The Influence of Skill and Intermittent Vision on Dynamic Balance

Two experiments are reported in which expert and novice gymnasts were required to walk across a balance beam as quickly as possible in various vision conditions. In Experiment 1, experts walked faster than novices in all vision conditions, showing the greatest superiority when vision was completely eliminated. Novices were more dependent on vision and were able to maintain their performance as long as a visual sample was available every 250 ms (i.e: 4-Hz samples).The results of Experiment 2 indicate that differences between expert and novice performers in the no-vision condition were not related to the use of a short-term visual representation of the movement environment. Our movement time findings are problematic for specificity of learning models of skill acquisition. As well, film data collected in Experiment 2 were not consistent with models that propose a transition from closed-loop to open-loop control.     

The Effect of Information Strength and Weight on Behavior in Financial Markets

Griffin and Tversky (1992) explain evidence of individual over- and underconfidence as resulting from attending too much to the strength (i.e., extremity) of information and not enough to the weight (i.e., statistical reliability) of information. We report two experiments that demonstrate how information strength and weight affect confidence, trading, prices, and wealth in laboratory markets. Our results indicate that information strength and weight affect individual over- and underconfidence and that market participants lack sufficient self-insight to avoid trading when they are biased. As a consequence, market prices are biased, and market participants with high-strength, low-weight information systematically transfer wealth to participants with low-strength, high-weight information.     

视觉的知觉-动作双系统理论中的论争

视觉的知觉-动作双系统理论认为,视觉的腹侧和背侧通路是两个独立系统,功能分别为表征世界和指导动作,相对应的视觉加工是彼此分离的。有关两条通路之间关系的其他观点可归结为两类：一类否认这种分工,另一类强调两个系统能相互影响。首先评述各种理论的核心问题、实验证据和贡献,进而分析视觉加工发生在一个特定系统的条件,得出的结论是：两个系统之间的功能划分是相对的,并因此导致了视觉加工的多变性。     

The Effects of Elevated Arousal and Mood on Maximal Strength Performance in Athletes

Optimal arousal models contend that high arousal contributes to inhibited athletic performance, whereas there is reversal theory research which indicates that high positive arousal may enhance performance. To test these claims, 22 male and 6 female elite athletes were induced into high arousal telic (goal-directed) and high arousal paratelic (non goal-directed, process focussed) motivational states and tested on a standard hand strength task. Personalized guided imagery techniques and paced breathing were used to change psychological and physiological arousal. Significant increases in strength performance occurred when arousal was high and experienced as pleasant excitement in the paratelic condition (i.e., high positive arousal). Heart rate and other indicators of parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system activity were not found to mediate between psychological arousal and performance. Where athletic performance requires maximal motor strength over a short period, performance benefits of high arousal may be maximized by restructuring motivational state.     

The Effects of Textured Insoles on Cortical Activity and Quiet Bipedal Standing With and Without Vision: An EEG Study

Abstract

Wearing textured insoles (TIs) can reduce static postural sway, but the neurophysiological mechanisms by which these changes occur are not well understood. To address this issue, cortical activity was investigated in this study using electroencephalography (EEG) recordings from 19 scalp locations, in 15 healthy young adults (5 females; mean age = 27?±?4.09 years) during quiet bipedal standing, under different insole conditions (textured versus smooth), with and without vision. Compared to smooth insoles (SIs), TIs significantly reduced postural sway in two measures; anterior–posterior range and standard deviation. In the EEG data, whole-head analyses showed cortical activity in the upper alpha power band was significantly reduced for textured compared to SIs. Exploratory analyses revealed this effect was significant both with and without vision, and was more pronounced over the parietal, compared to central regions, and over central compared to frontal regions. This trend was observed in low alpha and theta bands, but the effect of insole type was not significant. Textured insoles thus appear to affect not only balance outcomes but also cortical activity. The cortical activity adaptation may represent greater information becoming readily available at the cortical level, enhancing the representation of the body in space.     

视觉搜索左右视野靶时脑两半球加工特点

研究视觉分别搜索在左右视野靶时,脑两侧前额叶视觉加工的机制。14名有偿被试参加实验。实验任务是从正圆中所存在的垂直方向的箭头,搜索出水平方向箭头,并判断箭头方向。靶所在左右视野经过镜面处理完全对应。结果发现当靶出现约220ms后左右两侧脑区ERP出现分叉点,靶对侧与靶同侧的前脑区相比有非常显著的负向电位活动,对侧和同侧的N2延续40-80ms。分析认为靶对侧前额脑区N2负向活动增强是注意的等级提高,聚焦点收窄,使所要加工的靶在主效应脑区(靶视野对侧脑区)“跃显”出来,在得到正反馈诱导的同时,也得到更多的资源,靶同侧脑区N2可能与中断或阻止其他无关信息的涌入有关。     

The Effect of Action Observation Training on Balance and Sit to Walk in Chronic Stroke: A Crossover Randomized Controlled Trial

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of an action observation training on balance and sit to walk in chronic stroke. Twenty-four chronic stroke patients participated in this study. Participants were randomly allocated to either the landscape imagery observation physical training group (LIOPT) or the action observation physical training group (AOPT). LIOPT observed a landscape picture for 2 min 30 s while the AOPT group observed related video recording. Both groups underwent a physical training session after the observation session for 12 min 30 s and the sessions were repeated twice a day, 3 times a week for 6 weeks. Outcome measures included Time Up and Go Test (TUG), Dynamic Gait Index (DGI), Weight Distribution Index (WDI), and limit of stability (LOS). Between-group and within-group comparisons were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test and Wilcoxon signed rank test, respectively. The AOPT and LIOPT groups have shown statistically significant differences in TUG, DGI, WDI, and LOS over time. However, no significant difference was observed in terms of TUG, DGI and WDI, but only in LOS between groups. These findings suggest that action observation training and physical training are effective to improve sit to walk and balance ability of chronic stroke patients.     

The Effect of Paired Muscle Stimulation on Preparation for Movement

Paired muscle stimulation is used clinically to facilitate the performance of motor tasks for individuals with motor dysfunction. However, the optimal temporal relationship between stimuli for enhancing movement remains unknown. We hypothesized that synchronous, muscle stimulation would increase the extent to which stimulated muscles are concurrently prepared for movement. We validated a measure of muscle-specific changes in corticomotor excitability prior to movement. We used this measure to examine the preparation of the first dorsal interosseous (FDI), abductor digiti minimi (ADM), abductor pollicis brevis (APB) muscles prior to voluntary muscle contractions before and after paired muscle stimulation at four interstimulus intervals (0, 5, 10, and 75 ms). Paired muscle stimulation increased premovement excitability in the stimulated FDI, but not in the ADM muscle. Interstimulus interval was not a significant factor in determining efficacy of the protocol. Paired stimulation, therefore, did not result in a functional association being formed between the stimulated muscles. Somatosensory potentials evoked by the muscle stimuli were small compared to those commonly elicited by stimulation of peripheral nerves, suggesting that the lack of functional association formation between muscles may be due to the small magnitude of afferent volleys from the stimulated muscles, particularly the ADM, reaching the cortex.     

全球视野下高等医学教育面临的挑战与改革出路

医学卫生人才培养质量和高等医学教育改革备受全球瞩目.分别从体制层面涉及的四个功能和教学层面涉及的四个方面分析了目前我国高等医学教育面临的一些问题及其原因,并从全球视野出发,重新定位医学教育改革的目标,探讨在全球视野下我国高等医学教育改革的出路,提出改革构想.     

The Epistemological Status of Vision and its Implications for Design

Computational theories of vision typically rely on the analysis of two aspects of human visual function: (1) object and shape recognition (2) co-calibration of sensory measurements. Both these approaches are usually based on an inverse-optics model, where visual perception is viewed as a process of inference from a 2D retinal projection to a 3D percept within a Euclidean space schema. This paradigm has had great success in certain areas of vision science, but has been relatively less successful in understanding perceptual representation, namely, the nature of the perceptual encoding. One of the drawbacks of inverse-optics approaches has been the difficulty in defining the constraints needed to make the inference computationally tractable (e.g. regularity assumptions, Bayesian priors, etc.). These constraints, thought to be learned assumptions about the nature of the physical and optical structures of the external world, have to be incorporated into any workable computational model in the inverse-optics paradigm. But inference models that employ an inverse optics plus structural assumptions approach inevitably result in a naïve realist theory of perceptual representation. Another drawback of inference models for theories of perceptual representation is their inability to explain central features of the visual experience. The one most evident in the process and visual understanding of design is the fact that some visual configurations appear, often spontaneously, as perceptually more coherent than others. The epistemological consequences of inferential approaches to vision indicate that they fail to capture enduring aspects of our visual experience. Therefore they may not be suited to a theory of perceptual representation, or useful for an understanding of the role of perception in the design process and product.     

The Influence of Attentional Focus on Balance Control over Seven Days of Training

This study examined the training effect of attentional focus (external focus, internal focus, or no focus instructions) on a dynamic balance task. Participants completed baseline balance testing, seven consecutive days of dynamic balance board training, and retention testing 24 hours after the last session. The novel finding of this study was the presence of a training effect on balance control when adopting an external focus relative to an internal focus or no focus instructions. Further, we report the unique observation that more patterned behavior was adopted regardless of the focus instructions. These findings provide insight into how instructions can be altered to enhance human balance control and complement the constrained-action hypothesis.     

Influence of Restricted Vision and Knee Joint Range of Motion on Gait Properties During Level Walking and Stair Ascent and Descent

Because elderly individuals experience marked declines in various physical functions (e.g., vision, joint function) simultaneously, it is difficult to clarify the individual effects of these functional declines on walking. However, by imposing vision and joint function restrictions on young men, the effects of these functional declines on walking can be clarified. The authors aimed to determine the effect of restricted vision and range of motion (ROM) of the knee joint on gait properties while walking and ascending or descending stairs. Fifteen healthy young adults performed level walking and stair ascent and descent during control, vision restriction, and knee joint ROM restriction conditions. During level walking, walking speed and step width decreased, and double support time increased significantly with vision and knee joint ROM restrictions. Stance time, step width, and walking angle increased only with knee joint ROM restriction. Stance time, swing time, and double support time were significantly longer in level walking, stair descent, and stair ascent, in that order. The effects of vision and knee joint ROM restrictions were significantly larger than the control conditions. In conclusion, vision and knee joint ROM restrictions affect gait during level walking and stair ascent and descent. This effect is marked in stair ascent with knee joint ROM restriction.     

基于神经网络的黑白图形视觉识别机制模拟

物理刺激引起视觉系统的生理反应．经过大脑的信息加工而形成视觉。现有多种模型从不同角度对视觉机制进行模拟。该文利用人工神经网络技术对黑白图形识别的视觉机制加以模拟,构建了一个两层BP(back-propagatbn)神经网络模型。应用所建网络对一幅目标和背景灰度分布曲线有重叠的图像进行了成功识别．对大脑视觉加工机制作了有益的探索。     

Strength of Religious Faith: A Comparison of Intercollegiate Athletes and Non-Athletes

This pilot study explored the strength of religious faith in a sample of intercollegiate athletes and non-athletes. Participants were 226 undergraduate students (57 athletes) at the University of Florida who were enrolled in undergraduate courses. Strength of religious beliefs were assessed with the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith—Short Form. Findings indicate that athletes reported higher levels of religious faith than non-athletes. Implications of these findings on future research and applied sport practice are discussed.     

不同视觉区域OUP效应的眼动研究

摘 要 采用眼动方法,通过两个实验考察了不同视觉区域的OUP效应。结果显示：（1）当刺激材料分别平行呈现于左侧视觉区域和右侧视觉区域时,在右侧视觉区域产生了OUP效应,而在左侧视觉区域没有OUP效应,我们假设是由于左侧视觉区域首字母距离中央凹的不利位置影响了OUP效应的产生。（2）当垂直方向呈现刺激时,在两侧视觉区域均产生了明显的OUP效应,表明首字母距离中央凹处于有利位置时不会影响OUP效应的产生。实验结果支持了大脑左半球和右半球在词汇识别时的策略为系列加工,对左半球平行加工右半球系列加工的结论提出了质疑。     

The Effect of Warnings to Timeout on Child Compliance to Parental Instructions

ABSTRACT

One common component of behavioral parent training packages is the use of a warning prior to implementation of a timeout following noncompliance to parental instructions. The primary purpose of this research was to evaluate the effects of warnings on compliance. An alternating treatments design was used to evaluate compliance to warned versus unwarned timeouts with three typically developing children. All participants showed a significant increase in compliance upon implementation of the timeout package, either with or without a warning. However, compliance decreased over time in the Warning condition for two participants and increased in variability for a third. All participants had more timeouts in the No Warning condition. Results also showed preliminary evidence for parental preference of Warned timeouts. Implications are discussed.     

Election Outcome and Tax Compliance: The Role of Political Party Affiliation,Affect Balance,and Trust in Government

The present study examines partisan reactions to presidential election outcomes. Our model investigates the interactive role of political party affiliation on the relationship between identification with the winning party and affect balance. We subsequently examine how tax compliance intentions are influenced by this moderation relationship through affect balance and trust in government. We conducted a quasi-experiment one week prior to the first mass 2016 presidential primary, where 12 of the 50 US states voted to decide which candidates would represent the Republican and Democratic parties in the 2016 US presidential election. Our sample consisted of 205 Republicans and Democrats. We manipulated press releases showing various presidential candidates winning the presidency to examine how matches / mismatches between partisans’ political party affiliation and the party winning the election influence citizens’ overall feelings, beliefs, and intentions. We find election outcomes generate significant overall positive or negative feelings (i.e., affect balance) among partisans, which influences beliefs about trust in government, and subsequently their tax compliance intentions. Political party moderates the relationship between election outcomes and affect balance in such a way that Democrats experience greater overall positive affect balance when their party wins the election compared to Republicans.     

Exploring the Within-Person Coupling of Reading Vision and Cognition in the Elderly

ABSTRACT

This study examined the within-person relationship between reading vision and cognitive functioning. Analysis was conducted on 36 community-dwelling elderly (age range?=?60–87) who completed a reading vision task and three cognitive tests (i.e., Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Task (AVLT), Letter Series, and Number Comparison) twice a day over 60 consecutive days. Significant within-person variability was found for the reading vision measure. Additionally, a main effect was found for reading vision and performance on the AVLT and Number Comparison task; such that on occasions when reading vision was poor, cognitive performance suffered.     

大学生生命愿景、自我效能感与应对方式的关系

采用问卷法以377名大学生为被试研究了生命愿景、一般自我效能感及应对方式的关系。研究结果为:1)大学生生命愿景整体水平较高,存在着性别和年级差异,女生的生命愿景显著高于男生;大一学生显著高于大四;2)生命愿景不同水平的大学生在一般自我效能感上存在显著性差异(t=7.35,p<0.001);在积极应对与消极应对因子上有显著性差异。3)大学生生命愿景与一般自我效能感呈显著正相关,并对自我效能感具有良好的预测作用;4)大学生生命愿景与积极应对方式呈显著正相关,与消极应对方式呈显著负相关;5)大学生生命愿景通过一般自我效能感对应对方式产生间接影响。结论为生命愿景作为应对源对大学生应对校园压力发挥积极作用。     

The Effect of Instructor Gender and Race/Ethnicity on Gaining Compliance in the Classroom1

How instructors' gender and race impacts their ability to gain compliance in the classroom when utilizing various bases of social power was investigated using a 2 × 2 × 3 between‐subjects design. Male and female participants (n = 297) completed the Interpersonal Power Inventory while viewing a photo depicting an instructor. The instructors depicted were male or female of varying ethnicities (Caucasian, African American, and Latino). Results indicated that instructor gender and race influenced student compliance rates when soft (subtle and noncoercive) bases of power were utilized. With regard to individual power bases, student gender, instructor gender, instructor race, and the Instructor Gender × Instructor Race interaction were found to impact compliance rates. Implications for classroom instructors, as well as other powerholders, are discussed.