Assessing Hitting Skill in Baseball using Simulated and Representative Tasks

Previous research has demonstrated that the ability to accurately anticipate the outcome of dynamic and representative situations under standardized conditions is an effective predictor of skill-level in many complex domains, including sport (for a review, see Suss & Ward, 2015). Moreover, skill at anticipating the outcome as early as possible, in addition to making the correct anticipatory decision, and skill at recognizing the play are equally important (e.g., Fadde, 2006; Jones & Miles, 1978; Savelsbergh, Williams, Van Der Kamp, & Ward, 2002). The current research aims to leverage this body of research in developing and evaluating a commercially available software tool designed for the assessment of such sports skills developed by Axon Sports. In this research we use the Axon Sports Baseball Hitting Assessment tool to measure anticipation and recognition skill in an NCAA baseball team. The results provide support that recognition and anticipation accuracy are useful indicators of skill in sport and extend the application of this body of work into a real-world settin

Advancing theory and application of cognitive research in sport: Using representative tasks to explain and predict skilled anticipation, decision-making, and option-generation behavior

Objectives: Three main goals were addressed in this research. First, we tested the claims of two cognitive mechanisms that have been proposed to explain expert performance. This was done during assessment and intervention phases of decision making. Second, we tested the validity of an online test of perceptual-cognitive skill in soccer: The Online Assessment of Strategic Skill In Soccer (OASSIS). Third, we compared the OASSIS to other predictors of skill in soccer. Design: Over the course of a three-part experiment, participants completed an updated version of the option-generation paradigm employed by Ward, Ericsson, and Williams (2013), the OASSIS, and a battery of other cognitive tests. Performance on these tests was used to inform theory and validate the OASSIS as an applied tool for domain professionals. Method: NCAA Division 1 and recreational-level soccer players completed a battery of tests, both using paper/pencil (see Ward et al., 2013) and online. Results: Support for Long Term Working Memory theory (LTWM; see Ericsson & Kintsch, 1995) was observed during both phases of decision making, though the prescriptions of the Take-The-First heuristic (see Johnson & Raab, 2003) tend to hold, particularly within intervention phase. When used to predict skill-group membership, the OASSIS accounted for more variance than other domain-general tests of cognition. Furthermore, scores on the OASSIS correlated with other measures of perceptual-cognitive skill in soccer and the process-level predictions made by LTWM. Conclusions: Updates to our theoretical understanding of expert performance are provided and the validity of the OASSIS is demonstrated

The effect of time constraint on anticipation, decision making, and option generation in complex and dynamic environments

Researchers interested in performance in complex and dynamic situations have focused on how individuals predict their opponent(s) potential courses of action (i.e., during assessment) and generate potential options about how to respond (i.e., during intervention). When generating predictive options, previous research supports the use of cognitive mechanisms that are consistent with long-term working memory (LTWM) theory (Ericsson and Kintsch in Phychol Rev 102(2):211–245, 1995; Ward et al. in J Cogn Eng Decis Mak 7:231–254, 2013). However, when generating options about how to respond, the extant research supports the use of the take-the-first (TTF) heuristic (Johnson and Raab in Organ Behav Hum Decis Process 91:215–229, 2003). While these models provide possible explanations about how options are generated in situ, often under time pressure, few researchers have tested the claims of these models experimentally by explicitly manipulating time pressure. The current research investigates the effect of time constraint on option-generation behavior during the assessment and intervention phases of decision making by employing a modified version of an established option-generation task in soccer. The results provide additional support for the use of LTWM mechanisms during assessment across both time conditions. During the intervention phase, option-generation behavior appeared consistent with TTF, but only in the non-time-constrained condition. Counter to our expectations, the implementation of time constraint resulted in a shift toward the use of LTWM-type mechanisms during the intervention phase. Modifications to the cognitive-process level descriptions of decision making during intervention are proposed, and implications for training during both phases of decision making are discussed

Sequencing and de novo assembly of 150 genomes from Denmark as a population reference

Hundreds of thousands of human genomes are now being sequenced to characterize genetic variation and use this information to augment association mapping studies of complex disorders and other phenotypic traits. Genetic variation is identified mainly by mapping short reads to the reference genome or by performing local assembly. However, these approaches are biased against discovery of structural variants and variation in the more complex parts of the genome. Hence, large-scale de novo assembly is needed. Here we show that it is possible to construct excellent de novo assemblies from high-coverage sequencing with mate-pair libraries extending up to 20 kilobases. We report de novo assemblies of 150 individuals (50 trios) from the GenomeDenmark project. The quality of these assemblies is similar to those obtained using the more expensive long-read technology. We use the assemblies to identify a rich set of structural variants including many novel insertions and demonstrate how this variant catalogue enables further deciphering of known association mapping signals. We leverage the assemblies to provide 100 completely resolved major histocompatibility complex haplotypes and to resolve major parts of the Y chromosome. Our study provides a regional reference genome that we expect will improve the power of future association mapping studies and hence pave the way for precision medicine initiatives, which now are being launched in many countries including Denmark

Association of maternal prenatal copper concentration with gestational duration and preterm birth: a multicountry meta-analysis

Background Copper (Cu), an essential trace mineral regulating multiple actions of inflammation and oxidative stress, has been implicated in risk for preterm birth (PTB). Objectives This study aimed to determine the association of maternal Cu concentration during pregnancy with PTB risk and gestational duration in a large multicohort study including diverse populations. Methods Maternal plasma or serum samples of 10,449 singleton live births were obtained from 18 geographically diverse study cohorts. Maternal Cu concentrations were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The associations of maternal Cu with PTB and gestational duration were analyzed using logistic and linear regressions for each cohort. The estimates were then combined using meta-analysis. Associations between maternal Cu and acute-phase reactants (APRs) and infection status were analyzed in 1239 samples from the Malawi cohort. Results The maternal prenatal Cu concentration in our study samples followed normal distribution with mean of 1.92 μg/mL and standard deviation of 0.43 μg/mL, and Cu concentrations increased with gestational age up to 20 wk. The random-effect meta-analysis across 18 cohorts revealed that 1 μg/mL increase in maternal Cu concentration was associated with higher risk of PTB with odds ratio of 1.30 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.08, 1.57) and shorter gestational duration of 1.64 d (95% CI: 0.56, 2.73). In the Malawi cohort, higher maternal Cu concentration, concentrations of multiple APRs, and infections (malaria and HIV) were correlated and associated with greater risk of PTB and shorter gestational duration. Conclusions Our study supports robust negative association between maternal Cu and gestational duration and positive association with risk for PTB. Cu concentration was strongly correlated with APRs and infection status suggesting its potential role in inflammation, a pathway implicated in the mechanisms of PTB. Therefore, maternal Cu could be used as potential marker of integrated inflammatory pathways during pregnancy and risk for PTB

Spatial ability predicts domain-specific recognition skill better than anticipation skill in recreational-level soccer players

Introduction Measures of domain-specific memory have been shown to be correlated with anticipation skill in sport (North et al., 2011). However, the cognitive processes supporting recognition appear to be simpler than those supporting anticipation (North et al., 2011) and may be underpinned by general cognitive abilities, especially in low-skilled performers (Ackerman, 1988). In this paper we hypothesized that domain-general ability would predict domain-specific recognition skill in soccer in a low-skilled sample but that anticipation skill would explain additional unique variance. Methods 58 recreational-level soccer players completed two domain-general tests (i.e., Mental Rotations Test [MRT-A], Peters, et al., 1995; Berlin Numeracy Test [BNT], Cokely et al., 2012), a test of anticipation skill (Online Assessment of Strategic Skill In Soccer [OASSIS], Belling, Suss, & Ward, 2014), and a soccer recognition test. Results The MRT-A (β = .42, p < .01) and BNT (β = .06, p = .67) predicted recognition skill (R2 = .20, F = 6.72, p < .01). However, the OASSIS did not explain more variance (R2 change = .01, F = .78, p = .38). Discussion Only spatial ability significantly predicted recognition performance suggesting that domain-general abilities may be more relevant than anticipation skill at this level. The data partially support Ackerman’s (1988) model—domain-general ability predicted performance but a more central measure of general cognitive ability (i.e., BNT) did not, despite the complexity of the recognition task. Further research should explore the benefit of recognition versus anticipation training for improving perceptual skill

Investigating constraints on decision making strategies

Recently, researchers have focused on how individuals generate different courses of action (i.e., options) on-the-fly, and predict the options to be taken by others. When generating predictive options, previous research supports the use of cognitive mechanisms described by Long Term Working Memory (LTWM) theory (Ericsson & Kintsch, 1995; Ward, Ericsson, & Williams, 2012). However, when generating response options, previous research supports the use of the Take-The-First (TTF) heuristic (Johnson & Raab, 2003). The current research investigates the effect of time constraint on option generation behavior. Our results provide further support for the use of LTWM mechanisms during prediction, but support was observed for TTF only during response without time constraint. When participants responded under time pressure, they shifted towards a LTWM-type strategy. Modifications to the cognitive-process level description of decision making during response are proposed and implications for training during both prediction and response are discussed

Use of Cognitive Task Analysis to Probe Option-Generation in Law Enforcement

Option-generation paradigms have been employed successfully to investigate skill-based differences in performance, particularly in complex, dynamic, and/or uncertain domains. However, although knowledge of option-generation behavior (e.g., number of options generated, frequency with which the criterion best option is selected) is informative, the underlying basis for the observed option-generation behavior is not always apparent. To address this issue, we probed option-generation behavior using cognitive task analysis. Experienced and less-experienced law enforcement officers first observed temporally-occluded video simulations, and then completed an option-generation task. The cognitive task analysis comprised elicitation of retrospective verbal reports of thinking, followed by video-stimulated recall; analysis of these data revealed information that potentially explains the observed option-generation behavior and provided information relevant to the design of decision-making training

Construction de la longueur et de sa mesure. Une étude exploratoire auprès d'enfants de première primaire

This chapter discusses a number of the contemporary approaches in motor learning that can be used by practitioners to help design and implement skill practice sessions for developmental level athletes. It highlights the intention to create an athlete-centred learning environment that not only promotes the acquisition of individualised coordination patterns, but also highly adaptable athletes who are capable of achieving success in the demanding environment of elite level sport. The application of the constraints-led approach in coaching typically involves the manipulation of one or more categories of constraints in an attempt to encourage the natural emergence of a desired movement behaviour. The concept of 'functional variability' suggests that the variability that typically occurs during the execution of a skill may often play an important role in helping to facilitate adaptability. Clearly, the role of the sports practitioner is pivotal in creating suitable practice activities to enhance motor learning