Overtraining and the complexities of coaches’ decision-making: managing elite athletes on the training cusp

In many elite sport performance contexts, overtraining is a critical issue for coaches to understand, recognise and respond to. While the indicators and effects of overtraining have attracted considerable research interest, there are no diagnostic tests that reliably predict impending overtraining. This study explores the practices and beliefs of three highly successful professional elite rowing coaches as they predict and manage the risk of athlete overtraining during crucial periods of intensive training. These coaches took part in a series of semi-structured interviews that explored their practices, philosophies and experiences. The research draws on sociological perspectives pertinent to coaching pedagogy and, more specifically, the tenets of naturalistic decision-making in exploring how the coaches define and make decisions about overtraining. In doing so it recognizes that coaching involves decision-making in complex and demanding situations. The coaches were found to monitor the fatigue of their rowers through observation, communication and measures of training pace. In general, the intuitions and cues that were used by coaches had little in common with overtraining markers or indicators that are promoted in the sport science literature. Coaches’ decision-making was based largely on subjective information and processes that were influenced by a range of stressors unique to their positions. We contend that the research provides an important new perspective on coaches’ definitions and management of overtraining and enables management of overtraining to be better understood as a key element of coaching pedagogy in elite performance settings. In this article we argue successful coaches have unique insights into this topical area and this is worthy of future exploration.     

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.     

Does Monitoring Performance Eliminate the Ego-depletion Phenomenon and Influence Perception of Time?

This study evaluated whether monitoring performance against an objective measure eliminated ego-depletion and enhanced the accuracy of one's temporal perception. Two independent variables, depletion level and monitoring status, were manipulated in 83 undergraduates (71% female, median age = 21.2 years), who were then measured for persistence on a series of anagram puzzles (first dependant variable) and subjective time perception estimates (second dependant variable). While depleted participants in the nonmonitoring condition exhibited significantly less persistence than those in the performance-monitoring or low-depleted conditions, no differences in time perception scores were detected among the four groups. It appears monitoring behavior against an objective measure is a robust tool to improve self-control ability in depleted individuals; however, this effect is unrelated to perception of time.     

How intention and monitoring your thoughts influence characteristics of autobiographical memories

Involuntary autobiographical memories come to mind effortlessly and unintended, but the mechanisms of their retrieval are not fully understood. We hypothesize that involuntary retrieval depends on memories that are highly accessible (e.g., intense, unusual, recent, rehearsed), while the elaborate search that characterizes voluntary retrieval also produces memories that are mundane, repeated or distant – memories with low accessibility. Previous research provides some evidence for this ‘threshold hypothesis’. However, in almost every prior study, participants have been instructed to report only memories while ignoring other thoughts. It is possible that such an instruction can modify the phenomenological characteristics of involuntary memories. This study aimed to investigate the effects of retrieval intentionality (i.e., wanting to retrieve a memory) and selective monitoring (i.e., instructions to report only memories) on the phenomenology of autobiographical memories. Participants were instructed to (1) intentionally retrieve autobiographical memories, (2) intentionally retrieve any type of thought (3) wait for an autobiographical memory to spontaneously appear, or (4) wait for any type of thought to spontaneously appear. They rated the mental content on a number of phenomenological characteristics both during retrieval and retrospectively following retrieval. The results support the prediction that highly accessible memories mostly enter awareness unintended and without selective monitoring, while memories with low accessibility rely on intention and selective monitoring. We discuss the implications of these effects.     

Effects of Curriculum-Based Monitoring on Classroom Instruction and Math Achievement

In recent years, concerns about the math achievement of U.S. students have been highlighted in the popular press, journal articles, major conference presentations, and official U.S. Department of Education (1998) reports. School personnel have responded to the issue of low math achievement by a) writing or rewriting standards, b) “ratcheting up” current standards, c) building accountability systems that include all students, d) developing programmatic interventions, e) extending the school year, and f) implementing effective instructional management systems. Research on teaching has linked instructional environment and achievement. Thus, this study was designed to determine whether the implementation of an instructional management system served to improve student math achievement and the classroom instructional environment. In addition, the study examined the extent to which adding a curriculum-based monitoring system to an ongoing math curriculum would result in positive changes in the classroom instructional environment and in achievement.     

记忆准确性的认知取向研究

阐述了记忆准确性认知取向的五种理论主要有图示重建理论、模糊痕迹记忆理论、源监控理论、归因取向理论和记忆建构理论;并对这五种理论作了简评。     

Relation between self‐knowledge reference and self‐monitoring of emotional state1

Abstract: We used a task facilitation paradigm to examine whether self‐knowledge reference and self‐monitoring have a functional relationship. Eighteen participants performed a series of tasks: self‐knowledge reference, evaluation, self‐monitoring, and semantic. Responses on the self‐knowledge reference task were faster when the previous task was self‐monitoring rather than semantic. However, responses on the self‐monitoring task were similar regardless of whether it was preceded by the self‐knowledge reference task or the evaluation task. Our results suggest that self‐monitoring induces self‐knowledge reference.     

Assessment Criteria Indicative of Deception (ACID): an integrated system of investigative interviewing and detecting deception

This study describes the assimilation and validation of Assessment Criteria Indicative of Deception (ACID). ACID is derived from investigative interviewing, Criteria‐Based Content Analysis, Reality Monitoring, and interpersonal deception. Each component has been previously published. Thirty‐eight university undergraduates entered a professor's office and either stole an exam or replaced an exam that had been stolen previously. They were interviewed 1 week later with the Reality Interview, which is deliberately challenging and aims to enhance the detection of deception. Half responded honestly and completely; half distorted their responses to avoid incrimination. Incentives were provided. Honest responses were longer, more detailed, and contained more admissions of potential mistakes. Most importantly, honest respondents benefited from attempts to enhance recall, whereas these same attempts caused deceptive respondents to provide shorter, more repetitive statements. This is a promising technique; 33 of 38 cases were classified accurately. Discussion includes characteristics of deception, process of deception during an investigative interview, hypothetical interview strategies to facilitate the detection of deception, strengths and weaknesses of the study, and areas for future research. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

元理解监控的精确性及其延迟关键词效应

元理解监控的精确性是指元理解判断与标准测验间的一致程度,通常用二者的Gamma系数作为其指标。梳理近20年元理解监控的研究发现个体元理解监控的精确性并没有想象的那么高。读完文章后延迟写出关键词可以显著提高元理解监控的精确性,这被称为元理解监控的延迟关键词效应,时间上的延迟与延迟时间内主动的认知加工是这一效应得以发生的机制。最后,在分析批评已有研究的基础上提出扩展的元理解监控延迟效应假设     

顿悟:是进程监控还是表征转换

当前解释顿悟问题解决机制的理论主要有表征转换理论和进程监控理论。进程监控理论主要解释了顿悟问题为什么困难,但事实上它并没有说明顿悟问题为什么会解决,只回答了在什么情况下被试才会寻求其他的方法,而且它把顿悟问题解决的一般过程看成是同常规问题解决方法相同的过程。而表征转换理论主要解释了顿悟是如何获得的——顿悟的获得是由于问题解决者对问题的表征实现了正确的转变,但它并没有解释表征什么时候、怎么样才能转变?顿悟问题的解决经历了三个认知加工阶段,顿悟问题的解决需要在消除定势情况下激活正确的启发信息(线索),并验证了顿悟问题的原型激活和关键启发信息理论假说。