Perceptual and Motor Skills

Alavi, Masoumeh ;Seng, Jyi H. ;Mustaffa, Mohamed S. ;Ninggal, Mohd T. ;Amini, Mansour ;Latif, Adibah A.

doi: 10.1177/0031512518809163pmid: 30426868

Although several studies have examined the relationships among attention, impulse control, gender, and academic achievement, most have focused on clinical samples and have considered only one or two academic subjects. This study investigated these relationships among typically developing children using general achievement measures (academic scores and grades). Our participants were 270 typically developing primary school students (142 boys and 128 girls) of different nationalities living in Malaysia, recruited with purposive sampling with a mean age of 9.75 years. We found that both attention and impulse control significantly predicted academic achievement. Girls had a higher level of attention and impulse control than boys, but gender was not a significant moderator between either attention or impulse control and academic achievement. We discuss the implications of these findings and the need for further research.

Kilincer, Ozlem ;Ustun, Emre ;Akpinar, Selcuk ;Kaya, Emin E.

doi: 10.1177/0031512518807769pmid: 30426867

Motor lateralization is viewed as anatomical or functional asymmetry of the two sides of the body. Functional motor asymmetry can be influenced by musical practice. This study explored whether piano playing experience modulates motor asymmetry and leads to an altered pattern of hand selection, reflecting an altered handedness. We asked two groups of right-handed participants—piano players and non-piano players—to reach targets in their frontal space with both arms, and we tested the motor performance of each arm on this task and then on an arm preference test. As musical practice can decrease motor asymmetry between arms, we hypothesized that participants with piano playing experience would display less interlimb asymmetry and that this, in turn, would change their arm preference pattern, compared with participants without piano playing experience. We found support for both hypotheses, and we conclude that arm selection (preference) is not biologically fixed, but, rather, can be modulated through long-term piano playing.

Yildirim, Canan Kocaman ;Altunalan, Turgay ;Acar, Gonul ;Elbasan, Bulent ;Gucuyener, Kivilcim

doi: 10.1177/0031512518809161pmid: 30428280

The Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ’07) is an instrument for screening children between 5 and 15 years of age. Although it is popular, this instrument has not been adapted for use with Turkish children, and there is no valid similar screening tool in Turkey. Thus, this study aimed to provide a cross-cultural adaptation of the DCDQ’07 for Turkish children. We performed the translation process using well-established cross-cultural adaptation guidelines, and we recruited 736 parents (361 males, 375 females) of typically developing children with a mean (M) age of 9.27 years (standard deviation = 2 years 5 months, range: 5.0–14.9 years). We determined the internal consistency of the questionnaire by item and total score correlations, Cronbach’s α and item-deleted Cronbach’s α. Intraclass correlation coefficients were used to determine test–retest reliability after an interval of 5 days. The Cronbach’s α of the Turkish DCDQ’07 was .890 for the total questionnaire. All the item-deleted Cronbach’s α values were lower than the total value of .890, except the bull in a China shop item (Cronbach’s α values .896). Test–retest reliability ranged from .99 to 1.00. The Turkish DCDQ is a valid and reliable screening tool for assessing the motor performance of children between 5 and 15 years of age.

Klima, Dennis ;Morgan, Lindsay ;Baylor, Michelle ;Reilly, Cordia ;Gladmon, Daniel ;Davey, Adam

doi: 10.1177/0031512518809203pmid: 30458668

Injuries sustained from traumatic brain injury (TBI) culminate in both cognitive and neuromuscular deficits. Patients often progress to higher functioning on the Rancho continuum even while mobility deficits persist. Although prior studies have examined physical performance among persons with chronic symptoms of TBI, less is known about the relatively acute phase of TBI as patients prepare for rehabilitation discharge. The aims of this cross-sectional study were to (a) compare balance and gait performance in 20 ambulant persons with moderate to severe TBI who were nearing rehabilitation discharge with their age-matched controls and (b) describe performance with thresholds for fall risk and community navigation. During a designed task circuit, 40 participants (20 persons with TBI and 20 controls) performed the Timed Up and Go (TUG), gait velocity, and Walking and Remembering tests. Balance testing included the Fullerton Advanced Balance Scale (FABS) and instrumented Modified Clinical Test for Sensory Interaction in Balance (MCTSIB). Statistical analyses included analysis of covariance for group comparisons and a multivariate analysis of covariance for MCTSIB sway velocities with anthropometric controls. The TBI group (mean [M] age = 42, standard deviation [SD] =19.5 years; 70% males) performed significantly more poorly on all mobility tests (p < .05) and their scores reflected a potential fall risk. Gait velocity was significantly slower for the TBI versus control group (M = .96, SD = 2.6 vs. M = 1.5, SD = 2.2 m/s; p < .001), including TUG times (M = 13.5, SD = 4.9 vs. M = 7.7, SD = 1.4; p < .001). TBI participants also demonstrated significantly greater sway velocity on all MCTSIB conditions (p < .01) and lower performance on the FABS (p < .001). Performance indices indicate potential fall risk and community navigation compromise for individuals with moderate to severe TBI. Physical performance scores support the need for continued interventions to optimize functional mobility upon discharge.

Baghaei, Purya ;Ravand, Hamdollah ;Nadri, Mahsa

doi: 10.1177/0031512518812183pmid: 30501376

The d2 test is a cancellation test to measure attention, visual scanning, and processing speed. It is the most frequently used test of attention in Europe. Although it has been validated using factor analytic techniques and correlational analyses, its fit to item response theory models has not been examined. We evaluated the fit of the d2 test to the Rasch Poisson Counts Model (RPCM) by examining the fit of six different scoring techniques. Only two scoring techniques—concentration performance scores and total number of characters canceled—fit the RPCM. The individual items fit the RPCM, with negligible differential item functioning across sex. Graphical model check and likelihood ratio test confirmed the overall fit of the two scoring techniques to RPCM.

Machorrinho, Joana ;Veiga, Guida ;Fernandes, Jorge ;Mehling, Wolf ;Marmeleira, José

doi: 10.1177/0031512518813231pmid: 30451581

Interoceptive awareness involves several mind–body dimensions and can be evaluated by self-report with the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA), which has been translated and validated in several countries and is being used in research and clinical contexts. This study systematically translated the MAIA with six additional items using a focus group and evaluated its psychometric properties in a respondent sample of 204 Portuguese university students (52% females; M = 21.3, SD = 3.9 years). Based on exploratory factor analysis, we refined the tool into a 33-item version and tested it in a separate sample (n = 286; 63% females; M = 21.3, SD = 4.7 years). We then conducted confirmatory factor analysis and examined test–retest reliability and convergent and discriminant validity. We confirmed an acceptable model fit for this Portuguese version (MAIA-P) with 33 items and seven scales; it showed good construct validity and acceptable temporal reliability, The MAIA-P appears to be valuable for assessing self-reported interoceptive awareness in Portuguese healthy adults.

Conceição, Núbia R. da;Teixeira-Arroyo, Claudia ;Vitório, Rodrigo ;Orcioli-Silva, Diego ;Beretta, Victor S. ;de Sousa, Priscila N. ;Gobbi, Lilian T. B.

doi: 10.1177/0031512518814608pmid: 30501375

This study investigated the effects of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) on the perceptive judgment of stair step height using both exteroceptive visual and exproprioceptive judgments. We invited 14 individuals with PD and 14 neurologically healthy older adults (OA) to perform perceptual judgment tasks for first step stairway heights of 11 and 20 cm. Initially, participants performed first the exteroceptive visual judgment and then the exproprioceptive judgment in five randomized trials for each stair height. An analysis of variance for the exteroceptive visual judgment revealed no main effects or interaction between PD versus OA groups and height. However, the analysis of variance for exproprioceptive judgment revealed a significant interaction between group and height (F1,26 = 9.519; p = .005; Pη2 = .268) such that both groups made more errors in exproprioceptive judgment at a height of 11 cm. The OA group made more errors in exproprioceptive judgment for the 20-cm step when compared with the PD group (p = .016) but the PD group underestimated the step height. We conclude that PD influences exproprioceptive perception of step height and that steps with smaller (vs. larger) heights induce greater exproprioceptive error.

Machado, Daniel G da Silva;Costa, Eduardo C. ;Ray, Hannah ;Beale, Louisa ;Chatzisarantis, Nikos L. D. ;de Farias-Junior, Luiz F ;Hardcastle, Sarah J.

doi: 10.1177/0031512518809734pmid: 30463479

We assessed the short-term effects of varying the volume of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on psychological and physiological responses of 23 healthy adult males (M = 21 years; M peak oxygen uptake [VO2peak] = 47.2 ml·kg−1·min−1). Participants were randomly assigned to low- and very-low-volume HIIT groups and engaged in nine supervised exercise sessions over three weeks. The low-volume HIIT group performed 8-12 60-second work bouts on a cycle ergometer at the peak power output achieved during the incremental test, interspersed by 75 seconds of low-intensity active recovery. The very-low-volume HIIT performed 4-6 work bouts with the same intensity, duration, and rest intervals. During training, participants’ ratings of perceived exertion (Borg Category Ratio-10 scale) and their affective responses (Feeling Scale −5/+5) during the last 15 seconds of each work bout were recorded. Physiological data were VO2peak, endurance, and anaerobic performance before and after the intervention. Throughout training, participants in the very-low-volume group (relative to the low-volume group) reported lower ratings of perceived exertion in Week 1 (M = 4.1 vs. M = 6.3; p < .01) and Week 3 (M = 4.0 vs. M = 6.2; p < .01), and higher affective response in these same two weeks (Week 1: M = 1.9 vs. M = 0.3; p = .04; Week 3: M = 2.1 vs. M = 0.9; p = .06). Regarding physical fitness, Wingate peak power increased significantly after training in the very-low-volume HIIT group (M = 1,049 W vs. M = 1,222 W; p < .05), but not in the low-volume HIIT group (M = 1,050 W vs. M = 1,076 W). No significant change was found after training in physiological variables of peak power output, VO2peak, and endurance performance. In summary, in this short-term training period, the very-low-volume HIIT enhanced anaerobic capacity and was perceived as less strenuous and more pleasurable than low-volume HIIT.

Sekiya, Hiroshi ;Tanaka, Yoshifumi

doi: 10.1177/0031512518809725pmid: 30388394

Although many studies on choking under pressure used closed skills, such as golf putting, we examined the influence of pressure on movement during a dynamic skill by studying participants’ kinematic and kinetic changes during a table tennis forehand task under pressure. Thirty novice table tennis players hit forehand shots toward a target for 135 practice trials and then performed 10 no-pressure and 10 pressure trials. We added psychological pressure by instructing participants they could earn monetary rewards for successful performance and by cancelling accumulated scores for a poor performance. We measured racket head and ball movements as kinematic variables and grip force as a kinetic variable. We also measured state anxiety and heart rate as checks on our manipulation of psychological pressure. In the pressure condition, both state anxiety and heart rate increased significantly (p < .025), though the pressure level was relatively small. Analysis of kinematic measures revealed that back swing and forward swing were reduced in length; speed of forward swing and ball speed decreased significantly (p < .008) under pressure. Also, under pressure, ball and racket contact point shifted forward significantly (p < .008) to reduce the distance between impact and target locations, and performance declined as the ball-landing locations shifted leftward (p < .007). Grip force showed no significant change. We conclude that, under pressure, movement was modified toward reduced displacement and lower speed in an apparent risk-aversive hitting strategy; these modifications resulted in a performance decrement.

Ferreira, Bárbara P. ;Malloy-Diniz, Leandro F. ;Parma, Juliana O. ;Nogueira, Nathálya G. H. M. ;Apolinário-Souza, Tércio ;Ugrinowitsch, Herbert ;Lage, Guilherme M.

doi: 10.1177/0031512518807341pmid: 30398959

Many studies have attributed self-controlled feedback benefits associated with motor learning to learners' greater information processing during practice. However, individual learner characteristics like their impulsivity can also influence how people engage cognitively during learning. We investigated possible dissociations between the types of interaction in self-controlled knowledge of results (KR) and learner impulsivity levels in learning a sequential motor task. Ninety volunteers responded to the self-restraint section of the Barkley deficits in executive functioning scale, and those 60 participants with the highest (n = 30) and lowest (n = 30) impulsivity scores practiced a motor task involving sequential pressing of four keys in predetermined absolute and relative times. We further divided participants into four experimental groups by assigning the high- and low-impulsivity groups to two forms of KR—self-controlled absolute and yoked. Study results showed no interaction effect between impulsivity and self-controlled KR, and, contrary to expectation, self-controlled KR did not benefit learning, independently of impulsivity. However, low-impulsivity participants performed better than high-impulsivity participants on the absolute dimension of the transfer task, while high-impulsivity learners were better at the relative dimension. Cognitive characteristics of automatic and reflexive processing were expressed by the strategies used to direct attention to relative and absolute task dimensions, respectively. Low-impulsivity learners switched their attention to both dimensions at the end of practice, while high-impulsivity learners did not switch their attention or directed it only to the relative dimension at the end of the practice. These results suggest that the cognitive styles of high- and low-impulsive learners differentially favor learning distinct dimensions of a motor task, regardless of self-controlled KR.