Planning and executing simple movements: contributions of relative-time and overall-duration specification

In 3 experiments, the authors used a precuing protocol to examine the nature and cost of programming and the subsequent reprogramming of a movement's relative time and overall duration. Initial programming followed a fixed-order specification; knowledge of the necessary relative time was required before information regarding overall duration could be used in a manner that expedited response planning. In the case of reprogramming, however, when a modification had to be made in either the relative time or overall duration of the anticipated and already-prepared response, performers chose to completely reprogram the entire response. Complete reprogramming occurred even when the performer had correctly prepared the higher order relative-time component and only had to modify the overall duration of the movement. The data indicate that organizing movement timing before movement initiation is accomplished in a fundamentally different manner depending on whether the movement is being initially compiled or modified.     

Evolutionary sport and exercise psychology: Integrating proximate and ultimate explanations

ObjectivesThis review aims to demonstrate the utility of integrating the insights of evolutionary psychology with sport and exercise psychology. Specifically, we offer a primer on evolutionary psychology that we then discuss in the context of several research avenues in sport and exercise. Next, we discuss how evolutionary psychology can inform our understanding of sporting culture.DesignReview paper.MethodsTheory and research are selectively reviewed in efforts to demonstrate the utility and limits of evolutionary psychology as an approach to sport and exercise psychology.Results and conclusionsEvolutionary psychology offers researchers in sport and exercise psychology an improved capacity to produce proximate explanations (i.e., how psychological mechanisms interact with the environment to produce behavior) by generating productive and novel hypotheses from ultimate explanations (i.e., why a psychological mechanism evolved a particular design; Tooby & Cosmides, 1992, 2005). The worth of integrating proximate and ultimate explanations is demonstrated by the ensuing novel insights of popular avenues of sport and exercise psychology including (a) the interrelation between motivation and reasoning and their relative influence on exercise behavior, (b) sex differences in sport participation, (c) performance in sport, and (d) group dynamics in sport. Unlike specific fields of psychology, evolutionary psychology is a metatheoretical approach that can foster mutually productive linkages between currently disparate areas within sport and exercise psychology, and with neighboring disciplines.     

Effects of Auditory Feedback on Movement Time in a Fitts Task

The purpose of the present experiment was to investigate the role of auditory feedback and its impact on movement time in a standard Fitts task. Feedback was given at the moment of target acquisition. A 2-way analysis of variance found significant differences between feedback groups at all three indexes of difficulty (F(2, 40) = 156.02, p < .001). Results from a mixed-model multivariate analysis of variance for kinematic factors show significant differences in peak velocity and the location of peak velocity when comparing feedback groups. In general, the addition of auditory feedback decreased the task ID by .5.     

Effector Independence

Although effector independence is predicted in a number of theoretical perspectives, it has received only moderate empirical support. The authors conducted 3 experiments to determine the extent to which simple motor sequences are effector independent. A measurement scheme that partitioned response errors into independent error measures attributable to the relative structure of the response and the force-time scaling of that structure was used in the analysis of the present experiments. The results indicated that the relative structure of the response could be effectively transferred from one limb to the contralateral limb (Experiment 1), to a different muscle group on the same limb (Experiment 2), and from a static to a dynamic version of the task (Experiment 3). The ability to scale force was effector dependent, however, and the force scaling was relatively ineffective when an unpracticed limb was used. Although participants (Ns = 20, 24, and 20, respectively, in Experiments 1, 2, and 3) were effective in transferring the movement structure from a static to a dynamic version of the task, they were not very effective in transferring from a dynamic to a static version of the task. The transfer difference appeared to be related to the information that was available to support performance of the dynamic version of the task, which was not available in producing the static version.     

Kantian Reflections on the Givenness of Zahavi’s Minimal Experiential Self

Abstract

At the core of Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason was a decisive break with certain fundamental Cartesian assumptions or claims about consciousness and self-consciousness, claims that have nonetheless remained perennially tempting, from a phenomenological perspective, independently of any further questions concerning the metaphysics of mind and its place in nature. The core of this philosophical problem has recently been helpfully exposed and insightfully probed in Dan Zahavi’s book, Self and Other: Exploring Subjectivity, Empathy, and Shame (OUP, 2014). In these remarks I suggest that Zahavi’s view of what he calls ‘The Experiential Self’ defends precisely the sorts of claims to which a Kantian account of consciousness is fundamentally opposed, and while assessing the overall merits of the two contrasting outlooks is no easy matter, I side with the Kantian view.     

Development and Evaluation of the Belief Acceptance Scale

The Belief Acceptance Scale (BAS) is a nine question scale that was developed to evaluate how open and accepting an individual is to other people’s beliefs across interdependent life domains. The purposes of this article are to demonstrate the internal consistency of the BAS and examine the instrument’s substructure and to correlate the BAS with validated measures of religiosity and demographic data gathered from a web-based Survey of Spiritual Experiences. The BAS focuses on cultural beliefs instead of religious motivations and was designed to be administered to religious and non-religious individuals. Three domains of belief acceptance were tested: the internal or subjective openness to other beliefs (Psychological Domain), willingness to participate in other ideologies and rituals (Reciprocal Domain), and the willingness to date or marry outside one’s belief system or cultural background (Social Domain). Responses from 350 individuals were correlated and analysed to estimate the scale’s internal consistency and subscale structure. Analyses support the validity of the BAS scores in that they demonstrate expected correlations with demographic data and standardised measures of religiosity. The results show that the BAS is an internally consistent scale with a coherent substructure that adequately measures openness to other beliefs, ideologies and belief systems.     

Expansion of Genetic Services Utilizing a General Genetic Counseling Clinic

We established a general genetic counseling clinic (GCC) to help reduce long wait times for new patient appointments and to enhance services for a subset of patients. Genetic counselors, who are licensed in Tennessee, were the primary providers and MD geneticists served as medical advisors. This article describes the clinic referral sources, reasons for referral and patient dispositions following their GCC visit(s). We obtained patients by triaging referrals made to our medical genetics division. Over 24 months, our GCC provided timely visits for 321 patients, allowing the MD geneticists to focus on patients needing a clinical exam and/or complex medical management. Following their GCC visit(s), over 80 % of patients did not need additional appointments with an MD geneticist. The GCC allowed the genetic counselor to spend more time with patients than is possible in our traditional medical genetics clinic. Patient satisfaction surveys (n?=?30) were very positive overall concerning the care provided. Added benefits for the genetic counselors were increased professional responsibility, autonomy and visibility as health care providers. We conclude that genetic counselors are accepted as health care providers by patients and referring providers for a subset of clinical genetics cases. A GCC can expand genetic services, complement more traditional genetic clinic models and utilize the strengths of the genetic counselor health care provider.