Working on a cognitive task does not influence performance in a physical fitness test

PurposeA limited number of studies have looked at the negative effect that cognitive fatigue has on physical performance.Methods and resultsTwo studies were conducted to assess the impact of a cognitive task on performance in an externally paced running task. In study 1, 12 trained athletes completed a standardized shuttle run, once after a cognitively fatiguing task (unmatched stroop for 10 min) and once after an easy cognitive task (matched stroop for 10 min). Performance in the shuttle run test did not differ between the two conditions, and, surprisingly, perceived effort was significantly higher in the control condition. In study 2, the control condition was modified and the easy cognitive task replaced by watching a video. 11 trained athletes completed both sessions, however, there were again no differences in either performance or in perceived effort.ConclusionBoth studies failed to reveal an impact of cognitive fatigue on subsequent physical performance. These findings contribute to the growing body of literature in this area, showing that the relationship between cognitive and physical task completion is not straightforward, and that other important factors still remain for investigation.     

The effect of Parkinson's disease on time estimation as a function of stimulus duration range and modality

The present research sought to investigate the role of the basal ganglia in timing of sub- and supra-second intervals via an examination of the ability of people with Parkinson's disease (PD) to make temporal judgments in two ranges, 100-500 ms, and 1-5 s. Eighteen non-demented medicated patients with PD were compared with 14 matched controls on a duration-bisection task in which participants were required to discriminate auditory and visual signal durations within each time range. Results showed that patients with PD exhibited more variable duration judgments across both signal modality and duration range than controls, although closer analyses confirmed a timing deficit in the longer duration range only. The findings presented here suggest the bisection procedure may be a useful tool in identifying timing impairments in PD and, more generally, reaffirm the hypothesised role of the basal ganglia in temporal perception at the level of the attentionally mediated internal clock as well as memory retrieval and/or decision-making processes.     

运动行为领域中的调节匹配

调节匹配理论认为个体更倾向于采用与自身调节定向方式相匹配的行为策略, 并且当个体处于调节匹配状态时, 其行为表现会更好。通过梳理近年来运动领域关于调节匹配的研究发现, 调节匹配可以对运动行为的多个方面产生影响, 如促进运动员的运动表现、提高运动员的决策效能、增强体育锻炼参与度等。未来研究应注重对运动中调节匹配研究内容的扩充, 探讨调节匹配的内在机制, 并完善调节匹配的研究方法。     

The future is now: the impact of present fluency in judgments about the future

Recent research has emphasised the role of episodic memory in both remembering past events and in envisaging future events. On the other hand, it has been repeatedly shown that judgments about past events are affected by the fluency with which retrieval cues are processed. In this paper we investigate whether perceptual fluency also plays a role in judgments about future events. For this purpose we conducted four experiments. The first experiment replicated recent findings showing that stimuli that are processed fluently tend to be wrongly recognised as having been encountered in the past outside the laboratory walls [Brown, A. S., & Marsh, E. J. (2009). Creating illusions of past encounter through brief exposure. Psychological Science, 20, 534–538. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02337.x]. Two follow-up experiments using Brown and Marsh’s [(2009). Creating illusions of past encounter through brief exposure. Psychological Science, 20, 534–538. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02337] task tested the influence of perceptual fluency on future judgments. The fourth and last experiment was designed to rule out a potential confounding factor in the two previous experiments. Across experiments, we found that people rely on fluency when making judgments about events that are yet to come. These results suggest that fluency is an equally valid cue for past and future judgments.     

The impact of sport and physical activity on the well-being of combat veterans: A systematic review

ObjectivesThis review examined the potential impact of sport and physical activity upon the subjective and psychological well-being of combat veterans in the aftermath of physical or psychological combat trauma.DesignA systematic review was conducted. The question guiding this review was ‘what is the impact of sport and physical activity on the well-being of combat veterans?’MethodsKey databases were searched for articles relating to the use of sport and/or physical activity in supporting combat veterans. 11 studies were identified as relevant for inclusion. Data from these studies were extracted by means of a directed content analysis, the results of which were reported in a narrative synthesis.ResultsSport and physical activity enhances subjective well-being in veterans through active coping and doing things again, PTSD symptom reduction, positive affective experience, activity in nature/ecotherapy, and quality of life. Impact on psychological well-being includes determination and inner strength, focus on ability and broadening of horizons, identity and self-concept, activity in nature/ecotherapy, sense of achievement/accomplishment, and social well-being. Participating in sport and/or physical activity can also enhance motivation for living.ConclusionsThe review advances knowledge by producing a synthesis of evidence that highlights the value of sport and physical activity for supporting the well-being and rehabilitation of disabled combat veterans and combat veterans diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It also develops knowledge by identifying the type of sports and physical activities used to promote well-being, offering the first definition of combat veterans in the sport literature, taking a critical approach, and highlighting the under researched role of nature-based physical activity.     

The differential depiction of female athletes in judged and non-judged sport magazines

Sports magazines portrayal of female athletes over the past ten years, in terms of body size, age, and race was examined. Using the Contour Drawing Rating Scale (CDRS), estimated body size was obtained for cover models on a set of judged and non-judged sport magazines. The frequency with which the full bodies of models were depicted on the covers of these magazines was also investigated. Cover models on judged sport magazines were rated as significantly thinner than cover models on non-judged sport magazines. Judged sport magazines also displayed a higher number of full-body images than non-judged sport magazines. These findings suggest that individuals who read judged sport magazines are more likely to be exposed to thin media images than those reading non-judged sport magazines.     

The use of autobiographical knowledge in age estimation

Event dates are not directly associated with memories, so the processes by which we maintain a sense of time and sequence in our autobiographical memories is of considerable interest. The present study examined participants’ reported age estimation strategies for childhood memories retrieved using a Galton-Crovitz cueing technique. The results indicate that all three categories of autobiographical knowledge in Conway and Pleydell-Pearce's (2000) self-memory system model—lifetime periods, general events, and event-specific details—support temporal inferences. However, participants most frequently used lifetime period knowledge to provide an initial age range, and event-specific knowledge was used to confirm or narrow the range of their estimated age.     

The effect of increased parasympathetic activity on perceived duration

Theories of human temporal perception suggest that changes in physiological arousal distort the perceived duration of events. Behavioural manipulations of sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity support this suggestion, however the effects of behavioural manipulations of parasympathetic (PSNS) activity on time perception are unclear. The current study examined the effect of a paced respiration exercise known to increase PSNS activity on sub-second duration estimates. Participants estimated the duration of negatively and neutrally valenced images following a period of normal and paced breathing. PSNS and SNS activity were indexed by high-frequency heart-rate variability and pre-ejection period respectively. Paced breathing increased PSNS activity and reduced the perceived duration of the negative and neutrally valenced stimuli relative to normal breathing. The results show that manipulations of PSNS activity can distort time in the absence of a change in SNS activity. They also suggest that activities which increase PSNS activity may be effective in reducing the perceived duration of short events.     

The interplay of actual and perceived physical fitness in children: Effects on motivation and physical activity

From a sport and exercise psychology perspective, both the actual and perceived physical fitness become important for motivation towards physical activity and persistent physical activity in children no later than middle childhood (Stodden et al., 2008). To date, the effects of actual and perceived physical fitness have been investigated from a variable-centered approach (Jekauc et al., 2017). However, within this approach, the accuracy of the perceived physical fitness remains unconsidered. As actual and perceived physical fitness levels can be divergent, especially in children due to greater egocentricity and hence less comparison processes (Harter, 2006), also the accuracy of perceived physical fitness should be considered.In total, 462 children from 3rd and, approximately nine months later, from 4th grade participated in this study (M_age = 8.79 years). Third-grade students were assessed on their actual physical fitness, perceived physical fitness, and physical activity. In fourth grade, students were asked to fill out questionnaires that assess motivational regulations and physical activity. Polynomial regressions with response surface analyses were conducted to analyze main effects and accuracy effects of actual and perceived physical fitness on motivation and physical activity. Analyses revealed that children with higher actual and perceived physical fitness levels show greater autonomous motivation, higher current physical activity levels and higher physical activity levels nine months later. In addition, children who perceive their physical fitness more accurately show more current physical activity. Results indicate that the interplay between actual and perceived physical fitness does not only have an effect on physical activity but also on autonomous motivation, which is a predictor for long-term physical activity. Therefore, intervention should focus on the promotion of actual and perceived physical fitness. In addition, the ability to accurately assess fitness should be promoted in this age group.     

The impact of infant-directed videos on parent-child interaction

This study assessed whether infant-directed videos designed to promote parent-child interactions actually support such engagement. Parents watched videos from the Baby Einstein or the Sesame Beginnings series for 2 weeks at home with their 12- or 18-month-old infants. Baby Einstein encourages parents to label objects and actions; Sesame Beginnings models activities in which parents can engage with their children. A control group was not provided videos for home viewing. In laboratory sessions, parent-child interactions were recorded during free play without TV, during the presentation of one of the videos, and immediately after watching. During viewing, interactions decreased in quantity and quality across groups; however, parents used video content as a basis for interaction. Coviewing Sesame Beginnings at home was positively associated with quantity of parent-child interaction during the initial free-play session. Furthermore, the quantity and quality of interactions were greater immediately following viewing of Sesame Beginnings than with Baby Einstein.     

The effect of construal level on predictions of task duration

Construal level theory (Trope & Liberman, 2010) contends that distance to events leads to higher level processing. In a series of studies, we examined the role of construal level in prediction of the time needed to perform a task. Estimates increased when the tasks were distant rather than close in time (Study 1), were hypothetical rather than real (Study 2), and when participants were primed to adopt an abstract rather than a concrete mindset (Study 3). As a possible explanation, it is suggested that time units are perceived as smaller as people move up in abstraction, so that more time units are needed to cover the same amount of work. In line with this, we found that people who were primed to adopt a higher level processing mode visualized an hour as shorter than those in a lower level mode, as indicated by their distance marks on a time-line (Study 4). Finally, the contraction of time units was shown to mediate the relationship between temporal distance and task duration estimates (Study 5).     

Effects of interval duration on temporal processing in schizophrenia

INTRODUCTION: Temporal processing has received scant attention in the literature pertaining to cognitive deficits in patients with schizophrenia. Previous research suggests that patients with schizophrenia exhibit temporal perception deficits on both auditory and visual stimuli. The current study investigated the effects of interval manipulation to (1) replicate the original findings with a larger sample and an increased number of trials (2) assess the degree to which both patients and controls can differentiate temporal changes in a range of experimental interstimulus intervals, and (3) explore whether different interstimulus interval durations pose different levels of difficulty for the patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: Participants were asked to decide whether temporal intervals were shorter or longer than standard intervals on a computer-based auditory temporal perception task. The standard interval remained the same duration throughout the various tasks. The interstimulus interval separating the standard and experimental intervals varied in the range of 500, 1000, or 3000 ms. Data are presented for a sample of 16 patients with schizophrenia and 15 controls. RESULTS: Data suggest that patients with schizophrenia exhibit deficits in differentiating interval durations across all paradigms compared to their control-group peers on a range of auditory tasks (p<.001). CONCLUSIONS: These results are consistent with a general temporal deficit in schizophrenia. However, the roles of medication and localization are also addressed.     

The impact of COVID-19 concerns on perceiving others' faces

Unlike most infectious diseases, COVID-19 is characterised by an absence of facial disease-signalling cues. Yet, it is still unclear whether it has influenced face perception. Understanding this may help clarify if and how our motivation toward social interactions is conditional on situational pathogen threats. The present study investigated if priming disease concerns about COVID-19 would change people's perception of neutral faces on perceived disease, social discomfort and arousal elicited by such faces; this condition was compared with other infectious/non-infectious diseases and a non-disease priming condition. One-hundred sixty-six participants recruited nationally performed the online task. When compared with the non-disease condition, participants primed for COVID-19 perceived faces as sicker and tended to view them as eliciting more social discomfort; no difference occurred in arousal. No other difference was found between conditions. These findings suggest that the pandemic context can shape how we perceive others' apparent sickness. Overall, these might reflect adaptations intertwined with the behavioural immune system's defence mechanisms.     

A crossover randomised and controlled trial of the impact of active video games on motor coordination and perceptions of physical ability in children at risk of Developmental Coordination Disorder

BackgroundImpaired motor development can significantly affect a child’s life and may result in an increased risk of a range of physical and psychological disorders. Active video game (AVG) interventions have been demonstrated to enhance motor skills in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD); however a home-based intervention has not been assessed.ObjectivesThe primary aim of this study was to compare the changes in motor coordination between a 16 week period of AVG use, with 16 weeks of normal activities (NAG). The secondary aim was to compare the child and parent perceptions of their physical performance between the AVG and NAG conditions.MethodsTwenty-one 9–12 year olds (10 males) were confirmed to be at risk of DCD (⩽16th percentile Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2nd edition (MABC-2) and ⩽15th percentile Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ)) and participated in this crossover randomised and controlled trial. Data was collected at study entry, after the first 16 week condition and following the final 16 week condition, including; (1) the MABC-2, (2) three-dimensional motion analysis of single leg balance and finger–nose tasks, and (3) parent perception of physical skills. Participant perception of physical skills was collected only after the first and second conditions.ResultsThere was no significant difference between AVG and NAG for any of the primary variables including the MABC-2, balance centre-of-mass path distance and finger–nose path distance. There was no significant intervention effect for secondary measures of motor coordination; however the children perceived their motor skills to be significantly enhanced as a result of the AVG intervention in comparison to the period of no intervention.ConclusionA 16 week home based AVG intervention did not enhance motor skills in children with DCD, although they perceived their physical skills to be significantly improved.Trial Registration: Australia and New Zealand Clinical trials Registry (ACTRN 12611000400965).     

A longitudinal analysis of reciprocal relationships between actual and perceived motor competencies and physical self-concept in primary-school age children

Physical self-concept (PSC) and motor competencies are important factors in view of the development of a physically active lifestyle. There are research gaps regarding longitudinal studies of these relationships. This article presents findings of a longitudinal study (n = 200; 58% girls, M = 8.84 ± 0.63 years) at three primary schools. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between actual motor competencies (AMC) and perceived motor competencies (PMC) and PSC. Therefore, manifest path models in cross-lagged design were performed. Results show that correlations between PMC and AMC increased over time and were stronger in object control than in locomotor. Effects of AMC on PSC were more strongly mediated by PMC in object control than in locomotor. To promote physical activity, developing strategies should be aimed at the acquisition of AMC, particularly in object control, and PMC, especially in locomotor, during childhood.     

Age-related differences in time-based prospective memory: The role of time estimation in the clock monitoring strategy

Time-based prospective memory (TBPM) is required when it is necessary to remember to perform an action at a specific future point in time. This type of memory has been found to be particularly sensitive to ageing, probably because it requires a self-initiated response at a specific time. In this study, we sought to examine the involvement of temporal processes in the time monitoring strategy, which has been demonstrated to be a decisive factor in TBPM efficiency. We compared the performance of young and older adults in a TBPM task in which they had to press a response button every minute while categorising words. The design allowed participants to monitor time by checking a clock whenever they decided. Participants also completed a classic time-production task and several executive tasks assessing inhibition, updating and shifting processes. Our results confirm an age-related lack of accuracy in prospective memory performance, which seems to be related to a deficient strategic use of time monitoring. This could in turn be partially explained by age-related temporal deficits, as evidenced in the duration production task. These findings suggest that studies designed to investigate the age effect in TBPM tasks should consider the contribution of temporal mechanisms.     

The impact of contextual information and a secondary task on anticipation performance: An interpretation using cognitive load theory

When performing under severe time constraints, sports performers use kinematic and contextual information to facilitate anticipation. We examined the relative importance of these two information sources and their impact on cognitive load and anticipation performance. Cognitive load theory predicts that adding more information sources to a task will increase cognitive load in less‐skilled but not skilled performers. Skilled and less‐skilled cricket batters anticipated deliveries from bowlers on a life‐size screen under 4 conditions that manipulated access to contextual information and included a secondary task. The presence of context enhanced anticipation accuracy for both skilled and less‐skilled groups, without affecting cognitive load. Skilled performers used sequencing and game‐related contextual information in addition to kinematic information to facilitate anticipation, whereas both groups reported using information pertaining to opponent positioning. Findings highlight the importance of context in anticipation and suggest that the addition of context may not necessarily negatively impact cognitive load.     

Exploring choking experiences in elite sport: The role of self-presentation

ObjectivesThe aims of this study were twofold: first, to examine the role of self-presentation within the lived-experience of choking in sport; and second, to explore whether the 2 × 2 framework of self-presentation (Howle, Jackson, Conroy, & Dimmock, 2015) holds the potential to further our understanding of acute sporting failure under pressurized conditions.Design and MethodAn empirical phenomenological research design was adopted to address the research aims. Purposefully selected participants completed phenomenological interviews, which explored in detail their experiences of choking and clutch performance under pressure. The sample consisted of 9 elite athletes (6 male and 3 female) (Mage = 27.14; SD = 5.27) from a range of sports (netball, rugby union, golf, tennis, and cricket).ResultsParticipants reported a tendency to hold protective-agentic self-presentation motives, low self-presentation efficacy, and self-presentational concerns prior to, and during the choke. Conversely, acquisitive-agentic self-presentation motives, and self-presentation efficacy were experienced before and during clutch performances. However, alongside self-presentation, other psychological constructs also preceded and accompanied the choking experience (e.g., unfamiliarity and perceived control).ConclusionThis exploratory study is the first to identify the value of examining choking in sport through the lens of the 2 × 2 self-presentation framework, with self-presentation motives appearing to influence the choking experience. Yet, it is also evident that self-presentation may not explain all choking episodes.     

The differential impact of brooding and reflection on the relationship between perceived stress and suicide ideation

This study investigated whether brooding and reflection moderated the relationship between perceived stress and suicide ideation. It was hypothesized that brooding, but not reflection, would strengthen the effect of perceived stress on suicide ideation above and beyond depression symptoms. Hypotheses were supported. Results suggest the assessment of a brooding response style may help identify clients who are more likely to contemplate suicide when confronted with life stress.