Feature-processing deficits following brain injury. I. Overselectivity in recognition memory for compound stimuli

A previous experiment (S. Wayland & J.E. Taplin, 1982, Brain and Language, 16, 87-108) demonstrated that aphasic subjects had particular difficulty performing a categorization task, which for normals involves abstraction of a prototype from a set of patterns and sorting of other patterns with reference to this prototype. This study extended the investigation to a recognition memory task similarly organized in categorical structure. The aim was to replicate the previous findings and to delineate the precise nature of aphasics' difficulties with such tasks. Aphasics were again found to be aberrant in performing this task in comparison with normal subjects, nonaphasic brain-injured control subjects also demonstrating a departure from normality. The results suggest that the problem for brain-injured subjects is one of overselectivity in terms of the features of the stimuli to which they respond rather than a difficulty with prototype abstraction itself.     

Feature-processing deficits following brain injury. II. Classification learning, categorical decision making, and feature production

The claim that overselectivity in feature processing underlies the disorders that aphasics display in processing both visual and verbal material was directly tested by exploring the relationships between the behavior of brain-injured subjects on three experimental tasks: classification learning, categorical decision making, and feature production. From each of these tests a score selected as being indicative of overselective responding was entered into a principal components analysis, together with measures of visual recognition and memory, visual reasoning, naming skills, and severity of aphasia. This analysis supported the assumption that feature-processing disability is a specific and separable deficit, although related both to naming ability and to severity of aphasia. The relevance of the overselectivity hypothesis to naming difficulties following brain injury is discussed.     

A qualitative exploration of the motor skills required for elite triathlon performance

PurposeThe purpose of this research was to investigate the beliefs, attitudes, and experiences of stakeholders in youth triathlon regarding the important motor subskills that are required to be successful at the elite level of triathlon competition.MethodTwenty-five participants were recruited from five stakeholder groups in triathlon and interviewed via video conference. A constructionist and relativist approach to thematic analysis was used to identify three first order themes and several second order themes.ResultsThe first, first order theme was ‘Continuous Motor Skills' which consisted of the invariant features of triathlon's continuous motor skills and the parameterization of continuous motor skills. The second, first order theme was ‘Discrete Motor Skills' and consisted of discrete motor skills involved with cornering and change of direction in each discipline and transition phases in triathlon. The final first order theme was ‘Adaptability in Continuous and Discrete Motor Skills'.ConclusionThis research provides a novel and more broad understanding of the beliefs, attitudes, and experiences of stakeholders in triathlon regarding important motor skills that are required to succeed at the elite level of the sport. This novel and broad understanding of important triathlon motor skills has theoretical implications for evaluating triathlon performance with skill acquisition as a primary focus. Additionally, this research is practically important for coaches, administrators, and athletic performance staff who design training programs and pathways for young, developing triathletes.