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Recent work in the area of sport expertise suggests that practice patterns can also play a critical role in maintaining athletic performance. This article examines the contribution of both physiological changes and practice patterns to... more
Recent work in the area of sport expertise suggests that practice patterns can also play a critical role in maintaining athletic performance. This article examines the contribution of both physiological changes and practice patterns to swimming performances of master-, international-, junior-national-, and varsity-level swimmers. A comparison of the practice patterns of these groups suggests that master athletes spend significantly less time per week training for competition, and their training focus is on endurance, not strength. Younger swimmers train for endurance, strength, speed, and power. The authors suggest that these differences might be partly responsible for age-related performance changes. Performance changes for semilongitudinal and cross-sectional samples are characterized by significant quadratic beta weight, indicating increasing declines in performance starting at around 60 years of age. These data are discussed with respect to the role that practice plays in explaining performance changes with age.
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This experiment assessed the efficacy of proprioceptive and visual information for the performance of “vertical position” by synchronized swimmers. Three skill groups of 5 senior, 5 intermediate, and 5 novice synchronized swimmers... more
This experiment assessed the efficacy of proprioceptive and visual information for the performance of “vertical position” by synchronized swimmers. Three skill groups of 5 senior, 5 intermediate, and 5 novice synchronized swimmers performed 40 vertical positions under four conditions. The conditions were: self-initiated with and without vision, and following experimenter perturbation, with and without vision. The dependent measure was degrees of error from true vertical. Analysis indicated that either proprioception or proprioception and vision may be used in performing vertical positions. A significant main effect was found among skill groups.
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Adults are able to use a visual target to reduce quiet-standing postural sway (Lee & Lishman, 1975). The present study was designed to determine whether children, under varying postural conditions, are also able to use a visual... more
Adults are able to use a visual target to reduce quiet-standing postural sway (Lee & Lishman, 1975). The present study was designed to determine whether children, under varying postural conditions, are also able to use a visual target to reduce postural sway. A second purpose was to determine the ability of children to visually fixate under different postural conditions. An inability to visually fixate may limit the usefulness of a visual target. The results indicate that, like adults, children are able to reduce sway in the presence of a visual target. Young children are less able than older children and adults to visually fixate. In addition, children show more spontaneous visual saccades in the no-target condition than in the target condition and more saccades in the Romberg stance than in a feet-together stance. The fact that saccades decrease with increasing age, even in the seated, head-stabilized condition, precludes the possibility that increased instability of the young children is the only cause of increased number of saccades.
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... 138 FRAN ALLARD AND JANET L. STARKES player cannot function without understanding his or her role in the structure of the ... COGNITION AND OPEN SKILLS WITH SPEED STRESS Given the differences described for basketball and hockey, it... more
... 138 FRAN ALLARD AND JANET L. STARKES player cannot function without understanding his or her role in the structure of the ... COGNITION AND OPEN SKILLS WITH SPEED STRESS Given the differences described for basketball and hockey, it should not be surprising to ...
Research Interests: Psychology and Dance
... Page 3. COGNITIVE ISSUES IN MOTOR EXPERTISE Page 4. ADVANCES IN PSYCHOLOGY 102 Editors: GE STELMACH PA VROON NORTH-HOLLAND AMSTERDAM LONDON NEW YORK TOKYO Page 5. COGNITIVE ...
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Publisher Summary Microsurgery is an ideal venue for the study of motor skill for a number of reasons. In general, very little is known about the acquisition of movement skills performed at the microscopic level. Even researchers in human... more
Publisher Summary Microsurgery is an ideal venue for the study of motor skill for a number of reasons. In general, very little is known about the acquisition of movement skills performed at the microscopic level. Even researchers in human factors have given little effort to the empirical study of micro-movements. In microsurgery, very little about the acquisition or development of skill, or the transfer (positive and negative) of skill from macrosurgery is known. The chapter discusses whether the dependent measures used in the case studies reflect expertise and changes with experience. The present study reveals that it is not just the most basic procedures of microsurgery that become efficient but all of the requisite skills. There are number of attempts to develop more standardized tests of learning and transfer that will eventually allow novice-expert group comparisons. One of the curious aspects of motor performance under the microscope is why the motor system should be so adaptable as to be able to function efficiently at high levels of magnification that far exceed the normal range of vision. As all sensory systems have an absolute range it is amazing that motor system capabilities should far exceed the limits imposed by the normal range of vision.
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Research Interests: Psychology and Dance
The influence of exercise-induced arousal on the processing of visual information by three age groups was tested. Subjects were required to perform the Treisman visual detection task both at rest and during a steady-state walk at 75% of... more
The influence of exercise-induced arousal on the processing of visual information by three age groups was tested. Subjects were required to perform the Treisman visual detection task both at rest and during a steady-state walk at 75% of their maximum heart rate. The expected age differences in perceptual performance were apparent. The detection performance of 8-year-olds was poorer than that of 11-year-olds and adults. Detection of conjoined feature targets, with increases in the array size, showed a decrement in comparison to single feature targets. Subjects responded more quickly at all levels of distraction when a target was present while they were exercising. The results supported certain elements of Treisman's feature integration theory. This study has provided evidence that an exercise stress equivalent to 75 % of maximum heart rate had a positive effect on the visual perceptual performance of all groups tested. Both array size and feature conditions interacted with age. T...
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Inequalities in relative age distribution have previously been demonstrated to influence participation and performance achievements in Masters athletes. The purpose of the present study was to examine the participation- and... more
Inequalities in relative age distribution have previously been demonstrated to influence participation and performance achievements in Masters athletes. The purpose of the present study was to examine the participation- and performance-related constituent year effect among Masters athletes (N = 2,474) from the European Masters Track and Field Championships across subdisciplines and age. The results indicated that a participation-related constituent year effect was observed. The likelihood of participation was significantly higher for athletes in their first year of any 5-year age category (χ2 = 149.8, p < .001) and decreased significantly when they were in the fourth or fifth year. The results also indicated a performance-related constituent year effect. Masters athletes in their first year won significantly more medals than expected based on observed participation rate (χ2 = 23.39, p < .001). We compare our results with the existing literature and discuss potential mechanisms...
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... In the first study, varsity level basketball players, high school and varsity level coaches, and varsity level referees completed ... We also used a set square and a 10-meters tape measure to work out the coordinates of ... Jodar... more
... In the first study, varsity level basketball players, high school and varsity level coaches, and varsity level referees completed ... We also used a set square and a 10-meters tape measure to work out the coordinates of ... Jodar (XA), Elvira (JL)-Biomechanical analysis of shot put throw. ...
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This study aimed to examine differences in motivational regulations and achievement goal orientations between Masters athletes who do and do not have a coach. Elite Masters athletes (N = 71) were surveyed at the Canadian and USA Masters... more
This study aimed to examine differences in motivational regulations and achievement goal orientations between Masters athletes who do and do not have a coach. Elite Masters athletes (N = 71) were surveyed at the Canadian and USA Masters Track and Field Championships. The Sport Motivation Scale (Pelletier et al., 1995) and Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire (Duda & Nicholls, 1992) assessed motivational regulations and achievement goals, respectively. For motivational regulations, multiple analyses of variance revealed that there was a significant main effect for having a coach (p < .01) and for gender (p < .05), as well as a significant interaction for having a coach by gender (p < .01). Specifically, females who had a coach reported the highest levels of intrinsic motivation to accomplish and intrinsic motivation to know. Further, females who did not have a coach reported highest levels of amotivation for sport. For goal orientations, multiple analyses of variance also revealed a significant main effect for having a coach (p < .05). Specifically, Masters athletes who did not train with a coach reported higher ego orientation than those who had a coach. Findings from this study suggest the existence of a positive relationship between training with a coach and having self-determined motives among Masters athletes, especially for females, as well as on placing less importance on normative comparisons of performance.
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Research Interests: Engineering, Psychology, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Vision, Motor Control, and 15 moreAdolescent, Medicine, Human Movement Science, Humans, Movement, Kinematics, Female, Male, Liquid Crystal, Reciprocal, Stylus, Duty Cycle, Random Allocation, Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, and Medical and Health Sciences
Research Interests: Psychology, Education, Aging, Running, Medicine, and 15 moreEvidence-Based Practice (Psychology), Humans, Practice, Maintenance, Female, Male, Regression Analysis, Middle Aged, Masters Athletes, Adult, Elite, Age Factors, Athletic performance, Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, and Medical and Health Sciences
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Research Interests: Psychology, Demography, Aging, Running, Medicine, and 15 moreHumans, Male, Regression Analysis, Clinical Sciences, Aged, Middle Aged, Moderation, Adult, Cross Section, Longitudinal Study, Longitudinal data, Athletic performance, Polynomial Regression, Cross Sectional Studies, and Physical Education and training
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ABSTRACT
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Despite various solutions proposed to solve the relative age effect (RAE), it is still a major problem confounding talent identification and selection processes. In the first phase, we sampled 302 under 7–21 academy soccer players from... more
Despite various solutions proposed to solve the relative age effect (RAE), it is still a major problem confounding talent identification and selection processes. In the first phase, we sampled 302 under 7–21 academy soccer players from two Belgian professional soccer clubs to explore the potential of a new approach to solve the inequalities resulting from relative age- and maturity-related bias. This approach allocates players into four discrete quartile groups based on the midway point of their chronological and estimated developmental (ED) birth dates (calculated using the growth curves for stature of Belgian youth). With the use of chi square analyses, a RAE was found (p < 0.01) for the overall sample (Q1 = 41.4% vs. Q4 = 14.9%) that completely disappeared after reallocation (Q1 = 26.5%; Q2 = 21.9%; Q3 = 27.5%; Q4 = 24.2%). According to the new allocation method, the stature difference was reduced, on average, by 11.6 cm (from 24.0 ± 9.9 to 12.4 ± 3.4 cm, d = 1.57). Body mass ...
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Temporal and spatial coupling of point of gaze (PG) and movements of the finger, elbow, and shoulder during a speeded aiming task were examined. Ten participants completed 40-cm aiming movements with the right arm, in a situation that... more
Temporal and spatial coupling of point of gaze (PG) and movements of the finger, elbow, and shoulder during a speeded aiming task were examined. Ten participants completed 40-cm aiming movements with the right arm, in a situation that allowed free movement of the eyes, head, arm, and trunk. On the majority of trials, a large initial saccade undershot the target slightly, and 1 or more smaller corrective saccades brought the eyes to the target position. The finger, elbow, and shoulder exhibited a similar pattern of undershooting their final positions, followed by small corrective movements. Eye movements usually preceded limb movements, and the eyes always arrived at the target well in advance of the finger. There was a clear temporal coupling between primary saccade completion and peak acceleration of the finger, elbow, and shoulder. The initiation of limb-segment movement usually occurred in a proximal-to-distal pattern. Increased variability in elbow and shoulder position as the movement progressed may have served to reduce variability in finger position. The spatial-temporal coupling of PG with the 3 limb segments was optimal for the pick up of visual information about the position of the finger and the target late in the movement.
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Four groups of male amateur wrestlers (n = 42); 2 international and 2 club (current and retired) recalled the number of hours they had spent in wrestling and everyday activities since beginning wrestling. All groups had begun wrestling at... more
Four groups of male amateur wrestlers (n = 42); 2 international and 2 club (current and retired) recalled the number of hours they had spent in wrestling and everyday activities since beginning wrestling. All groups had begun wrestling at a similar age (M = 13 yrs) and had ...
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Since 1997 and following the guidelines of the International Football Association, the Belgian Soccer Federation has used January 1st as the start of the selection year. Previously, August 1 was the start. This shift prompted an... more
Since 1997 and following the guidelines of the International Football Association, the Belgian Soccer Federation has used January 1st as the start of the selection year. Previously, August 1 was the start. This shift prompted an investigation of changes in birth-date distributions throughout youth categories for 1996-1997 compared to the 1997-1998 competitive years. Birth dates were considered for national youth league players, ages 10-12, 12-14, 14-16, and 16-18 years. Kolmogorov Smirnov tests assessed differences between observed and expected birth-date distributions. Regression analyses examined the relationship between month of birth and number of participants both before and after the August to January shift. Results indicated that from 1996 to 1997, youth players born from January to March (the early part of the new selection year) were more likely to be identified as &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;talented&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot; and to be exposed to higher levels of coaching. In comparison, players born late in the new selection year (August to October) were assessed as &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;talented&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot; in significantly lower proportions. Specific suggestions are presented to reduce the relative age effect. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 12:729-735, 2000. Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
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Volleyball players and nonplayers were compared for speed and accuracy of performance in a task involving detecting the presence of a volleyball in a rapidly presented slide of a volleyball situation. The volleyball situations depicted... more
Volleyball players and nonplayers were compared for speed and accuracy of performance in a task involving detecting the presence of a volleyball in a rapidly presented slide of a volleyball situation. The volleyball situations depicted both game action and nongame events, for example, timeouts and warm-ups. Players and nonplayers did not differ in accuracy of response, but players were much faster in responding for both game and nongame slides. Further experiments showed that volleyball players' speed of response in ball detection was not a function of a simple athlete-nonathlete difference, nor of volleyball players' being fast at visual search in a nonvolleyball environment. The perceptual skill shown by volleyball players in this series of experiments is best described as a rapid visual search specific to the ball as target.
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The probe technique has been employed extensively to measure the attention demands of movement control. Inherent in any RT paradigm is the potential confounding effect of anticipation. Experiment 1 studied this problem by varying probe... more
The probe technique has been employed extensively to measure the attention demands of movement control. Inherent in any RT paradigm is the potential confounding effect of anticipation. Experiment 1 studied this problem by varying probe frequency (or, conversely, catch-trial frequency) for three independent groups of subjects performing the same movement. Probe frequencies of one-third and two-thirds produced V-shaped curves of probe RT plotted against probe position within the movement, while a three-thirds condition was described by a negatively sloped linear function. Because of the different shaped curves it was recommended that a two-thirds frequency be adopted by all researchers in this area. Experiments 2 and 3 looked at the effects of movement length and movement time on the attention demands of movement. Shorter (11-cm) movements were more attention demanding in the middle of the movement than the longer (50-cm) movements, but movement time had no effect.
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Volleyball players and nonplayers were compared for speed and accuracy of performance in a task involving detection of the presence of a volleyball in rapidly presented slides of a volleyball situation. Slides depicted both game and... more
Volleyball players and nonplayers were compared for speed and accuracy of performance in a task involving detection of the presence of a volleyball in rapidly presented slides of a volleyball situation. Slides depicted both game and nongame situations, and subjects performed the task in both noncompetitive and competitive conditions. For all subjects, game information was perceived more quickly and accurately than nongame information. In competition all subjects showed decreased perceptual accuracy and no change in criterion, supporting the Easterbrook (1959) notion of perceptual narrowing with stress. Very large accompanying increases in response speed, however, suggested that competition may induce adoption of a particular speed-accuracy trade-off. Cognitive flexibility in the adoption of particular speed-accuracy trade-offs is discussed with reference to volleyball.
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The present study assessed the relative importance of attributes determined largely by the efficiency of the central nervous system versus cognitive attributes in the determination of expertise in field hockey. Three groups were assessed... more
The present study assessed the relative importance of attributes determined largely by the efficiency of the central nervous system versus cognitive attributes in the determination of expertise in field hockey. Three groups were assessed on a battery of field hockey related perceptual and cognitive tasks: the Canadian Women's Field Hockey team, a university team, and a novice group. The attributes assessed were simple reaction time, dynamic visual acuity, coincident anticipation, ball detection speed and accuracy, complex decision speed and accuracy, shot prediction accuracy both when ball impact was viewed and when it was occluded, and recall accuracy of game-structured and nonstructured information. The multitask approach revealed the importance of cognitive abilities in the determination of skill in field hockey.
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Two experiments investigated the role of motor performance, and the role of music in the retention and recall of ballet sequences by young expert dancers. Experiment 1 examined 11-year-old expert (N=8) and novice (N=8) dancers, to... more
Two experiments investigated the role of motor performance, and the role of music in the retention and recall of ballet sequences by young expert dancers. Experiment 1 examined 11-year-old expert (N=8) and novice (N=8) dancers, to determine the influence of motor performance in the recall of ballet steps. Subjects were presented with two conditions, either structured choreographed or unstructured sequences. All sequences consisted of eight steps or elements. Subjects recalled both types of sequences motorically by simply performing the steps. Verbal recall was also assessed for structured sequences. Results from analyses of variance indicated main effects of skill, recall condition, and serial position across elements. Experts recalled more than novices, structured sequences were recalled better than nonstructured, and the last sequence element was recalled less. An interaction of Skill X Recall Condition x Serial Position revealed that although experts and novices performed the sam...