evaluators blinded to group allocation. Groups did not differ in any of the variables investigated. Significant improvements were observed in MoS during the deceleration perturbation sessions (p < 0.05), with an increase between sessions 1 and 4, and between session 1 and the retention test (p < 0.05). The number of falls was reduced over the sessions (p < 0.001), and there was an improvement in dynamic balance in the Mini-BESTest after PBT, particularly in reactive control and gait dynamics (p < 0.001). The distribution of PBT sessions, whether massed or distributed, did not affect fall-related outcomes in fall-prone older adults. These findings support the use of flexible PBT schedules for fall prevention. This trial was registered in the Brazilian Clinical Trials Registry (RBR-9dhx6kj; UTN: U1111–1276-4396).
{"title":"Effect of perturbation-based balance training distribution on stability and fall risk in faller older adults: A randomized single-blind clinical trial","authors":"Júlia O. Faria , Maria E.C. Favretto , Isadora S. Bezerra , Thiago F. Santos , Tenysson W. Lemos , Marina M. Villalba , Eduardo B. Junqueira , Paulo R.P. Santiago , Renato Moraes","doi":"10.1016/j.humov.2025.103415","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.humov.2025.103415","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Falls are the leading cause of injury among older adults, often occurring during walking. Effective training programs are essential for reducing falls, and the distribution of practice may influence motor skill learning. This randomized clinical trial investigated the effects of different perturbation-based balance training (PBT) session distributions on postural stability and fall risk in older adults with a history of falls. Thirty participants were randomly allocated to either a massed practice group (2 sessions/day; <em>n</em> = 15) or a distributed practice group (1 session/day; n = 15). Both groups underwent four PBT sessions involving acceleration and deceleration perturbations, followed by a retention test one week later. We assessed the margin of stability (MoS), the number of falls during sessions, and dynamic balance using the Mini-BESTest before and after training. Assessments were performed by evaluators blinded to group allocation. Groups did not differ in any of the variables investigated. Significant improvements were observed in MoS during the deceleration perturbation sessions (<em>p</em> < 0.05), with an increase between sessions 1 and 4, and between session 1 and the retention test (p < 0.05). The number of falls was reduced over the sessions (<em>p</em> < 0.001), and there was an improvement in dynamic balance in the Mini-BESTest after PBT, particularly in reactive control and gait dynamics (p < 0.001). The distribution of PBT sessions, whether massed or distributed, did not affect fall-related outcomes in fall-prone older adults. These findings support the use of flexible PBT schedules for fall prevention. This trial was registered in the Brazilian Clinical Trials Registry (RBR-9dhx6kj; UTN: U1111–1276-4396).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55046,"journal":{"name":"Human Movement Science","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 103415"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145223131","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-01DOI: 10.1016/j.humov.2025.103416
Kevin A. Becker , Nicholas A. Levine , Christopher A. Aiken
An abundance of research supports an external focus enhancing motor performance relative to an internal focus. However, this blanket recommendation loses some nuance of what types of external cues might be most effective. Some studies have compared a proximal and distal external focus, but this comparison is often confounded by differences in both spatial and temporal distance. In the present study, we aimed to determine how internal and external focus cues that direct attention to either the process or outcome of the movement (i.e., differing in temporal distance, but not spatial distance) impacted hex bar deadlift performance. Twenty-four participants (16 females) experienced in strength training performed hex bar deadlifts with 60 % of their self-reported 1RM. Familiarization trials were followed by conditions using an internal-process (IP), internal-outcome (IO), external-process (EP), and external-outcome (EO) focus presented in a counterbalanced order. Peak velocity, average velocity, and vertical bar displacement were subjected to repeated measures ANOVAs to test for differences due to focus. Peak velocity was impacted by focus with an EP leading to higher values than IO and IP. For average velocity EP had higher values than IO, and approached higher values than IP. For vertical bar displacement, EO led to greater displacement than IO and IP, but did not differ from EP. The present findings suggest EP was most effective for enhancing velocity (primary goal), but EO maximized displacement. These differing findings suggest that the best external focus cues are those which most closely align with important task goals.
{"title":"Focus on the process or outcome? It depends on the task goal","authors":"Kevin A. Becker , Nicholas A. Levine , Christopher A. Aiken","doi":"10.1016/j.humov.2025.103416","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.humov.2025.103416","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>An abundance of research supports an external focus enhancing motor performance relative to an internal focus. However, this blanket recommendation loses some nuance of what types of external cues might be most effective. Some studies have compared a proximal and distal external focus, but this comparison is often confounded by differences in both spatial and temporal distance. In the present study, we aimed to determine how internal and external focus cues that direct attention to either the process or outcome of the movement (i.e., differing in temporal distance, but not spatial distance) impacted hex bar deadlift performance. Twenty-four participants (16 females) experienced in strength training performed hex bar deadlifts with 60 % of their self-reported 1RM. Familiarization trials were followed by conditions using an internal-process (IP), internal-outcome (IO), external-process (EP), and external-outcome (EO) focus presented in a counterbalanced order. Peak velocity, average velocity, and vertical bar displacement were subjected to repeated measures ANOVAs to test for differences due to focus. Peak velocity was impacted by focus with an EP leading to higher values than IO and IP. For average velocity EP had higher values than IO, and approached higher values than IP. For vertical bar displacement, EO led to greater displacement than IO and IP, but did not differ from EP. The present findings suggest EP was most effective for enhancing velocity (primary goal), but EO maximized displacement. These differing findings suggest that the best external focus cues are those which most closely align with important task goals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55046,"journal":{"name":"Human Movement Science","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 103416"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145214525","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}