Coordination tending towards an anti-phase relationship determines greater sway reduction during entrainment with a simulated partner

The increased risk of falls in the older aged population demands the development of assistive robotic devices capable of effective balance support. For the development and increased user acceptance of such devices, which provide balance support in a human-like way, it is important to understand the simultaneous occurrence of entrainment and sway reduction in human-human interaction. However, sway reduction has not been observed yet during a human touching an external, continuously moving reference, which rather increased human body sway. Therefore, we investigated in 15 healthy young adults (27.20±3.55 years, 6 females) how different simulated sway-responsive interaction partners with different coupling modes affect sway entrainment, sway reduction and relative interpersonal coordination, as well as how these human behaviours differ depending on the individual body schema accuracy. For this, participants were lightly touching a haptic device that either played back an average pre-recorded sway trajectory (“Playback”) or moved based on the sway trajectory simulated by a single-inverted pendulum model with either a positive (Attractor) or negative (Repulsor) coupling to participant's body sway. We found that body sway reduced not only during the Repulsor-interaction, but also during the Playback-interaction. These interactions also showed a relative interpersonal coordination tending more towards an anti-phase relationship, especially the Repulsor. Moreover, the Repulsor led to the strongest sway entrainment. Finally, a better body schema contributed to a reduced body sway in both the “reliable” Repulsor and the “less reliable” Attractor mode. Consequently, a relative interpersonal coordination tending more towards an anti-phase relationship and an accurate body schema are important to facilitate sway reduction.     

Spirituality Predicts Health and Cardiovascular Responses to Stress in Young Adult Women

The primary focus of this study was to investigate the roles of spirituality and religiosity in self-reported physical health, and to determine whether there is an association between an individuals spirituality and cardiovascular responses to two stressors. Fifty-two females participated in both a betrayal interview and a structured interview, during which blood pressure and heart rate were monitored. Spirituality, as assessed by the Spiritual Well-being Scale, was associated with perceived stress, subjective well-being, and medication use. The Existential Well-being subscale predicted fewer physical health symptoms and was associated with lower mean heart rate and decreased heart rate reactivity. The Religious Well-being subscale was associated with reduced systolic blood pressure reactivity in response to the structured interview. These findings suggest that spirituality may have a salutary effect on health, even in a fairly young sample. While previous studies have predominantly reported that religion, as well as spirituality, have a health protective effect, this study did not find strong support for that conclusion. Religiosity in this age group may still be undergoing developmental maturity, which may explain the lack of relationships to health.     

The scaling of postural adjustments during bimanual load-lifting in traumatic brain-injured adults

Previous postural studies of traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients have been limited to identifying deficits in static and quasi-dynamic postural control tasks such as weight shifting. In this study, we examined whether or not patients with TBI are able to scale adequately their postural adjustments during the performance of the dynamic task of bimanual load-lifting. An age matched group of healthy adults served as controls. We used the Tetrax posturography system that calculates a stability score (ST) based on fluctuations in vertical ground reaction forces, normalized for body weight. During quiet standing, the ST scores of the TBI group were significantly higher than the control group. Forward weight shift and percentage change in the vertical ground reaction forces (lift postural adjustment (LPA) and post-lift postural adjustment (PLPA) scores) linearly increased with increasing load weight in both healthy and TBI subjects. Group differences were found in the magnitude of forward weight shift but not in the relative increase of the LPA and PLPA scores during the lifting and post-lifting phases respectively. The forward weight shift of the TBI group was lower-than-normal and asymmetrical--there was significantly less forward weight shift on the more affected than on the less affected limb. In addition, a significant amplitude coupling was found between the scaling of the weight shift of the heel and forefoot of each limb. However, no coupling was found between the weight shift amplitudes of homologous parts of both limbs in the TBI group. The results showed that scaling based on prior experience was preserved in the TBI group, though some TBI subjects demonstrated absent scaling in either the more affected or less affected heel or forefoot. The differences between the normal and TBI groups in postural adjustments are not necessarily a sign of pathology; rather they may represent a deliberate choice of the central nervous system to counteract predictable disturbances.     

Intertask consistency of blood pressure responses to laboratory stressors may increase with prolonged exposure

In this study, one of the predictions of the reactivity hypothesis was investigated: the intertask consistency of blood pressure (BP) responses. Twelve young male subjects underwent cold-pressor (14°C) and digit-scan (counting even numbers) tests in randomized order. Cardiovascular parameters were recorded during a 2-min pretask baseline, a 10-min stressful exposure, and over a 5-min post-task baseline. The intertask correlations between the cold pressor and digit scan increased with prolonged exposure and were higher for almost all of the systolic BP measurements than for the diastolic measurements. After prolonged exposure, the hemodynamic mechanisms of BP elevations during the digit scan shifted from an increase in both cardiac output and peripheral vascular resistance to solely an increase in peripheral vascular resistance. Increased peripheral vascular resistance was the consistent cause of the BP elevations with the cold pressor. Accordingly, the hemodynamic shift on the part of the digit scan seemed to heighten the intertask BP correlations. Some other factors influencing the intertask BP correlations are also discussed.     

Control and maintenance effects of long-term relaxation training in a case of hypertension

The effects of long-term, varied relaxation in a case of essential hypertension are described. The client's unusual achievement of voluntary control over his blood pressure was discussed in terms of new directions in the search of a relaxation specific factor.     

THE EFFECTS OF FEEDBACK ON BLOOD PRESSURE DISCRIMINATION

Discrimination of blood pressure in the natural environment as a function of feedback was assessed. Seventeen normotensives screened for blood pressure lability were randomly assigned to two groups. These subjects were then asked to estimate their systolic and diastolic blood pressure values two times per day over a 4-week period. Feedback for accuracy of blood pressure discriminations was implemented across the two groups in a multiple baseline fashion, using a feedback withdrawal condition in Group I to assess maintenance effects over time. Results showed improvement in discrimination accuracy for subjects in both groups when feedback was used, and no decrement in performance over a 2-week period after feedback was removed for subjects in Group I. Discrimination of systolic pressures improved at a slightly faster rate than discrimination of diastolic pressures.     

ACQUISITION,DISCRIMINATIVE STIMULUS CONTROL,AND RETENTION OF INCREASES/DECREASES IN BLOOD PRESSURE OF NORMOTENSIVE HUMAN SUBJECTS1

The aims of this study of 24 normotensive subjects were: to compare a free-operant with a discrete-trials training format; to determine the most effective training procedure by comparing instrumental conditioning with instructional set and a control; to see if both increases and decreases in blood pressure could be brought under discriminative control, and to examine the maintenance of acquired self-control of blood pressure. A 2 × 3 design was employed in which two trial formats (free operant and discrete trials) were factorially compared with three training conditions (instrumental conditioning, instructional set, and control). Instrumental conditioning was found superior to both the instructional set and control conditions in producing increases and decreases in mean diastolic blood pressure. The free-operant format led to a greater degree of learned BP control in that subjects were able to increase and decrease their blood pressure by 10% to 15% of basal value and to maintain the blood-pressure operant after contingent auditory feedback/reinforcement was removed. Training was discontinued when subjects in the other five groups failed to reach criterion after 10 consecutive acquisition sessions.     

不同情境下临场自我调节学习活动对学习结果的中介影响

探讨在两种学习目标（大致浏览与全面掌握）与两种时间压力（无时间限制提示与有时间限制提示）的情境下,６０名被试的临场自我调节学习活动水平对两种学习结果（选择题测验与作文）的中介影响。结果表明,在不同情境下,无论学习目标高低或时间压力大小,被试的选择题测验成绩均不存在显著差异;而作文成绩均存在显著差异;被试的临场自我调节学习活动存在显著差异;被试的部分临场自我调节学习活动对学习结果具有中介影响。     

家庭抗逆力理论在风险应对领域的应用：演变、价值及挑战

家庭抗逆力理论是近年来风险应对研究领域中被引最高的理论之一。该理论的提出源自McCubbin等人对军人家庭应对战争危机的观察与思考,得益于早期学者对家庭压力和家庭系统理论的探究。经数次修订后,该理论经历了由静态特征到动态变化的发展过程,形成了一个具有较广泛内涵与外延的理论体系。其早期应用集中于创伤修复、家庭压力应对等主题,之后涉及复原力等更丰富的研究议题,已成为临床干预工作的实践导引和COVID-19大流行以来国家和社会、家庭和个体层面“危机事件—适应能力”关系的重要解释机制。其应用面临来自元理论研究、方法学及跨文化与社会变迁观点的挑战。未来研究应明晰概念与整合模型、使用混合方法与制定评估指标体系、强化家庭抗逆力理论的本土化研究与构建中国特色家庭抗逆力理论体系。     

Working memory capacity does not always promote dual-task motor performance: The case of juggling in soccer

The aim of this research was to refine our understanding of the role of working memory capacity (WMC) on motor performances that require attentional control in dual-task situations. Three studies were carried out on soccer players. Each participant had to perform a juggling task in both normal and dual-task conditions. In Study 1, the interfering task was a mental calculation test performed under time pressure (strong cognitive load). In Study 2, the interfering task was a count-down test (low cognitive load). In Study 3 an intra-individual design in which participants perform dual-tasks increasingly complex has been proposed. Results showed a positive relationship between participants’ WMC and their dual-task motor performance when the cognitive load was low and a negative relationship when the cognitive load was high. This paper highlights the role of the WMC in the activation of different modes of processing and its importance on the performance in dual-task.