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

Communities in (Digital) Space: Creating Networks for Daily Living Through Pervasive Media

Studies of online communities often focus either on communities that produce texts or the texts with which individuals engage. This dissertation examines online communities that practice in ongoing activities, in their leisure time, often with no end goal of producing any final text. Through interviews, surveys, and community forum analysis of running, gaming, and translation communities, this study finds that place and everyday habits factor heavily into the ways that sustained online communities structure their work. “Place” can have several meanings within this context, including the communities valuing specific locations or working with specific individuals because of where they live. Due to the rise in use of pervasive mobile devices, online community access often weaves into members’ offline lives. This knowledge of life ancillary to online community adds a layer of affective work to online community participation. Throughout the data collected from these communities, stories pertaining to the work of community maintenance dominated the conversation. Participants defined “work” as managing community involvement around other obligations, maintaining relationships across distances, and acknowledging the benefits that corporate entities derive from these communities. By investigating work within this context, we expand our understanding of the ways less visible populations work online in their leisure time

A Comparison of Motivational Differences Among Older Marathon Runners and Their Injury Status

Despite the high occurrence of running-related injuries, master level runners, those aged 40 years and older, account for 50% of all marathon finishers. What is not known is the common motive sustaining participation, especially among this age demographic. The self-determination theory was the theoretical framework to support how behavior is regulated by the individual. The purpose of this quantitative research was to identify a difference in the motives (psychological, physical, social, and achievement) and their subcategorical motives (health orientation, weight concern, affiliation, recognition, psychological coping, life meaning, self-esteem, competition, and personal goals) via the Motivations of Marathoners Scales by master level runners according to their injury status and gender. Two hundred and twenty-five master level runners from social media marathon running groups completed the online survey. The responses were analyzed using an independent-samples t test and an ANOVA. The results showed female master level runners statistically significant in psychological coping, life meaning, self-esteem, health orientation, weight concern, and affiliation which contributed to psychological, physical, and social motives while male master level runners were statistically significant only in the subcategory of competition. The implications for positive social change include a better understanding of motivation, its sustainment, and the adherence of physical activity behaviors to improve the positive influence among the current beliefs about aging and activity for better health of individuals and their communities

Run for Health: Health(icization), Supplements, and Doping in Non-Elite Road Running

Running races are commonly viewed as one of the clearest examples of competition and it is less common to view training or racing as a non-competitive health practice. However, the majority of non-elite runners who participate in races do so in order to reap benefits from the training process many undertake in preparation for a race. This dissertation is a study of non-elite or amateur runners\u27 pursuit of health, their varied understandings of health, the ironies and inconsistencies of healthism, and the folk measures of health employed within the running community. Through qualitative interviews with amateur runners in New York City about their perceptions of running, health, doping, and supplements, I explore the value non-elite runners place on health and fitness, the ways running is used to signal one\u27s commitment to these values, and the relationship between healthist demands and training methods that border on harmful, such as the use of over the counter (OTC) pain medications to mask pain or use of unregulated and potentially dangerous dietary supplements. I demonstrate that non-elite runners rarely engage in training or participate in a race with the expectation or desire for a zero-sum victory. Rather, I argue that non-elite runners engage in running as part of healthicized body practice, through which each defines herself as a healthy, morally good neoliberal citizen. Performance enhancing substances (PES) are viewed as a way to circumvent the struggle, pain, need for intense dedication to improve one\u27s performance--the experiences that non-elites runners feel they must experience in order to claim the identity of runner. Non-elite runners avoid intentionally using PES in favor of nutritional supplements, based on the incorrect belief that such products marketed specifically to improve health or performance are well regulated for safety and regarded as effective. Often these products are unregulated and of questionable quality and safety--many of the same reasons offered by non-elite runners for avoiding banned PES. Given the contradictions inherent in healthiest practices undertaken by runners, the study also addresses the underlying ethos of healthicism at work, which I argue are rooted in neoliberalism

Proceedings of the 2016 Berry Summer Thesis Institute

Thanks to a gift from the Berry Family Foundation and the Berry family, the University Honors Program launched the Berry Summer Thesis Institute in 2012. The institute introduces students in the University Honors Program to intensive research, scholarship opportunities and professional development. Each student pursues a 12-week summer thesis research project under the guidance of a UD faculty mentor. This contains the product of the students\u27 research

Keep on Running - Understanding and influencing sustained participation in recreational running

This dissertation sought to provide a comprehensive understanding of recreational running in adults. Specifically, it comprises a set of three studies that were designed to i) characterize recreational running in Portuguese adults; ii) study correlates of recreational runners (e.g. motivation, goals, consequences); and iii) explore how recreational running might be effectively promoted in the long term. Study 1 aimed to estimate the prevalence of recreational running, and explore demographic, behavioral and psychological characteristics of the “Portuguese Recreational Runner”. It characterizes runners and describes the relative importance of running for total physical activity (PA). Study 2 reflects the state of the art regarding psychological and behavioral correlates of recreational running. It suggested that intrinsic motives are key antecedents of recreational running and that mood and wellbeing are the most frequently associated outcomes. Finally, study 3 described the development of a brief, theory-based intervention, delivered in a digital format, aimed at increasing the maintenance of running behaviors over time. Additionally, results from the pilot study informs about adjustments to future interventions to improve its acceptability. The findings in this thesis highlight the importance of recreational running as a PA promotion strategy, and the need for long-term individualized approaches for its implementation. Lessons learned can inform future research initiatives, focused on testing the KoR intervention, and also recreational running promotion policies.Esta dissertação teve como objetivo ampliar a compreensão da corrida recreativa em adultos. Especificamente, integra um conjunto de três estudos que foram concebidos para i) caracterizar a corrida recreativa em adultos Portugueses; ii) estudar correlatos da corrida recreativa (p.ex., motivação, objetivos, consequências); e iii) explorar como a corrida recreativa pode ser eficazmente promovida a longo prazo. O estudo 1 teve como objetivo estimar a prevalência da corrida recreativa e explorar as características demográficas, comportamentais e psicológicas do “Corredor Recreativo Português”. Além da caracterização, revelou a importância relativa da corrida para a atividade física (AF) total. O estudo 2 reflete o estado da arte relativamente aos correlatos psicológicos e comportamentais da corrida recreativa. Sugeriu que os motivos intrínsecos são antecedentes fundamentais da corrida recreativa, e que o humor e bem-estar são os efeitos mais frequentemente associados. Finalmente, o estudo 3 descreveu o desenvolvimento de uma intervenção breve, baseada em teoria, implementada em formato digital, com o objetivo de aumentar a manutenção dos comportamentos de corrida no longo prazo. Além disso, os resultados do estudo piloto indicam alguns ajustes na intervenção, a fim de melhorar sua aceitabilidade. Os resultados desta tese destacam a importância da corrida recreativa como estratégia de promoção da AF e a necessidade de abordagens individualizadas de longo prazo para a sua implementação. As lições aprendidas podem informar futuras iniciativas de investigação, focadas em testar a intervenção KoR e, também, políticas de promoção de corrida recreativa

The Physical Environment and Runners\u27 Exercise Routes: A Case of Starkville, Mississippi

Encouraging running for exercise can be an important part of a comprehensive strategy for making communities more attractive for healthy physical activity. In order to make communities more runnerriendly, research must identify the features of the physical environment that are important for runners. This study identified these features through five focus groups of twenty-two runners. The focus group participants discussed the places they had run within the study community and described their positive and negative qualities. These discussions were then analyzed by examining direct quotations of the discussion transcripts and by noting the amount of participants concerned about particular issues. The findings showed that the participants chose their routes based on their ability to meet their exercise needs, safety, ease of access, and potential to be a fun experience. These insights into these runners’ preferences can be used to help make communities more conducive to physical activity