Transfer of training for two ball-throwing tasks

The effects of training overhand ball throws to enhance underhand ball-throwing accuracy were studied with 921 Italian high school pupils (575 girls, M age = 16.5 yr., SD = 1.3; 346 boys, M = 16.5 yr., SD = 1.2) ages 14 to 18 years. A standardized test (10 underhand tennis-ball throws into the floor area delimited by an 80-cm radius wooden hoop lying on the floor 9 m from the standing pupil) was performed and scored. An Experimental group (435 girls, M age = 16.5 yr., SD = 1.3; 204 boys, M age = 16.5 yr., SD = 1.2) was randomly selected to participate in 10 weekly training periods. The set included 10 overhand throws of a rubber bouncing ball (14.5 cm diameter, weight 240 g) into a basketball hoop from 5 standardized positions (in front of the basketball hoop; at 45 degrees, 90 degrees on the right and on the left of the basketball hoop) at a distance of 4.40 m. The underhand test was repeated for both groups. On the average, boys obtained higher test scores than girls of the same age. Older adolescents had higher mean scores than younger adolescents. After 10 weeks, boys and girls of all ages improved. Mean differences between sessions were significant for the Experimental group (Student t test, p < .01). In Session 2, consistent differences between Experimental and Control groups were also found (Student t test, p < .05).     

Changes of Gait Kinematics in Different Simulators of Reduced Gravity

Gravity reduction affects the energetics and natural speed of walking and running. But, it is less clear how segmental coordination is altered. Various devices have been developed in the past to study locomotion in simulated reduced gravity. However, most of these devices unload only the body center of mass. The authors reduced the effective gravity acting on the stance or swing leg to 0.16g using different simulators. Locomotion under these conditions was associated with a reduction in the foot velocity and significant changes in angular motion. Moreover, when simulated reduced gravity directly affected the swing limb, it resulted in significantly slower swing and longer foot excursions, suggesting an important role of the swing phase dynamics in shaping locomotor patterns.     

From STEM to STEAM: Cracking the Code? How Creativity & Motivation Interacts with Inquiry-based Learning

STEM subjects enriched with Arts (STEAM) are assumed to enhance science lessons and making them more attractive. A multidisciplinary STEAM module integrating inquiry-based learning was implemented to a sample of 160 students (11–12 years; 43.1% females). In a four-hour lesson, dealing with scientific phenomena surrounding bird flight, students learned at self-explanatory workstations that allowed space for creativity and a high level of autonomy. An arts facet was employed, using collaborative handicraft artwork. A workbook offered guidance, while the teacher’s role was of a passive tutor. A pre-/post-/retention-test design monitored knowledge, motivation, and two factors associated with creativity (Act and Flow) two weeks before, immediately after and six weeks later. The intervention produced long-term knowledge and built stable scores of intrinsic motivation, but self-reported aspects of creativity were not affected with a single STEAM intervention. Thus, it seems obvious that regular training in an adequate sociocultural setting is needed to develop creativity sustainably. Nevertheless, this study monitored the correlation of knowledge motivation and creativity in a science education setting for the first time. The findings indicate that fostering creativity, for example in STEAM environments, is a promising starting point for research into promoting motivation and creativity in educational settings.     

Flexibility and rigidity in hunting behaviour in rodents: is there room for cognition?

Animal Cognition - Predatory hunting is a complex species-typical behaviour involving different skills, some of which may include learning. This research aims to distinguish between rigid and...     

The role of utility value in achievement behavior: the importance of culture

Two studies tested how participants' responses to utility value interventions and subsequent interest in a math technique vary by culture (Westerners vs. East Asians) and levels of initial math interest. Participants in Study 1 were provided with information about the utility value of the technique or not. The manipulation was particularly effective for East Asian learners with initially lower math interest, who showed more interest in the technique relative to low-interest Westerners. Study 2 compared the effects of two types of utility value (proximal or distal) and examined the effects on interest, effort, performance, and process variables. Whereas East Asian participants reaped the most motivational benefits from a distal value manipulation, Westerners benefited the most from a proximal value manipulation. These findings have implications for how to promote motivation for learners with different cultural backgrounds and interests.     

Impugning Randomness, Convincingly

John organized a state lottery and his wife won the main prize. You may feel that the event of her winning wasn’t particularly random, but how would you argue that in a fair court of law? Traditional probability theory does not even have the notion of random events. Algorithmic information theory does, but it is not applicable to real-world scenarios like the lottery one. We attempt to rectify that.     

Varieties of Resilience in MIDUS

Population‐based studies of health typically focus on psychosocial contributors to illness and disease. We examine findings from a national longitudinal study of American adults, known as MIDUS (Midlife in the U.S.) to examine the role of psychosocial factors in promoting resilience, defined as the maintenance, recovery, or improvement in health following challenge. Classic studies of resilience are briefly noted, followed by a look at three categories of resilience in MIDUS. The first pertains to having good health and well‐being in the face of low socioeconomic standing. The second pertains to maintaining good health and well‐being despite the challenges that accompany aging. The third pertains to resilience in the face of targeted life challenges such as abuse in childhood, loss of spouse in adulthood, or having cancer. Across each area, we summarize evidence of positive health, and where possible, highlight protective influences that account for such salubrious outcomes. We conclude with opportunities for future research in MIDUS such as examining cultural and genetic influences on resilience as well as utilizing laboratory challenge data to illuminate underlying mechanisms.     

Play as co‐created narrative in computer game consumption: The hero's journey in Warcraft III

Computer games are now a significant consumption activity in consumer culture. Informed by interdisciplinary studies and drawing on data from in‐depth interviews with players of the Warcraft III computer game, we explore the relationship between play and storytelling during digital play. Understanding that such play is determined by systems of game rules and that computer game characters and settings are capable of conveying cultural meanings to players, we found that the rules of play in computer games can be designed in ways that encourage consumers to co‐create meaningful story plots derived from their knowledge of myth and fiction. In the case of Warcraft, these plots resembled the archetypal plot of the hero's journey. We conclude that computer games immerse consumers in a form of playful consumption that engages them in memorialised, co‐authored storytelling. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.