Teamwork makes the dream work:Testing for shared perceptions on psycho-behavioural skills between athletes, coaches and parents

Psycho-behavioural skills play a key role in optimising progression through talent development, and this study investigated to what extent athlete's self-perceptions align with those of their coaches and parents. Firstly, we examined if levels of alignment between these three raters differ across age of the athlete. To this end, 122 athletes between 9 and 18 years old (12.17 & PLUSMN; 2.41 years old; 47 gymnasts, 13 cyclists and 62 badminton players) completed a psycho-behavioural questionnaire. The ANOVA's indicated low levels of correspondence between the ratings of the athlete, the coach and the parents during childhood, while better levels of shared perceptions were found in adolescence. Secondly, we investigated to what extent coaches and parents believed their own perception of the athlete's and the perception of the athlete's psycho-behavioural skills were accurate. Parents appeared to be more confident in accurately perceiving the psycho-behavioural skills of the athlete than coaches. Parents and coaches also believed that older athletes would be more honest on their psycho-behavioural shortcomings than younger athletes. Altogether, these findings highlight that athletes and other stakeholders in the talent development environment should strive for better alignment in perceptions on psycho-behavioural skills during the talent development pathway. With better integrated perceptions, a more functional and efficient talent development system for the athlete targeting the psycho-behavioural skills can be created

Executive functions and psycho-behavioural skills in artistic gymnasts:Age, developmental stage and sex-related differences

During the talent development (TD) process in sport, cognitive and psycho-behavioural skills are necessary to successfully overcome TD-specific challenges. This cross-sectional study explored executive functions (EF) and psycho-behavioural skills (PCDE), in male and female high-level artistic gymnasts between 9 and 26 years old. The first objective was to investigate if an ideal profile would emerge for these gymnasts. In the youngest age group (9–12yo), a general improvement with age for EF was observed, and gymnasts scored higher on imagery use than the quasi-control group. The older age group showed that gymnasts had significantly higher scores on inhibition, imagery use and self-directed control and management than the quasi-control group. The second objective was to conduct a person-centred approach, investigating the individual profiles of a selected group of four high-level gymnasts. The radar charts revealed a relatively similar profile in all four gymnasts and the quasi-control group for the EF components, while there was a pronounced within group and between groups variation for the PCDE profiles. This study showed that inhibition, imagery use and self-directed control and management could be potential performance indicators in gymnastics. The radar charts support the idea that, once an athlete scores above a specific threshold on all variables, there is no necessity for trying to maximise each and every of these skills but rather, it might be better to leave room for individual profile variation. Since individually different profiles were indeed observed, we recommend an athlete-centred approach in all TD phases from a young age onwards

Exploring the use of the Psychological Characteristics of Developing Excellence (PCDEs) in younger age groups:First steps in the validation process of the PCDE Questionnaire for Children (PCDEQ-C)

Athletes who want to benefit most optimally and efficient from the Talent Development (TD) pathway, should start developing their psychological characteristics at a young age. The Psychological Characteristics Developing Excellence Questionnaire–Version 2 (PCDEQ2) can provide a full assessment of the mental characteristics athletes need. However, the PCDEQ2 has only been validated in adolescent athletes and as a consequence its does not contribute to the understanding of these psychological skills in a younger age group. The main purpose of this study was to take a first step in examining the factor structure and reliability of the Psychological Characteristics of Developing Excellence Questionnaire for Children (PCDEQ-C), a questionnaire based on the PCDEQ– 2. Firstly, the original questionnaire was translated to Dutch, age-adapted and redesigned for implementation in young athletes. Secondly, 774 participants (400 girls) from Flanders, Belgium, between 7 and 13 years (mean age of 10.61 ± 1.58) old filled out the questionnaire. After exploratory factor analysis, a new factor structure for the PCDEQ-C deemed an acceptable fit with 51 items in 5 factors. In the third stage, the reliability showed a good overall and internal consistency, with adequate relations between factors. The first steps in the validation process of the PCDEQ-C, suggest that this questionnaire could be a useful and reliable tool to assess the developmental psychological characteristics of 7-to-13-year-old athletes. The questionnaire is one of the first formative assessment tools to monitor and develop the psychological characteristics needed during the earliest talent development stages of a young athlete

A one-year follow-up of the cognitive and psycho-behavioural skills in artistic gymnastics

A good set of cognitive and psycho-behavioural skills are beneficial for young athletes to overcome and benefit from developmental challenges. Unfortunately, there is still a dearth of knowledge on how both these cognitive (i.e., executive functions; EF) and psycho-behavioural (i.e., psychological characteristics of developing excellence; PCDE) skills develop in youth athletes. Especially for athletes in early specialisation sports such as artistic gymnastics, the early EF and PCDE development might be important to be able to cope with the pressure and challenges that comes with a transition to the next stage. In the current study, artistic gymnasts between 9 and 22 years old were tested twice with a 12-month interval to investigate the changes in EF and PCDE. Results showed that EF developed within the youngest stage, but plateaued at the later stages. Most PCDE did not seem to change over time within each stage. Furthermore, the transition to a new stage does not seem to coincide with an increased improvement of PCDE. However, with a case study approach in the oldest stages, still inter-individual differences in EF and PCDE scores over time were observed. This study shows that EF and PCDE develop over time, albeit in a non-linear way, and along a variety of developmental trajectories

Actual and perceived motor competence levels of Belgian and United States preschool children

Purpose: The present study examined the motor competence of preschool children from Belgium and the United States (US), and the influence of perceived motor competence on actual motor competence. A secondary objective was to compare the levels of motor competence of Belgian and US children using the US norms of the Test of Gross Motor Development, Second Edition (TGMD-2). Methods: All participants (N = 326; ages 4-5) completed the TGMD-2 and the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence for Young Children. Results: Belgian children performed significantly higher on actual object control and locomotor skills than US children. However, both Belgian and US children scored significantly worse on the TGMD-2 when compared to the US norm group from 1997-1998. Furthermore, perceived motor competence was significantly related to actual object control skills but not locomotor skills. Conclusion: The present study showed cross-cultural differences in actual motor competence in young children. The findings also indicate a secular downward trend in childhood competence levels, possibly due to a decrease in physical activity and increase in sedentary behavior. Future research should consider conducting an in-depth exploration of physical activity contexts such as physical education to better understand cross-cultural differences in motor competence

How anxiety and incremental secondary task demands impact processing efficiency, visual search, and gait kinematics in older adults

Accepted author manuscript version reprinted, by permission, from Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 2016, volume 38 (S1): pp.S55-S56, https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.38.3.S1.S1. © Human Kinetics, Inc

Long-term effectiveness of a fundamental motor skill intervention in Belgian children : a 6-year follow-up

The aim of this study was (1) to examine the long-term effectiveness of the 'Multimove for Kids' program, a 30-week fundamental motor skill intervention (approximately 1 hour per week) for typically developing children between 3 and 8 years, and (2) to determine the influence of participation in organized sports on motor competence (MC) six years after the intervention. Of the 992 children who took part in the 'Multimove' program, 399 (intervention group: N=228, control group: N=171) were tested again at 6-year follow-up. MC was measured with the Test of Gross Motor Development, 2nd Edition. To examine the long-term impact of 'Multimove' on MC and the effect of participation in organized sports a latent growth curve analysis was conducted. After the 30-week intervention, the intervention group outperformed the control group (β=5.57, p<.001). However, when the entire study period, including the 6-year follow-up, was considered, the intervention group made less progress in MC than the control group (β=-0.41, p<.05). Looking at the engagement in organized sports, it was found that years of experience before the intervention had no significant influence on the evolution of MC over time, whereas a positive effect was observed for children’s average sports participation (h/week) during the 6-year retention period (β=0.14, p<.001). Finally, children practicing predominantly object control-oriented sports during retention, obtained slightly better MC scores at follow-up (β=0.01, p<.01). The effect of the 'Multimove' intervention does not have a long-term effect on the development of MC. However, participation in organized sports has a positive influence on MC over time

Differences in weight status and autonomous motivation towards sports among children with various profiles of motor competence and organized sports participation

This study aimed (1) to identify profiles in children based on actual motor competence (AMC), perceived motor competence (PMC), and organized sports participation (OSP), and (2) to examine differences among these profiles in weight status as well as autonomous motivation towards sports. Children's (N = 206; 112 boys; Mage = 10.83 ± 0.92 years) AMC, PMC, OSP, weight status, and autonomous motivation towards sports were measured using validated assessment tools. Cluster analyses identified three profiles with completely convergent levels of AMC, PMC, and OSP and three profiles with partially convergent levels. Children in the convergent profiles with average to high levels of AMC, PMC, and OSP had the most optimal profile, as they combined a healthier weight status with elevated levels of autonomous motivation, while the opposite was true for children with low levels on all three cluster-variables. Partially convergent profiles showed that AMC and PMC appear crucial for weight status, as profiles with relatively low levels of AMC and PMC had the highest weight status, independent of their OSP levels. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of promoting AMC, PMC, and OSP simultaneously to help children in achieving a healthy weight status and being autonomously motivated towards OSP

Reflections on mirror therapy: A systematic review of the effect of mirror visual feedback on the brain

Background. Mirror visual feedback (MVF), a phenomenon where movement of one limb is perceived as movement of the other limb, has the capacity to alleviate phantom limb pain or promote motor recovery of the upper limbs after stroke. The tool has received great interest from health professionals; however, a clear understanding of the mechanisms underlying the neural recovery owing to MVF is lacking. Objective. We performed a systematic review to assess the effect of MVF on brain activation during a motor task. Methods. We searched PubMed, CINAHL, and EMBASE databases for neuroimaging studies investigating the effect of MVF on the brain. Key details for each study regarding participants, imaging methods, and results were extracted. Results. The database search yielded 347 article, of which we identified 33 suitable for inclusion. Compared with a control condition, MVF increases neural activity in areas involved with allocation of attention and cognitive control (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, S1 and S2, precuneus). Apart from activation in the superior temporal gyrus and premotor cortex, there is little evidence that MVF activates the mirror neuron system. MVF increases the excitability of the ipsilateral primary motor cortex (M1) that projects to the “untrained” hand/arm. There is also evidence for ipsilateral projections from the contralateral M1 to the untrained/affected hand as a consequence of training with MVF. Conclusion. MVF can exert a strong influence on the motor network, mainly through increased cognitive penetration in action control, though the variance in methodology and the lack of studies that shed light on the functional connectivity between areas still limit insight into the actual underlying mechanisms

The effectiveness of a community-based fundamental motor skill intervention in children aged 3–8 years: Results of the “Multimove for Kids” project

Objectives The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a 30-week fundamental motor skill program in typically developing young children and to investigate possible sex differences. Design A multicenter quasi experimental design was set up for this study which involved 992 children aged 3–8 years. Methods All participants received their typical Physical Education curriculum and habitual movement activities. The intervention group (n = 523; 53.5% boys) received a weekly 60-min motor skill session provided by trained local instructors in existing child settings; the control group (n = 469; 49.7% boys) received no additional practice. Fundamental motor skills were assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development, 2nd Edition before and after the intervention. To assess the effect of the intervention and possible sex differences, hierarchical linear regressions analyses were conducted for locomotor and object control gain scores. Results The intervention group demonstrated a higher gain in both locomotor (β = 3.78, SE = 1.08, p < 0.001) and object control (β = 4.46, SE = 1.06, p < 0.001) skills than the control group. Girls demonstrated a lower gain in object control skills (β = −3.50, SE = 0.49, p < 0.001) and higher gain in locomotor skills (β = 1.01, SE = 0.44, p = 0.022) than boys, regardless of group. Conclusions The present study demonstrated the effectiveness of a wide-scale community-based intervention in typically developing children. The sex differences reported may indicate the need to use different pedagogical and instructional strategies to enable boys and girls to develop and master a wide range of motor skills