A qualitative approach to explore the cognitive processes used by members of an adult learn-to-cycle program.

Introduction: Attaining movement proficiency under various constraints is well-researched; of particular interest here is how conscious processing and self-consciousness influence learning and performance. Current research relevant to these variables e.g.

Visual search strategies and game knowledge in junior Australian rules football players: testing potential in talent identification and development.

This study explored video-based decision-making and eye-movement behavior as a complementary method to assess the decision-making skills and knowledge of elite junior Australian Rules (AR) Football players. Performance was measured twice over an 18-month period. This approach tested a practical and reliable assessment of decision-making and game knowledge that does not contribute to physical training load.

Trainability of novel person recognition based on brief exposure to form and motion cues.

Fast and accurate recognition of teammates is crucial in contexts as varied as fast-moving sports, the military, and law enforcement engagements; misrecognition can result in lost scoring opportunities in sport or friendly fire in combat contexts. Initial studies on teammate recognition in sport suggests that athletes are adept at this perceptual ability but still susceptible to errors. The purpose of the current proof-of-concept study was to explore the trainability of teammate recognition from very brief exposure to vision of the whole-body form and motion of a previously unknown individual.

Examining the Eye Movement Behaviors Associated With Skilled Decision-Making by Elite Australian Rules Football Players.

Exploration of eye-movement behaviors of humans can provide insight into the processes used to inform and make decisions, with a large body of research revealing general trends, especially in the sporting context. Despite this some questions remain within the sport context particularly for elite groups engaged in diverse sports, and the potential for this information to provide for training, development, and performance. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the critical fixation points and durations associated with superior decision-making within an elite group of Australian Rules football players.

Potential Value of Customized Video Self-Modelling for Motor Skill Learning in Individuals with Cerebral Palsy: A Case-Study Approach.

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a common physical disability that is managed with a variety of strategies. One non-invasive intervention for people living with CP is a type of video self-modelling (VSM) referred to as positive self-review (PSR). PSR involves watching a video of oneself performing only the best examples of a desired task; this technique has been associated with improved performance and learning for people without disabilities and for those in various clinical populations, including children with spina bifida and stroke patients.

Exercise for dysmenorrhoea.

Background: Exercise has a number of health benefits and has been recommended as a treatment for primary dysmenorrhoea (period pain), but the evidence for its effectiveness on primary dysmenorrhoea is unclear. This review examined the available evidence supporting the use of exercise to treat primary dysmenorrhoea.

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of exercise for women with primary dysmenorrhoea.

The effectiveness of self-care and lifestyle interventions in primary dysmenorrhea: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Menstrual pain is very common amongst young women. Despite the significant impact that menstrual pain has on academic attendance and performance, social activities and quality of life, most young women do not seek medical treatment but prefer to use self-care; commonly OTC analgesic medications and rest. Many women do not get significant pain relief from these methods, therefore other low cost, easy to learn self-care methods may be a valuable approach to management.

Can Video Self-Modeling Improve Affected Limb Reach and Grasp Ability in Stroke Patients?

The authors examined whether feedforward video self-modeling (FF VSM) would improve control over the affected limb, movement self-confidence, movement self-consciousness, and well-being in 18 stroke survivors. Participants completed a cup transport task and 2 questionnaires related to psychological processes pre- and postintervention. Pretest video footage of the unaffected limb performing the task was edited to create a best-of or mirror-reversed training DVD, creating the illusion that patients were performing proficiently with the affected limb.

Is Mixed Practice More Effective than Physical Practice Alone for the Acquisition of Non-dominant Side Kicking Performance?

Perceiving and executing unfamiliar movements, such as left handed/footed movement skills in sports, places additional demands on the perceptual-cognitive system of players that may increase errors. The video self-modeling (VSM) method may provide an accessible solution to this issue, therefore the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the VSM method on the improvement of a non-preferred side kicking task. = 28 participants engaged in one of three conditions; Mirror reversed/ physical practice (PP), best-of/ PP, or physical practice only.

Can biological motion research provide insight on how to reduce friendly fire incidents?

The ability to accurately detect, perceive, and recognize biological motion can be associated with a fundamental drive for survival, and it is a significant interest for perception researchers. This field examines various perceptual features of motion and has been assessed and applied in several real-world contexts (e.g.

Why few older adults participate in complex motor skills: a qualitative study of older adults' perceptions of difficulty and challenge.

Background: Maintaining neuromotor fitness across the life course is imperative. It can reduce falls in older individuals and improve/maintain physical and cognitive functioning. Complex motor skills (CMS) are involved in many physical activities (e.

What is the effect of compression garments on a balance task in female athletes?

Objectives: To investigate the effect of long leg compression garments on the postural sway and balance ability of female athletes at a state sports institute.

Design: A laboratory was set up to analyse kinetic and kinematic variables using a double blind, randomised controlled repeated measures cross over design.

Method: Participants were required to perform a single leg balance task for up to 60s across six conditions; including eyes-open and eyes-closed while wearing conventional shorts (control), loose-fitted compression garment and well-fitted compression garments.

Liking and response latency in teammate identification: processing delays below conscious awareness?

Success in fast-ball sports relies on many factors which interact at both movement and cognitive levels. Players must recognize their teammates and decide whether to pass the ball to create or take advantage of scoring affordances. Previous research has shown athletes can identify teammates from brief visual displays during fast-ball sports and this is related to the amount of time individuals train together.

Junior football players' classification of runners as their teammates from 400-msec. video clips.

It was hypothesized that a specialized gait recognition skill enables humans to distinguish the gait of familiar from unfamiliar individuals, and that this may have relevance in team sports. Runners seen for less than half a second can be classified as teammates or not by adult players, so it may be asked whether this skill would also be demonstrated by young team players. In the current study, junior football players (M age = 10.

Identifying swimmers as water-polo or swim team-mates from visual displays of less than one second.

Opportunities for ball passing in water-polo may be brief and the decision to pass only informed by minimal visual input. Since researchers using point light displays have shown that the walking or running gait of familiars can be identified, water-polo players may have the ability to recognize team-mates from their swimming gait. To test this hypothesis, members of a water-polo team and a competition swim team viewed two randomized sets of video clips, each less than one second long, of swimmers from both teams sprinting freestyle past a fixed camera.

Identifying runners as football teammates from 400 msec. video clips.

Ability to recognize a runner as a teammate from only a brief visual exposure is suggested from research on gait recognition with point-light displays and has particular importance for ball-passing in sports. 15 touch football players of mean age 20 yr. (SD=0.