Game situation information in video-based perceptual decision making : the influence of criticality of decisions

This study examined the effects of game situation information, manipulated in terms of time and score, on decisions made in a video-based perceptual test in basketball. The participants were undergraduate university students (n=159) who viewed 21 offensive basketball plays, under two test conditions (low decision criticality; high decision criticality). To manipulate the conditions, prior to each clip, theparticipants were presented with a description of the remaining time and score differential. High decision criticality situations were characterised by a remaining time of 60 seconds or less and score differentials of 2 points or less. Low decision criticality situations were characterised by remaining time of 5 minutes or more and score differentials of 5 points or more. The participants indicated their decision (pass, shoot, dribble) after the visual display had been occluded for each clip. The results indicated that decision profiles differed under the low and high decision criticality conditions. More pass decisions were made under high decision criticality situations and more shoot decisions under low decision criticality situations. These variations differed according to the type of main sport played but not for the basketball competition level. It was concluded that game situation information does influence decision making and should be considered in video-based testing and training.<br /

Classifying excessive exercise: Examining the relationship between compulsive exercise with obsessive‐compulsive disorder symptoms and disordered eating symptoms

Objective: There remains a lack of consensus around nosology for compulsive exercise (CE). Although widely observed in eating disorders (ED), CE shares theoretical overlap with obsessive‐compulsive disorder (OCD), where exercise compulsions occur in response to obsessions. Yet, there is limited and mixed evidence of a relationship between CE with OCD. This study aims to explore the appropriate diagnostic classification of CE through examination of CE in relation to OCD, obsessional thinking, and ED symptoms. Method: Two hundred and eighty one adults with mental health symptoms, dieting, and exercise behaviour completed measures of OCD, CE, and disordered eating symptoms. Regression and Receiver Operating Characteristic analyses examined relationships between dimensions of CE with OCD and ED symptoms, and the predictive ability of CE assessment for detecting threshold OCD and ED symptoms. Results: CE assessment was poor at predicting threshold OCD symptoms, probable Anorexia Nervosa, and Binge Eating Disorder and moderate at detecting probable disordered eating and Bulimia Nervosa. Associations between CE and OCD symptoms were not significant after adjustment for ED symptoms. Obsessional thinking was associated only with lack of exercise enjoyment. Conclusions: Results indicate that excessive exercise might represent a distinct disorder, with some shared traits across CE, OCD and ED symptoms. Findings question the utility of adaptation of OCD diagnostic criteria for CE. Assessment and treatment implications are considered

Geographic Variation in Sexual Attraction of Spodoptera frugiperda Corn- and Rice-Strain Males to Pheromone Lures

The corn- and rice-strains of Spodoptera frugiperda exhibit several genetic and behavioral differences and appear to be undergoing ecological speciation in sympatry. Previous studies reported conflicting results when investigating male attraction to pheromone lures in different regions, but this could have been due to inter-strain and/or geographic differences. Therefore, we investigated whether corn- and rice-strain males differed in their response to different synthetic pheromone blends in different regions in North America, the Caribbean and South America. All trapped males were strain typed by two strain-specific mitochondrial DNA markers. In the first experiment, we found a nearly similar response of corn and rice-strain males to two different 4-component blends, resembling the corn- and rice-strain female blend we previously described from females in Florida. This response showed some geographic variation in fields in Canada, North Carolina, Florida, Puerto Rico, and South America (Peru, Argentina). In dose-response experiments with the critical secondary sex pheromone component (Z)-7-dodecenyl acetate (Z7-12:OAc), we found some strain-specific differences in male attraction. While the response to Z7-12:OAc varied geographically in the corn-strain, rice-strain males showed almost no variation. We also found that the minor compound (Z)-11-hexadecenyl acetate (Z11-16:OAc) did not increase attraction of both strains in Florida and of corn-strain males in Peru. In a fourth experiment, where we added the stereo-isomer of the critical sex pheromone component, (E)-7-dodecenyl acetate, to the major pheromone component (Z)-9-tetradecenyl acetate (Z9-14:OAc), we found that this compound was attractive to males in North Carolina, but not to males in Peru. Overall, our results suggest that both strains show rather geographic than strain-specific differences in their response to pheromone lures, and that regional sexual communication differences might cause geographic differentiation between populations.Fil: Unbehend, Melanie. Instituto Max Planck Institut Fur Chemische Okologie; AlemaniaFil: Hänniger, Sabine. Instituto Max Planck Institut Fur Chemische Okologie; AlemaniaFil: Vasquez, Gissella M.. University Of North Carolina; Estados UnidosFil: Juárez, María Laura. Gobierno de Tucumán. Ministerio de Desarrollo Productivo. Estación Experimental Agroindustrial Obispo Colombres; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Tucumán; ArgentinaFil: Reisig, Dominic. University Of North Carolina; Estados UnidosFil: Mcneil, Jeremy N.. University of Western Ontario. Department of Biology; CanadáFil: Meagher, Robert L.. United States Department Of Agriculture; Estados UnidosFil: Jenkins, David A.. United States Department of Agriculture; ArgentinaFil: Heckel, David G.. Instituto Max Planck Institut Fur Chemische Okologie; AlemaniaFil: Groot, Astrid T.. University Of Amsterdam; Países Bajos. Instituto Max Planck Institut Fur Chemische Okologie; Alemani

Imagery training for reactive agility: performance improvements for decision time but not overall reactive agility

This study investigated the effects of imagery training on reactive agility and whether reacting to unpredictable stimuli could be improved using imagery. Forty-seven female athletes (Mage = 21.51, SD = 2.32) were randomly assigned to either a three-week physical training, imagery training, or control condition. Physical training condition involved physically rehearsing the reactive agility task, whereas the imagery training condition involved imagining the presenting stimulus and performing the reactive agility task. The control condition did no reactive agility training. A 3 (training conditions) x 7 (reactive agility performance components) mixed-model MANOVA was conducted to examine changes in reactive agility performance from the training interventions. Physical training improved decision time components and overall reactive agility performance. Imagery training improved Stimulus-Decision Time and Stimulus-Foot performance, but not overall reactive agility performance. No performance improvements occurred for the control condition. Findings support imagery use for the decision time variables associated with lightstimulus reactive agility performance. The lack of overall reactive performance improvement may indicate that imagery training is not effective for all components of perceptual-motor performance. Performance change inconsistencies appear to indicate that participants may not have generated unpredictable stimuli during imagery. Future investigation as to whether imagery improvements translate to sport-specific reactive tasks is needed

Effect of task complexity on ipsilateral motor response programming to physically presented and imagined stimuli

It is unclear whether task representation generated in imagery simulates performance demands in reacting to stimuli. This study investigated whether perceptual and motor control processes used to react to unpredictable stimuli and initiate an ipsilateral movement were replicated during imagery. Fifty-nine undergraduate students (M&lt;sub&gt;age&lt;/sub&gt; = 27.01years, SD = 8.30) completed 30 simple, 2-choice congruent and 2-choice incongruent ipsilateral finger-foot movement trials in response to a physically presented or imagined stimulus. The results appear to indicate that participants were reacting to imagined and actual stimuli, as the ipsilateral finger-foot programming rule was maintained and reaction time initially slowed as task difficulty increased. These finding support theoretical similarities between imagery and physical performance of reaction tasks, with imagers generating and reacting to unpredictable stimuli. Slower imagery performance than physical performance on the 2-choice incongruent task may indicate that task complexity is limited during imagery. Variation in results between the imagery and physical conditions potentially supports that imagers were able to react to the imagined stimulus. However, exploratory processes used to react to stimuli were not replicated during imagery. The present findings have potentially significant implications for the functional and applied use of imagery for skill acquisition

Perfect Imperfections: Locus of Control, Perfectionism, and Postpartum Depression

We examined whether locus of control (LOC) moderates the apparent relationship between perfectionism and postpartum depression (PPD). It was predicted that external LOC would moderate the relationship between self-oriented perfectionism and PPD, and socially prescribed perfectionism and PPD. A sample of 243 women completed an online self-report questionnaire assessing perfectionism, LOC, and PPD. Self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism were significantly associated with PPD. Increased personal loci of control (i.e., low external LOC and high internal LOC) moderated (strengthened) the relationship between perfectionism and PPD. LOC may be an important concept and one of the underlying factors at work in the perfectionism–PPD relationship. This outcome may be attributed to the self-directed nature of self-oriented perfectionists

Passion moderates the relationship between exercise identity and compulsive exercise

There remains limited understanding and mixed results around predictors of compulsive exercise, especially outside of eating disorder populations and settings. Research is also limited by operationalisation of compulsive exercise as a unidimensional construct, despite evidence that it is best understood and examined as multi-dimensional. Given that compulsive exercise is also observed in the general exercise population, increased understanding around predictors of compulsive exercise is needed. This study examined the relationship between dimensions of compulsive exercise (Compulsive Exercise Test) with obsessive and harmonious passion (the Passion Scale) and exercise identity (the Exercise Identity Scale) in a sample of N = 1184 Australian general exercisers. Correlation, regression and moderation analyses indicated that exercise identity was associated with all dimensions of compulsive exercise, although strength and direction of relationships varied. Harmonious passion was related to several dimensions of compulsive exercise and also moderated relationships between identity with weight-control exercise, mood improvement and lack of exercise enjoyment, whereas obsessive passion moderated the relationship between identity and lack of exercise enjoyment only. Results highlight that compulsive exercise dimensions have nuanced relationships with other variables and that examination of dimensions can increase understanding around compulsive exercise. Harmonious passion predicted more aspects of compulsive exercise than obsessive passion. Individuals with high exercise identity, and those with low harmonious passion may be more at risk of poor outcomes including compulsive exercise pathology and other related outcomes

Examining the importance of athletic mindset profiles for level of sport performance and coping

This study examined how growth and fixed mindset beliefs coexist within athletes to form distinct Athletic Mindsets; and whether these composite mindsets differentially predict level of sport performance and athletic coping skills. Athletes in Australia (N = 281, 52% male, Mage = 32.21, SD = 14.40) completed self-report questionnaires measuring mindset, athletic coping, and level of sport performance. Cluster analysis of growth and fixed belief variables identified four distinct athletic mindset profiles: High-Growth/Low-Fixed, Low Growth /Low Fixed, Low Growth /High Fixed, and High-Growth/High Fixed. Analysis revealed that athletes with a HighG/LowF mindset were more likely to participate at higher levels of sport performance than athletes with the other three mindsets, and that this predictive effect was mediated by greater athletic coping skills. These findings indicate that growth and fixed mindset beliefs coexist and interact, and that possessing a HighG/LowF mindset benefits sports performance and coping. These findings illustrate support for the use of athletic mindset profiles to predict level of sport performance and inform coaching strategies

Passion moderates the relationship between exercise identity and compulsive exercise

There remains limited understanding and mixed results around predictors of compulsive exercise, especially outside of eating disorder populations and settings. Research is also limited by operationalisation of compulsive exercise as a unidimensional construct, despite evidence that it is best understood and examined as multi-dimensional. Given that compulsive exercise is also observed in the general exercise population, increased understanding around predictors of compulsive exercise is needed. This study examined the relationship between dimensions of compulsive exercise (Compulsive Exercise Test) with obsessive and harmonious passion (the Passion Scale) and exercise identity (the Exercise Identity Scale) in a sample of N = 1184 Australian general exercisers. Correlation, regression and moderation analyses indicated that exercise identity was associated with all dimensions of compulsive exercise, although strength and direction of relationships varied. Harmonious passion was related to several dimensions of compulsive exercise and also moderated relationships between identity with weight-control exercise, mood improvement and lack of exercise enjoyment, whereas obsessive passion moderated the relationship between identity and lack of exercise enjoyment only. Results highlight that compulsive exercise dimensions have nuanced relationships with other variables and that examination of dimensions can increase understanding around compulsive exercise. Harmonious passion predicted more aspects of compulsive exercise than obsessive passion. Individuals with high exercise identity, and those with low harmonious passion may be more at risk of poor outcomes including compulsive exercise pathology and other related outcomes