Vanjski fokus pažnje poboljšava izvedbu bacanja diska

A performer’s focus of attention has been shown to influence motor performance and learning in a variety of motor skills. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effects of an external and internal focus of attention on discus throwing. Participants (N=20; mean age: 22 years, SD: 1.58) were recruited from an undergraduate male student population that had limited experience with the task. Using a within-participants design, all participants completed five maximum effort trials under each attentional focus condition (external and internal). The results of a repeated-measures ANCOVA revealed that participants had a significantly more effective performance in external focus of attention condition compared with the internal attentional focus. These findings are in line with the previous studies showing enhanced motor performance as a result of using external versus internal focus of attention. Therefore, it is suggested that coaches and practitioners give instructions that promote an external focus of attention.Dokazano je da usmjerenost pažnje izvođača motoričkog zadatka utječe na motoričku uspješnost i motoričko učenje velikog broja motoričkih vještina. Cilj je ovog istraživanja bio utvrditi učinke vanjskog i unutarnjeg usmjeravanja (fokusa) pažnje na izvedbu bacanja diska. Dvadeset ispitanika, u dobi od 22±1,58 godina, bilo je uzorkovano iz populacije dodiplomskih studenata koji nisu imali velikog iskustva u izvedbi motoričkog zadatka. Svi su ispitanici izveli zadatak po pet puta maksimalnim intenzitetom u svakoj od situacija usmjerenosti pažnje (vanjska i unutarnja usmjerenost pažnje). Rezultati analize ANCOVA pokazali su da je motorička izvedba bila značajno učinkovitija u uvjetima vanjske usmjerenosti pažnje u usporedbi s izvedbom u uvjetima s unutarnjim fokusom pažnje. Rezultati ovog istraživanja u skladu su s rezultatima ranije provedenih istraživanja koji pokazuju poboljšanu motoričku izvedbu u uvjetima vanjskog fokusa pažnje u odnosu na unutarnji fokus pažnje. Preporuča se, stoga, da treneri i stručnjaci daju instrukcije sportašu u vidu promoviranja vanjskog usmjeravanja pažnje

"Feedback" após boas versus más tentativas melhora a aprendizagem motora em crianças

The present study investigated whether children would benefit from feedback (knowledge of results, KR) provided after relatively good as opposed to poor trials. The task required participants to throw beanbags at a circular target that was placed on the floor at a distance of 3 m. Twenty-eight elementary school children (mean age: 10.6 years) participated in this experiment. The practice phase consisted of 10 blocks of 6 trials. After each 6-trial block, one group (KR good) received KR on the 3 most accurate tosses, whereas another group (KR poor) was given KR on the 3 least accurate ones. Participants were not informed about the trials on which they were provided feedback. Immediately following the practice phase, participants completed the intrinsic motivation inventory. One day after the practice phase, a retention test consisting of 10 trials without KR was conducted. The results demonstrated that learning was enhanced by providing KR after good trials during practice. Furthermore, the questionnaire results revealed that learners' intrinsic motivation was increased by positive feedback. The present findings add to the accumulating evidence that the motivational effects of feedback have a direct impact on learning.O presente estudo investigou se a aprendizagem motora de crianças pode ser beneficiada pelo "feedback" (conhecimento de resultados -CR) fornecido após tentativas relativamente boas de prática, ao invés de após tentativas ruins. A tarefa requeriu que os participantes arremessassem saquinhos de feijão em um alvo circular fixo, posicionado no chão, a uma distância de 3 m. Vinte e oito crianças do ensino fundamental (idade média: 10,6 anos) participaram deste experimento. A fase de prática consistiu de 10 blocos de seis tentativas. Após cada bloco de tentativas, um grupo (KR "good") recebeu CR relacionado aos três arremessos mais precisos, enquanto ao outro grupo (KR "poor") foi fornecido CR relacionado aos três arremessos menos precisos. Os participantes não foram informados sobre as tentativas nas quais o "feedback" seria fornecido. Imediatamente após a fase de prática, os participantes preencheram o questionário de motivação intrínseca. Um dia após a fase de prática, foi conduzido um teste de retenção composto por 10 tentativas, sem CR. Os resultados demonstraram que a aprendizagem foi melhorada através do fornecimento de CR após as boas tentativas de prática. Ainda, os resultados do questionário revelaram que a motivação intrínseca dos aprendizes foi aumentada pelo "feedback" positivo. Os presentes achados adicionam evidências de que os efeitos motivacionais do "feedback" possuem um impacto direto sobre a aprendizagem

The Effect of Two Methods of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) and Stimulus-Response Asynchrony on Backward-Compatibility Effect in Mental Fatigue Conditions

. Introduction: The present study aimed to investigate the effect of anodal and cathodal brain tDCS and stimulus-response asynchrony on the backward-compatibility effect (BCE) in conditions of acute mental fatigue.Methods: The participants were 39 boys (20 to 24 years old). The instruments included the informed consent form, the Edinburgh handedness questionnaire, the dual reaction time instrument, the Stroop software, the visual analog scale to evaluate fatigue severity (VAS-F), and the tDCS device. The participants in the pre-test were tested in two conditions of non-fatigue and mental fatigue with a dual reaction time instrument. The tests consisted of two three-choice visual stimulus-response (letters and colors) with ten different stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs). Then the subjects were randomly assigned to three Anodal, Cathodal, and Sham stimulation groups. The intervention consisted of four consecutive 20-minute sessions of tDCS stimulation on the DLPFC area. One day and four days after the last stimulation session, the tests were repeated. For inferential data analysis, Mixed Model ANOVA and One-way ANOVA tests were used at a significance level of 0.05.Results: The results showed that there is a difference between different SOAs in response time to the first stimulus (RT1) which is a representation of backward adaptation, and at lower SOAs, the RT1 is shorter. Also, there is a difference in RT1 at low SOAs between fatigued and non-fatigued conditions. However, the effect of cathodal and anodal tDCS on RT1 was very small.Conclusion: In general, the results showed that at least some central aspects related to the response can be processed in parallel. Fatigue also affects this parallel processing

Effects of Rest, Music and Active Video Games on Executive Functions in Female Students

The present study is to evaluate the effects of break activities (resting with eyes open, listening to music, playing active video game) on working memory and selective attention in female college students. The semi-experimental research was conducted with the repeated measures design. 36 female students from the city of Shoush Danial, who participated in classes in 2019–2020, were selected in a convenient and purposive way. Working memory and selective attention were assessed using N-Back2 (N-B2) and Stroop Word-Color Test (SWCT). In addition, Demographic Questionnaire (DQ), Mental Wondering Questionnaire (MWQ), and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) were used. Data were analyzed with repeated measures ANOVA using SPSS software at p≤0.05 level of significance. The results showed that there was a significant difference in the n-back test after break activities. Pairwise comparisons indicated that the n-back task after open-eye break was better than other breaks. In addition, the results showed that there was no significant difference in selective attention. The present results show that different breaks have a different effect only on working memory performance and not on selective attention. Accordingly, breaking with eyes open improves working memory performance

Treniranje u uvjetima kontinuuma otežavajućega kontekstualnog utjecaja: usporedba triju različitih načina vježbanja na satovima tjelesne i zdravstvene kulture u osnovnim školama

Few studies have explored the contextual interference effect with children. The findings from these investigations have produced inconsistent results. The purpose of this study was to investigate further how the contextual interference effect influenced children learning a fundamental motor skill in a physical education class. Elementary students (N=36) practiced overarm throwing following traditional blocked or random scheduling. They were compared to a third group of participants practicing the same tasks following a schedule with systematic increases in contextual interference. Analysis revealed that all three groups improved during practice. Post-test results revealed performance differences in favor of the group that practiced with systematic increases in contextual interference. The findings reported here extend the results of previous studies by demonstrating that children can learn a motor skill by practicing with systematic increases in contextual interference. Theoretical considerations are discussed, as well as the relevance of the findings for practitioners and avenues for future research.Premalo je istraživanja koja su ispitivala učinke kontekstualnog utjecaja na učenje motoričkih znanja u djece. Rezultati tih istraživanja bili su proturječni. Cilj ovog istraživanja bilo je daljnje istraživanje učinaka kontekstualnog utjecaja na djecu koja uče osnovna motorička znanja na nastavi tjelesne i zdravstvene kulture. Učenici osnovnih škola (N=36) vježbali su osnovno bacanja loptice jednom rukom iznad glave u uvjetima tradicionalne, blokirane ili nasumične strukture kontekstualnog utjecaja. Rezultati tih učenika uspoređeni su s rezultatima treće grupe ispitanika koji su izvodili/vježbali isti motorički zadatak u uvjetima sustavnog povećanja otežavajućega kontekstualnog utjecaja. Rezultati su pokazali da su sve tri grupe ispitanika napredovale tijekom vježbanja. Rezultati finalnog mjerenja pokazali su također da je veći napredak zabilježen u grupi koja je vježbala u uvjetima sustavnog povećanja otežavajućega kontekstualnog utjecaja. Rezultati ovog istraživanja proširuju spoznaje dosadašnjih znanstvenih istraživanja ukazivanjem na činjenicu da djeca mogu učiti motorička znanja u uvjetima sustavnog povećanja otežavajućega kontekstualnog utjecaja. U članku su raspravljene teorijske osnove eksperimenta i praktičan doprinos dobivenih znanstvenih spoznaja te su predstavljene preporuke za daljnja znanstvena istraživanja

The Effect of External Attentional Focus and Self-Controlled Feedback on Motor Learning in Older Adults

Introduction. External focus instruction and self-controlled feedback have beneficial effects on motor learning. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the benefits of combined effects of external focus instruction and self-controlled feedback on balance performance in older adults

The Effect of Brain Anodal and Cathodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Psychological Refractory Period at Different Stimulus-Onset Asynchrony in Non-Fatigue and Mental Fatigue Conditions

The psychological refractory period (PRP) effect occurs when two stimuli that require separate responses are presented sequentially, particularly with a short and variable time interval between them. Fatigue is a suboptimal psycho-physiological state that leads to changes in strategies. In recent years, numerous studies have investigated the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on motor control. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of two tDCS methods, anodal and cathodal, on PRP in ten different conditions of stimulus-onset asynchronies (SOAs) under non-fatigue and mental fatigue conditions. The participants involved 39 male university students aged 19 to 25 years. In the pre-test, they were assessed using the PRP measurement tool under both non-fatigue and mental fatigue conditions. The mental fatigue was induced by a 30-min Stroop task. The test consisted of two stimuli with different SOAs (50, 75, 100, 150, 300, 400, 600, 900, 1200, and 1500 ms). The first was a visual stimulus with three choices (letters A, B, and C). After a random SOA, the second stimulus, a visual stimulus with three choices (colors red, yellow, and blue), was presented. Subsequently, participants were randomly assigned to the anodal, cathodal, and sham stimulation groups and underwent four consecutive sessions of tDCS stimulation. In the anodal and cathodal stimulation groups, 20 min of tDCS stimulation were applied to the PLPFC area in each session, while in the sham group, the stimulation was artificially applied. All participants were assessed using the same measurement tools as in the pre-test phase, in a post-test phase one day after the last stimulation session, and in a follow-up phase four days after that. Inferential statistics include mixed ANOVA, one-way ANOVA, independent, and dependent t-tests. The findings indicated that the response time to the second stimulus was longer at lower SOAs. However, there was no significant difference between the groups in this regard. Additionally, there was no significant difference in response time to the second stimulus between the fatigue and non-fatigue conditions, or between the groups. Therefore, tDCS had no significant effect. There was a significant difference between mental fatigue and non-fatigue conditions in the psychological refractory period. Moreover, at lower SOAs, the PRP was longer than at higher SOAs. In conditions of fatigue, the active stimulation groups (anodal and cathodal) performed better than the sham stimulation group at higher SOAs. Considering the difference in response to both stimuli at different SOAs, some central aspects of the response can be simultaneously parallel. Fatigue also affects parallel processing. This study supports the response integration phenomenon in PRP, which predicts that there will be an increase in response time to the first stimulus as the interval between the presentation of the two stimuli increases. This finding contradicts the bottleneck model. In this study, the effectiveness of cathodal and anodal tDCS on response time to the second stimulus and PRP was found to be very small

The Effect of Active Video Games on the Learning of Dart Throwing Skill in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of active video games on the learning of dart throwing skill in children with autism spectrum disorder. In this semi-experimental study, 30 children with autism spectrum disorder (level 1) in Ahvaz city were purposively selected and randomly assigned to three equal groups (real practice, virtual practice, and control). Firstly, the dart throwing pretest was performed with 10 real trials. Then, the practice groups practiced for 4 sessions during 2 weeks and 30 trials (3 blocks of 10 trials) per session in the acquisition stage. After the last acquisition session, the posttest was performed by 10 trials and retention test was performed after 24 hours. Finally, the transfer test was performed with the counterbalance manner in both environments for all three groups 30 minutes after the retention test. Data were analyzed by mix analysis of variance and post hoc tests at P≤0.05 using SPSS22 software. The results showed a significant difference between the two practice groups in the acquisition stage (P≤0.01) and the virtual group had better performance than the real group. Also, the results indicated that real and virtual groups had better performance than the control group in the retention and transfer tests, and the virtual group had better progress than the real group in the mean scores of dart throwing. In general, the results showed that active video games improved performance and learning of dart throwing in children with autism spectrum disorder

The Effect of Handedness and Task Difficulty on Effective Target Width and Temporal Accuracy in Fitts’ Speed-Accuracy Tradeoff Task

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of handedness and task difficulty on effective target width and temporal accuracy of the Fitts’ speed-accuracy tradeoff task. The present study was semi-experimental and the tools used included Edinburgh handedness questionnaire, light pen, speed-accuracy measurement device, laptop, chronometer, and metronome. The statistical population consisted of students aged between 14 and 15. The sample included 20 students who participated in this study by convenience sampling method. They were divided into two groups: left-hand and right-hand (each group 10 subjects). Each participant performed 4 trials (each trial 30 seconds) of dual target tapping task in rhythm with the metronome sound. The trials consisted of two easy and difficult tasks and each subject performed each task with dominant and not-dominant hands in rhythm with the metronome sound set up at 300 milliseconds. For statistical analysis of data, variance analysis with repeated measures was used at the significance level of 0.05. The results showed that in dominant hand, the handedness and difficulty of the task had no significant effect on the effective width of the target (P=0.973, P=0.611). Also, the handedness did not affect the average time lag (P=0.135, P=0.785), but in non-dominant hand, the average time lag was more for the difficult task than the simple task (P=0.001). In difficult tasks, participants seem to be trying to keep the spatial error rate constant by reducing the speed of the movement and to sacrifice speed for the spatial accuracy. Also, the time error (mean lag) is more influenced by the difficulty of the task than the handedness