Eye quietness and quiet eye in expert and novice golf performance: an electrooculographic analysis

Quiet eye (QE) is the final ocular fixation on the target of an action (e.g., the ball in golf putting). Camerabased eye-tracking studies have consistently found longer QE durations in experts than novices; however, mechanisms underlying QE are not known. To offer a new perspective we examined the feasibility of measuring the QE using electrooculography (EOG) and developed an index to assess ocular activity across time: eye quietness (EQ). Ten expert and ten novice golfers putted 60 balls to a 2.4 m distant hole. Horizontal EOG (2ms resolution) was recorded from two electrodes placed on the outer sides of the eyes. QE duration was measured using a EOG voltage threshold and comprised the sum of the pre-movement and post-movement initiation components. EQ was computed as the standard deviation of the EOG in 0.5 s bins from –4 to +2 s, relative to backswing initiation: lower values indicate less movement of the eyes, hence greater quietness. Finally, we measured club-ball address and swing durations. T-tests showed that total QE did not differ between groups (p = .31); however, experts had marginally shorter pre-movement QE (p = .08) and longer post-movement QE (p < .001) than novices. A group × time ANOVA revealed that experts had less EQ before backswing initiation and greater EQ after backswing initiation (p = .002). QE durations were inversely correlated with EQ from –1.5 to 1 s (rs = –.48 - –.90, ps = .03 - .001). Experts had longer swing durations than novices (p = .01) and, importantly, swing durations correlated positively with post-movement QE (r = .52, p = .02) and negatively with EQ from 0.5 to 1s (r = –.63, p = .003). This study demonstrates the feasibility of measuring ocular activity using EOG and validates EQ as an index of ocular activity. Its findings challenge the dominant perspective on QE and provide new evidence that expert-novice differences in ocular activity may reflect differences in the kinematics of how experts and novices execute skills

Cross-Cultural Studies of Implicit Theories of Creativity: A Comparative Analysis Between the United States and the Main Ethnic Groups in Singapore

This thesis explored the extent of influence of culture on implicit theories of creativity among laypeople from the United States and Singapore, as well as the ethnic groups in Singapore - the Chinese, the Malays, and the Indians, in regard to adaptive and innovative styles of creativity as well as their own conceptions of creativity. A total of 523 participants were involved in this study. They comprised 139 participants from the United States and 199 participants from Singapore, 84 Chinese, 54 Malays, and 47 Indians. The participants completed the first part of a questionnaire that consisted of a ten-point scale to rate the creativity level for the descriptors of the Adaptor and Innovator derived from Kirton’s explicit theory of creativity called the Adaptor-Innovator Theory. They also completed the second part of the questionnaire where they were asked to give words they believed were associated with creativity. The data were analyzed and compared with each other as national cultures as well as amongst the three ethnic groups in Singapore. The results revealed that the participants had an implicit belief that high creativity was associated with Kirton’s innovative style of creativity. Also, the words they believed were associated with creativity seemed to have an innovator bias. Implications of these findings raise new questions on the extent of influence of culture on laypeople’s perceptions of creativity. Recommendations for future research were also discussed

Enhancing Teaching and Learning Through Educational Data Mining and Learning Analytics: An Issue Brief

Comprend des références bibliographiquesIn data mining and data analytics, tools and techniques once confined to research laboratories are being adopted by forward-looking industries to improve decision making. Higher education institutions are beginning to use analytics for improving the services they provide and for increasing student grades and retention. The U.S. Department of Education’s National Education Technology Plan, as one part of its model for learning powered by technology, envisions ways of using data from online learning systems to improve instruction. With analytics and data mining experiments in education starting to proliferate, sorting out fact from fiction and identifying research possibilities and practical applications are not easy. This issue brief is intended to help policymakers and administrators understand how analytics and data mining have been - and can be - applied for educational improvement while rigorously protecting student privacy

Projekt.ID: investigating how game elements and mechanics can be aligned to players preferences

Existing research in personality and motivation psychology has developed many theories and player typologies to explain an individual&amp;rsquo;s behaviour. Many of these theories and typologies have used similar approaches to personality types to understand how and why individuals play, through finding traits, and in-turn types to categorise players based on their behaviour. Many of the typologies have also been context specific, causing concern with their practicality of use in contexts outside of their conception. To date, no research exists that categorises players based on their preferences for game elements and mechanics (GEMs). Embracing the possibility of developing such a framework based on players preferences for GEMs, would afford game designers an opportunity to design experiences regardless of context. Therefore, the aim of this research is understanding how to map a player&amp;rsquo;s preferences for GEMs and how this information can be used during the game design process. To this end, I describe the design and method of four studies. The first three studies are surveys (n=279, n=231, n=162) that assess players Australian Personality Inventory (API) type, preferences for game elements, and mechanics (surveys 2 and 3), and the Basic Psychological Needs of Satisfaction (BPNS) score (surveys 2 and 3). The data from these surveys were analysed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to identify any existing relationships between the data; stepwise linear regression to determine if API and/or BPNS could be used to predict factors; bi-variate correlations to observe if relationships existed between the factors and API and/or BPNS types. EFA revealed that GEMs are preferred by players in three unique factors groups for game elements and four factor groups for game mechanics. In addition, stepwise linear regression and bi-variate correlation revealed that both API type and BPNS did not affect a player&amp;rsquo;s preferences for GEMs (including their factors) and were not a suitable assessment for mapping a player&amp;rsquo;s preferences for GEMs on. Following these three surveys, the GEM Framework was developed, which included a separate model for each GEM factor group. The GEM Framework was then adapted to an existing game design tool titled Gamicards. The fourth study was a workshop (n = 47) that assesses the practical use of the GEM framework and Gamicards. The results of the workshop revealed that both the GEM Framework and its adaption to Gamicards provided game designers from various skill levels a useful resource during the game design process and would likely use it again during their next game design session. Through these four studies, this work contributes to the current literature in the following manner. Firstly, this work extends the current understanding the impact personality and motivation types have on a player&amp;rsquo;s preferences for GEMs, via the data from the surveys. As such, this work explores three areas: personality, motivation, and game design to develop a novel framework. Secondly, this thesis discusses practical implications of using the GEM framework through Gamicards. To conclude, this work encourages game academics to look at player typologies through the lens of the GEMs of games itself and not through psychometric assessment

Unpacking the ‘black box’:Implementation evaluation of interventions to improve motor skill competence in children and adolescents.

Despite the irrefutable evidence of the health benefits of adequate physical activity, children and adolescents worldwide are not sufficiently active. Motor skill competence (MC) has been suggested as integral to individuals being able to competently participate in physical activity. However, levels of MC in children and adolescents are low globally. This is despite the preponderance of effective interventions and initiatives promoting MC in schools (e.g., Physical Education), thus highlighting a potential gap between effective MC interventions and sustained routine practice that benefits the wider population (e.g., integration into teaching practice). The process of integrating effective interventions into practice is defined as implementation. To improve the implementation of MC interventions, and thus their translatability into practice, factors that influence the implementation process need greater focus. Yet, implementation research in MC interventions is underdeveloped and limited. This PhD therefore aimed to improve the understanding of the process(es), factors, and strategies relevant to the implementation of MC interventions into routine practice and provide suggestions regarding implementation evaluation.A systematic review was conducted to investigate how process evaluations (a study that examines the intervention process) have been reported in MC interventions and identify any factors that may impact MC intervention outcomes. Only half of the identified intervention studies (n = 30) reported process evaluation and no studies reported (or employed) theoretical frameworks to guide process evaluation. Common process evaluation measures and potential moderators of MC intervention outcomes were identified in this review, but this was insufficient to fully understand the implementation of MC interventions given process evaluation is underused. Subsequently, a systems science approach, namely Collective Intelligence (CI), was employed in three stakeholder consultations in the UK and Ireland to identify barriers to the implementation and sustainability of school-based MC interventions and their interrelationships, as well as design solutions to the barriers. Critical barriers were identified relating to policy, physical education curriculum, and stakeholders’ knowledge and appreciation. A roadmap of actions was created to inform decisions when supporting implementation of MC interventions. The synthesised findings from the review and CI were then used to develop strategies intended to improve the implementation of a specific MC intervention—Project FLAME, followed by a mixed methods evaluation to understand the influences of the strategies on the implementation of the intervention. Findings highlighted that the intervention could be effectively integrated into routine practice, provided adaptations specific to teachers’ practice and students’ needs are made.This PhD research presents the first systematic inquiry into the implementation evaluation of MC interventions. Findings highlighted the complex and context-specific influences on the implementation and sustainability of interventions. The thesis considers the implications for researchers regarding improving evaluation practice, as well as strategies to improve the implementation of MC interventions into practice

IFPOC Symposium:Discovering antecedents and consequences of complex change recipients' reactions to organizational change.

IFPOC symposium: Discovering antecedents and consequences of complex change recipients' reactions to organizational change Chairs: Maria Vakola (Athens University of Economics and Business) &amp; Karen Van Dam (Open University) Discussant: Mel Fugate (American University, Washington, D.C) State of the art Organisations are required to continuously change and develop but there is a high failure rate associated with change implementation success. In the past two decades, change researchers have started to investigate change recipients' reactions to change recognizing the crucial role of these reactions for successful change. This symposium aims at identifying and discussing the complex processes that underlie the relationships among antecedents, reactions and outcomes associated with organizational change. New perspective / contributions This symposium consists of five studies that extend our knowledge in the field by (i) providing an analysis of change recipients' reactions going beyond the dichotomous approaches (acceptance or resistance) (ii) revealing understudied antecedents-reactions and reactions-consequences patterns and relationships (iii) shedding light on the role of contextual factors i.e team climate and individual factors i.e emotion regulation on the adaptation to change. This symposium is based on a combination of both quantitative (i.e diary, survey) and qualitative (i.e interviews) research methodology. Research / practical implications This symposium aims to increase our understanding of the complex processes associated with change recipients' reactions to change. Discovering how these reactions are created and what are their results may reveal important contingencies that can explain how positive organizational outcomes during times of change can be stimulated which is beneficial for both researchers and practitioners

Qigong at Work: Where East Meets West

State of the Art Qigong is part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TMC) and aims to balance body and mind. The roots of Qigong lie in China, where Confucian and Daoist scholars (500-400 B.C.) noted that one must learn to balance and relax one’s thoughts and emotions to avoid illness (Yang, 1997). In the Western world, Qigong is best known for its slow and coordinated movements. According to TCM, these movements will help regulate one’s ‘qi’, or life energy, through the body to improve the health and harmony of mind and body. During the practice of Qigong, one’s breathing, attention and movement are aligned. As such, Qigong is sometimes considered Mindfulness in movement (although there are many important differences). New perspectives / contributionsQigong has many positive outcomes on health and wellness. In both patient groups and healthy individuals, Qigong has been shown to improve psychological well-being, quality of life, immune function, balance and related risk-factors, and bone density (Jahnke et al., 2010). As such, Qigong offers a validated way to reduce the physical and mental activation that results from a person's work. While recent research has demonstrated how important it is to take short breaks at work, there is still little attention for Qigong exercises as a means to recover at work.Practical Implications In this presentation, we will explain and practice several Qigong exercises. These movements can be used at work (and at home) to recover from (hormonal) activation, ‘empty’ one’s head, and restore the body-mind balance. <br/