Using a virtual reality cricket simulator to explore the effects of pressure,competition anxiety on batting performance in cricket

Virtual reality (VR) has created opportunities to innovatively re-imagine the way we examine the relations between pressure, competition anxiety and performance. This study aimed to determine the efficacy of VR as a means of measuring the effects of competition anxiety when pressure manipulations are applied while participants bat in a cricket batting VR simulator. The twenty-eight male participants who took part in two experiments were divided into a high (14, mean age: 22.94, SD: 5.4) and a low skill group (14; mean age: 23.55, SD: 9.9). The aim of the first experiment was to validate the VR simulator as a tool that could capture differences in batting performance between a high and low skilled group. The results showed that high skill participants not only scored significantly higher run rates than low skill participants, but they outperformed the low skill group in all performance measures including higher incidences of correct foot placements that reflect better anticipatory responses. Having established the VR batting simulator as being a reliable tool for capturing batting dynamics, experiment 2 aimed to explore the effects of a pressure manipulation on competition anxiety and batting performance. All measures of competition anxiety were significantly greater for both groups in the high-pressure condition compared to the two low-pressure conditions (p < 0.001). The magnitude of this effect was greater in the low skill group for cognitive (0.59) and somatic (0.794) anxiety. Despite anxiety levels significantly increasing in the high-pressure condition, no significant negative changes to batting performance were found for either group, with both groups actually demonstrating performance improvements. Overall, the findings show how a cricket batting virtual reality simulator can be used as a tool to measure the effects of pressure on competition anxiety and batting performance in tasks involving dynamic skill execution.     

Increased forefoot loading is associated with an increased plantar flexion moment

The aim of this study was to identify the cascade of effects leading from alterations in force generation around the ankle joint to increased plantar pressures under the forefoot. Gait analysis including plantar pressure measurement was performed at an individually preferred and a standardized, imposed gait velocity in diabetic subjects with polyneuropathy (n = 94), without polyneuropathy (n = 39) and healthy elderly (n = 19). The plantar flexion moment at 40% of the stance phase was negatively correlated with the displacement rate of center of pressure (r = ?.749, p < .001 at the imposed, and r = ?.693, p < .001 at the preferred gait velocity). Displacement rate of center of pressure was strongly correlated with forefoot loading (r = ?.837, p < .001 at the imposed, and r = ?.731, p < .001 at the preferred gait velocity). People with a relatively high plantar flexion moment at 40% of the stance phase, have a faster forward transfer of center of pressure and consequently higher loading of the forefoot. This indicates that interventions aimed at increasing the control of the roll-off of the foot may contribute to a better plantar pressure distribution.     

Wilhelm Reich and Anna Freud: His expulsion from psychoanalysis

This article describes the growth of hostility towards Wilhelm Reich in the psychoanalytic community over his Marxist ideology and activism as well as disagreements over the death instinct. It brings to the fore the behind the scenes political manipulations between Ernest Jones and Anna Freud to effect the expulsion of Reich both from the Vienna and Berlin local psychoanalytic societies and from the International Psychoanalytic Association (IPA). It describes Reich's reactions to these events and the pressure placed on other psychoanalysts to stop supporting him and also the revision of history about the expulsion. It discusses the use of the term "crazy" as it was used in the psychoanalytic movement. Further the article discusses personality attributes of Anna Freud leading to counter-transference possessiveness to children and women, especially patients. It briefly touches on the attitudes of both Sigmund and Anna Freud toward sex and how this furthered the clash with Reich. It discusses the similarity between Anna's actions toward the Burlingham children and what happened to the children of Reich.     

Effects of a high salt diet on blood pressure responses to acoustic stimuli in borderline hypertensive rats (BHR)

The borderline hypertensive rat (BHR) responds to environmental and dietary stressors with elevated blood pressure. The first two months of a high salt diet appear to be the time of greatest sensitivity to salt effects on the blood pressure of BHR. The current study was conducted to examine whether exposure to salt diets varying in duration for up to two months differentially affects baseline blood pressures (systolic, SBP, and diastolic, DBP) and blood pressure responses to novel acoustic stimuli in BHR and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. Male BHR and WKY were fed a control (1%) salt diet or a high (8%) salt diet for 1, 1.5, 2.5, or 8.5 weeks. SBP and DBP responses to an acoustic stimulus (85 dB, 3 kHz) were measured upon completion of the diets at 12 weeks of age. Ten acoustic trials (one stimulus/minute) were presented and blood pressure responses were recorded in 2-second blocks spanning the 10 seconds prior to and following stimulus presentation. BHR had higher resting SBP and DBP than WKY, and 8.5 weeks of 8 percent salt increased SBP markedly in BHR. SBP and DBP labilities in the initial trial were greater in BHR than WKY with high salt diet durations of 2.5 and 8.5 weeks producing greater lability in later trials. Few differences were noted in pressor responses, but BHR had more dramatic depressor responses than WKY in early trials, and BHR pressures had a more dramatic return to baseline. It appears that genetic history and salt diet can affect blood pressure lability and recovery in response to novel stimuli in genetically susceptible animals.     

Reversible Verbal Memory Integration Deficits in Obstructive Sleep Apnoea

When presented with novel but semantically related elements after learning verbal material, healthy participants tend to endorse these items as previously learned. This reflects the normal integration and association of novel verbal information into long-term memory. How obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) negatively impacts verbal memory performance, and whether deficits are reversible following positive airway pressure (PAP) treatment, remain elusive. We investigated immediate and delayed OSA- and PAP treatment-related effects on verbal memory integration, using a false memory paradigm. Twenty-three patients with OSA learned lists of words semantically related to target non-presented words (1) at baseline after a polysomnography diagnosis night, (2) after a consecutive polysomnography night under PAP titration, and (3) after three months of compliant PAP treatment. At each session, participants learned 10 different lists of words, each list comprising 15 semantically related items. They had then to recognize 15 minutes later (after an intermediate vigilance task) previously learned words within a list including studied words (learned), unstudied but semantically related items (lures), and non-related unstudied items (controls). Sleep quality and fatigue questionnaires, and psychomotor vigilance tests (PVT) were administered at each session. PAP treatment led to OSA remission and improvement in objective and subjective sleep quality. Crucially, recognition of learned and lure words increased after the first night under treatment and remained stable three months later, suggesting successful memory integration and restoration of semantic processes. No treatment-related outcome was found on PVT performance. OSA exerts a detrimental but PAP-reversible effect on verbal learning and semantic memory integration mechanisms underlying the acquisition of novel memory representations.     

Was it a clutch performance? A qualitative exploration of the definitional boundaries of clutch performance

ObjectivesClutch performance refers to positive performance under pressure. Definitions of clutch performance, however, differ on the performance level required to constitute this phenomenon. This definitional divergence centres on whether clutch performance requires increased, or maintained, performance. Further, it is unclear what performance benchmark (e.g., season average) clutch performances should be compared against. Accordingly, this study aimed to explore athletes’ perceptions of what performance level is required for clutch performance, and what performance benchmarks clutch performances are compared against.MethodTwenty-four athletes (M_age = 27.13 years) participated in event-focused, semi-structured interviews soon after a positive performance under pressure (M = 93 h later). Data were analysed utilising reflexive thematic analysis.ResultsThree themes were generated: (1) clutch performance is assessed against goal achievement, suggesting that the achievement of self-referenced goals is the primary indicator athletes’ use to assess clutch performance; (2) clutch performance exists on a performance spectrum, suggesting that the performance level required for clutch performance differs due to the appraisal of pressure and the athletes’ own goals; and (3) different benchmarks are used to assess clutch performance, suggesting that athletes’ may draw on both previous performances, and the performance itself, to assess clutch performance.ConclusionsThis study suggested that clutch performance is a situational and context-dependent phenomenon. Specifically, athletes assessed clutch performance on the extent to which they perceived achievement of self-referenced goals. Defining clutch performance in this manner may resolve tensions between existing definitions, and further, may facilitate development of a measure of clutch performance.     

How does the manipulation of time pressure during soccer tasks influence physical load and mental fatigue?

This study aimed to analyze whether having more or less time to solve soccer tasks influences physical load and mental fatigue. 48 semi-professional soccer players, from teams in national leagues participated (M_age = 22.4, SD_age = 2.25). They carried out 2 sessions with 4 tasks in each session. In one session, there was more time available; in the other, there was less time available. GPS technology was used to measure physical load, and an adaptation of NASA and Visual Analog Scale to measure mental load and mental fatigue. A related-samples T-test and magnitude based on inference were used to determine the possible effect. Soccer players reported that tasks with less available time were more mentally demanding. Moreover, less available time to solve the tasks significantly increased players’ RPE and decreased their Heart Rate and external physical load. Therefore, the available time significantly affects mental and physical load and mental fatigue.     

Decision-making of English Netball Superleague umpires: Contextual and dispositional influences

ObjectivesThe decisions made by officials have a direct bearing on the outcomes of competitive sport contests. In an exploratory study, we examine the interrelationships between the decisions made by elite netball umpires, the potential contextual and environmental influences (e.g., crowd size), and the umpires' dispositional tendencies – specifically, their propensity to deliberate and ruminate on their decisions.Design/MethodFilmed footage from 60 England Netball Superleague matches was coded using performance analysis software. We measured the number of decisions made overall, and for home and away teams; league position; competition round; match quarter; and crowd size. Additionally, 10 umpires who officiated in the matches completed the Decision-Specific Reinvestment Scale (DSRS).ResultsRegression analyses predicted that as home teams' league position improved the number of decisions against away teams increased. A model comprising competition round and average league position of both teams predicted the number of decisions made in matches, but neither variable emerged as a significant predictor. The umpire analyses revealed that greater crowd size was associated with an increase in decisions against away teams. The Decision Rumination factor was strongly negatively related to the number of decisions in Quarters 1 and 3, this relationship was driven by fewer decisions against home teams by umpires who exhibited higher Rumination subscale scores.ConclusionsThese findings strengthen our understanding of contextual, environmental, and dispositional influences on umpires' decision-making behaviour. The tendency to ruminate upon decisions may explain the changes in decision behaviour in relation to the home team advantage effect.     

The effect of using paddles on hand propulsive forces and Froude efficiency in arm-stroke-only front-crawl swimming at various velocities

Through pressure measurement and underwater motion capture analysis, this study aimed to elucidate the effects of hand paddles on hand propulsive forces, mechanical power, and Froude efficiency in arm-stroke-only front-crawl swimming at various velocities. Eight male swimmers swam under two conditions in randomized order, once using only their hands and once aided by hand paddles on both hands. Each participant swam 10 times a distance of 16 m in each condition, for a total of 20 trials. To elucidate the relationship between propulsive forces and swimming velocity, each participant was instructed to swim each of the two sets of 10 trials at an arbitrarily different swimming velocity. During the trials, pressure sensors and underwater motion capture cameras were used together to analyze the pressure forces acting on the hand and hand kinematics, respectively. Six pressure sensors were attached to the right hand, and pressure forces acting on the right hand were estimated by multiplying the areas with the pressure differences between the palm and dorsal side of the hand. Acting directions of pressure forces were analyzed using a normal vector perpendicular to the hand or hand paddle, calculated from coordinates obtained using underwater motion capture analysis. As a result, there were no differences in propulsive forces and mechanical power to overcome water resistance (P_D) with or without hand paddles at the same swimming velocities. However, the use of hand paddles decreased stroke rate and hand velocities, so mechanical power to push the water at the hand (P_K) decreased. Using hand paddles thus increased Froude efficiency (η_F). These results suggest that training load decreases when swimmers swim at the same velocities while using hand paddles. This insight could prove useful for coaches and swimmers when using hand paddles for training to help ensure that they are used in accordance with their intended training purpose. If swimmers use hand paddles increasing propulsive force or P_K, they should swim at a higher swimming velocity with hand paddles than without.     

拖延对工作绩效的影响——压力偏好与任务类型的调节作用

本研究探索了压力偏好和任务类型在拖延行为对绩效产生作用过程中的调节作用。用问卷调查的方法对155人进行调查。结果发现：相比偏好压力者,厌恶压力者的工作绩效更容易受到拖延行为的影响;对于复杂任务,拖延对偏好压力者的绩效影响显著低于对厌恶压力者;而对于简单任务,两种类型人的绩效的差别并不明显。结论是,偏好压力者能够减弱拖延行为对其工作绩效的影响,尤其对于复杂任务,这种影响更加明显。