Practice Variability and Longer and Short Retention Intervals

1982 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 243-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Kerr
Keyword(s):  
Movement Control ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Practice Session ◽  
Knowledge Of Results ◽  
Practice Schedules ◽  
Visual Spatial ◽  
Single Target ◽  
Practice Variability ◽  
Distance Data ◽  
Retention Intervals

This experiment compared the effect of different practice schedules on distance and direction errors in a blindfolded two-dimensional movement. The three experimental groups, (a) criterion target only, (b) varied targets (not criterion), (c) single target (not criterion) and one control group (rested), were tested immediately after the “practice” session without knowledge of results and were tested again after a 1-wk. retention interval. The distance data demonstrated little difference among the three experimental groups, but all three groups were significantly better than the control group. However, there was little difference in errors of direction among the groups. While the data for distance support a schema interpretation of movement control, the data for direction appear to reflect the concept of a visual-spatial map being used to guide movements.

Cognitive impairment in long-term benzodiazepine users

1988 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 365-374 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Golombok ◽  
Parimala Moodley ◽  
Malcolm Lader
Keyword(s):  
Neuropsychological Tests ◽  
Matched Control ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Therapeutic Practice ◽  
The Past ◽  
Visual Spatial ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
High Doses ◽  
One Year

SynopsisIn view of the very extensive and often prolonged use of benzodiazepines in therapeutic practice, this study was designed to investigate whether or not cognitive ability is impaired in longterm benzodiazepine users, and to determine the nature and extent of any deficit. Fifty patients currently taking benzodiazepines for at least one year, thirty-four who had stopped taking benzodiazepines, and a matched control group of subjects who had never taken benzodiazepines or who had taken benzodiazepines in the past for less than one year were administered a battery of neuropsychological tests designed to measure a wide range of cognitive functions. It was found that patients taking high doses of benzodiazepines for long periods of time perform poorly on tasks involving visual-spatial ability and sustained attention. This is consistent with deficits in posterior cortical cognitive function.

scholarly journals Visual and previsual MRI-criteria for early diagnosis of cerebral small vessels disease in middle-aged patients: clinical and neuroimaging correlations

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 89-100
Author(s):  
О.V. Semonova ◽  
L.А. Myronyak ◽  
І.І. Glazovska ◽  
M.F. Ivanova ◽  
О.А. Krasyuk
Keyword(s):  
Early Diagnosis ◽  
Cerebrovascular Disorders ◽  
Total Duration ◽  
Multiparametric Mri ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Perivascular Spaces ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Aged Patients ◽  
Small Vessels ◽  
Visual Spatial

Background. The urgency of cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD) in modern neurology is considered mainly in terms of the development of vascular dementia and early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Minimal changes in MRI images and indistinct cognitive disorders in SNAMA-type cSVD (sporadic non-amyloid microangiopathy) last for a long time until they manifest as acute cerebrovascular disorders and/or significant mental deficits. However, clinical and neuroimaging criteria for early diagnosis of the disease have not been established yet, and the nature of the correlations between the indicators of neuropsychological and multiparametric MRI studies has not been clarified. Purpose – to develop criteria for early diagnosis of SNAMA cerebrovascular disease in middle-aged patients using neuropsychological studies and high-field multiparametric MRI. Materials and methods. The study enrolled 34 middle-aged patients (52.5 ± 10.8) with hypertension of stage 1–2, stage I–II and cSVD (women – 11 (32.4%), men – 23 (67.6%)). The control group (19 healthy individuals) was identical in age, gender and total duration of education. MRI (3T) was performed in the following modes: T1-2WI, DWI, 3D Brain FLAIR SHC, 3D tra, VEN BOLD, DTI medium iso SENSE. Neuropsychological studies were performed using the MoSA questionnaire evaluating the EIS, VIS, AIS, LIS, MIS, OIS domains. Results and discussion. We developed and introduced a modified scoring system for determining the severity of the burden of cerebral small vessels disease (BcSVDearly) in clinical practice. Among the early visual MRI markers, the expansion of the perivascular spaces was dominated in 27 (79.4%) of participants. A minor increase in Σ BcSVDearly to 6–7 points was found in 10 (29.4%) patients. The age norm (0–4 points) corresponded to the indicators of Σ BcSVDearly 23 out of 34 (67.6%) in the main group. Additional evidence of the disease was obtained by DTI MRI. The most significant decrease in FA was recorded in belt fibers (Δ: up to – 31.4%) and semioval centers (Δ: up to – 33.6%), the largest increase in MD was recorded in hooked bundles (Δ: up to 24.4%); right prefrontal, orbitofrontal and parietal areas (Δ up to 28.0%). According to the MoSA scale, moderate cognitive impairment was detected in 29 of 34 (85.3%) patients with a significant decrease in scores in the domains of EIS, VIS, LIS and AIS (p <0.001). The severity of early clinical manifestations of cSVD (non-amnestic polydomain moderate disorders of attention, speech, visual-spatial and executive cognitive functions) has been found to be moderately / markedly correlated with THMS, MD (positive) and FA (negative).Conclusions. We determined early visual signs of cSVD associated with arterial hypertension: dilated perivascular spaces, hyperintensity of the periventricular deep white matter of the brain, decrease by 9–33.6% of FA coefficient and increase by 20.8% – 28.0% MD. Moderate correlations between neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies have been demonstrated.

Distance Estimation by Blindfolded Sighted Participants Using Echolocation

Perception ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (12) ◽  
pp. 1235-1251
Author(s):  
Tomoki Maezawa ◽  
Jun I Kawahara
Keyword(s):  
Internal Representation ◽  
Distance Estimation ◽  
Target Distance ◽  
Systematic Bias ◽  
Practice Session ◽  
Reproduction Task ◽  
Hearing Ability ◽  
Delayed Reproduction ◽  
Retention Intervals ◽  
The Relationship

Auditory perceived distance can be distorted in one’s internal representation. Thus, the present study examined whether blindfolded sighted participants could reduce the bias and preserve estimated distance for 5 to 15 s using echolocation. The participants performed a delayed reproduction task that consisted of testing sessions on 2 separate days in which the target distance was manipulated from 20 to 50 cm. Participants were blindfolded and asked to reproduce the distance of a target after a temporal delay of several seconds using click bursts produced by a loudspeaker. The testing session was preceded by a practice session that included training and feedback. The relationship between estimated and actual distances was approximated based on a power function and the over- and underestimation of the target distance on each test day. Although participants showed systematic bias in distance estimation on both days, participants changed their bias in the second session by shifting reproduced locations closer to their bodies. The accuracy and consistency of their responses improved across the 2 days. Neither accuracy nor consistency was affected by the retention intervals. These enhancements of performance might be due to improved hearing ability or calibration of internal spatial references through a practice session.

Saccadic Eye Movements of Dyslexic and Normal Reading Children

Perception ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Biscaldi ◽  
Burkhart Fischer ◽  
Franz Aiple
Keyword(s):  
Eye Movements ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Saccadic Eye Movements ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Express Saccades ◽  
Movement Data ◽  
Fixation Durations ◽  
Normal Reading ◽  
Single Target ◽  
The Right

Twenty-four children made saccades in five noncognitive tasks. Two standard tasks required saccades to a single target presented randomly 4 deg to the right or left of a fixation point. Three other tasks required sequential saccades from the left to the right. 75 parameters of the eye-movement data were collected for each child. On the basis of their reading, writing, and other cognitive performances, twelve children were considered dyslexic and were divided into two groups (D1 and D2). Group statistical comparisons revealed significant differences between control and dyslexic subjects. In general, in the standard tasks the dyslexic subjects had poorer fixation quality, failed more often to hit the target at once, had smaller primary saccades, and had shorter reaction times to the left as compared with the control group. The control group and group D1 dyslexics showed an asymmetrical distribution of reaction times, but in opposite directions. Group D2 dyslexics made more anticipatory and express saccades, they undershot the target more often in comparison with the control group, and almost never overshot it. In the sequential tasks group D1 subjects made fewer and larger saccades in a shorter time and group D2 subjects had shorter fixation durations than the subjects of the control group.

Altered Brain Activation in Military Personnel with One or More Traumatic Brain Injuries Following Blast

2011 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randall S. Scheibel ◽  
Mary R. Newsome ◽  
Maya Troyanskaya ◽  
Xiaodi Lin ◽  
Joel L. Steinberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brain Injuries ◽  
Group Analysis ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Emotional Symptoms ◽  
Stimulus Response ◽  
Visual Spatial

AbstractExplosive blast is a frequent cause of traumatic brain injury (TBI) among personnel deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with an event-related stimulus-response compatibility task was used to compare 15 subjects with mild, chronic blast-related TBI with 15 subjects who had not experienced a TBI or blast exposure during deployment. Six TBI subjects reported multiple injuries. Relative to the control group, TBI subjects had slightly slower responses during fMRI and increased somatic complaints and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. A between-group analysis indicated greater activation during stimulus-response incompatibility in TBI subjects within the anterior cingulate gyrus, medial frontal cortex, and posterior cerebral areas involved in visual and visual-spatial functions. This activation pattern was more extensive after statistically controlling for reaction time and symptoms of PTSD and depression. There was also a negative relationship between symptoms of PTSD and activation within posterior brain regions. These results provide evidence for increased task-related activation following mild, blast-related TBI and additional changes associated with emotional symptoms. Limitations of this study include no matching for combat exposure and different recruitment strategies so that the control group was largely a community-based sample, while many TBI subjects were seeking services. (JINS, 2012, 18, 89–100)

Effects of Self-Controlled Knowledge of Results on Learning a Taekwondo Serial Skill

2019 ◽  
Vol 126 (6) ◽  
pp. 1178-1194
Author(s):  
M. S. Januário ◽  
L. S. Figueiredo ◽  
L. L. Portes ◽  
R. N. Benda
Keyword(s):  
Motor Skills ◽  
Retention Test ◽  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Knowledge Of Results ◽  
Target Time ◽  
Sports Skills ◽  
Skills Learning ◽  
Control Feedback

Allowing learners to control feedback has been an effective strategy in motor skills learning. However, most studies of self-controlled (SC) feedback have used simple tasks that may be dissimilar to sports skills that generally demand more degrees of freedom and cognition. Thus, this study investigated the effects of SC knowledge of results (KR) on learning a complex Taekwondo skill. Twenty-four undergraduate volunteers of both sexes, aged 18-35 years, practiced a specific serial Taekwondo skill that was novel to them. We divided participants randomly into SC and yoked groups and compared their performance after they learned a specific displacement sequence, finishing with a lateral kick (bandal-tchagui) at a punching bag within a target time span. During acquisition, all participants performed 48 trials divided into six blocks and, on a retention test 24 hours later, they performed 10 more trials. We found that both groups reduced their errors from the first to the last block of the acquisition phase and that the SC group showed a better performance on the retention test, relative to the yoked control group. SC KR participants requested KR mainly after good trials, though they showed no statistically significant differences between trials with and without KR. Their inefficiency in estimating their own errors may have been due to task complexity, since many aspects of the task beyond its temporal requirement demanded the learners’ attention. Our results, using a novel Taekwondo serial skill, confirm and extend the benefits of SC KR from just simple motor learning in past studies to learning complex motor skills.

scholarly journals Frequent Immediate Knowledge of Results Enhances the Increase of Throwing Velocity in Overarm Handball Performance

2017 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 197-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Igor Štirn ◽  
Jamie Carruthers ◽  
Marko Šibila ◽  
Primož Pori
Keyword(s):  
Relative Increase ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Velocity Change ◽  
Knowledge Of Results ◽  
Ball Size ◽  
Physical Education Students ◽  
Before And After ◽  
And Control ◽  
Experimental Group

AbstractIn the present study, the effect of frequent, immediate, augmented feedback on the increase of throwing velocity was investigated. An increase of throwing velocity of a handball set shot when knowledge of results was provided or not provided during training was compared. Fifty female and seventy-three male physical education students were assigned randomly to the experimental or control group. All participants performed two series of ten set shots with maximal effort twice a week for six weeks. The experimental group received information regarding throwing velocity measured by a radar gun immediately after every shot, whereas the control group did not receive any feedback. Measurements of maximal throwing velocity of an ordinary handball and a heavy ball were performed, before and after the training period and compared. Participants who received feedback on results attained almost a four times greater relative increase of the velocity of the normal ball (size 2) as compared to the same intervention when feedback was not provided (8.1 ± 3.6 vs. 2.7 ± 2.9%). The velocity increases were smaller, but still significant between the groups for throws using the heavy ball (5.1 ± 4.2 and 2.5 ± 5.8 for the experimental and control group, respectively). Apart from the experimental group throwing the normal ball, no differences in velocity change for gender were obtained. The results confirmed that training oriented towards an increase in throwing velocity became significantly more effective when frequent knowledge of results was provided.

The Use of Knee Braces, Part 1: Prophylactic Knee Braces in Contact Sports

2005 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 602-611 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soheil Najibi ◽  
John P. Albright
Keyword(s):  
Medial Collateral Ligament ◽  
Functional Performance ◽  
Injury Rate ◽  
Epidemiologic Studies ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Protective Effects ◽  
Practice Session ◽  
Collateral Ligament ◽  
Full Extension ◽  
Knee Braces

Surrogate knee model biomechanical studies have indicated that off-the-shelf braces provide 20% to 30% greater resistance to a lateral blow when the knee is in full extension. Custom functional braces doubled the protective effects and proved effective with the knee in some flexion. Although functional performance studies are not consistent, preventive knee braces may slow straight-ahead sprint speed, cause early fatigue, and increase muscular relaxation pressures, energy expenditure, blood lactate levels, maximal torque output, oxygen consumption, and heart rate. Two epidemiologic studies have been performed. At West Point, a randomized control study of 71 injuries in 1396 cadets indicated knee brace effectiveness with a statistically higher rate of injury in the control group (3.4/1000 exposures) than in the braced group (1.5/1000 exposures), with the most significance for medial collateral ligament sprains in defensive players. The Big Ten Conference conducted a descriptive study of 100 medial collateral ligament sprains among 987 players in different positions, strings, and types of session. Brace-wear tendency varied directly with the unbraced player counterpart's risk of medial collateral ligament sprain, with the nonplayer linemen experiencing both the greatest risk of unbraced practice session injury (0.0801 injuries/1000 exposures) and the highest incidence of brace wear (85%). During practices, there was a nonsignificant but very consistent reduction in injury rate for braced players in every position and string. During games, there was also a reduced rate for linemen and the linebacker/tight end group. The study concluded that although the issue is not closed, preventive knee braces appear to offer some protection to the medial collateral ligament from a contact injury involving a valgus blow, but there may be negative effects on performance level, leg cramping, and fatigue symptoms.

scholarly journals Effects of Visual and Auditory Feedback in Violin and Singing Voice Pitch Matching Tasks

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angel David Blanco ◽  
Simone Tassani ◽  
Rafael Ramirez
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Visual Feedback ◽  
Auditory Feedback ◽  
Vocal Learning ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Transfer Phase ◽  
Feedback Group ◽  
Knowledge Of Results ◽  
Pitch Matching ◽  
Human Voice

Auditory-guided vocal learning is a mechanism that operates both in humans and other animal species making us capable to imitate arbitrary sounds. Both auditory memories and auditory feedback interact to guide vocal learning. This may explain why it is easier for humans to imitate the pitch of a human voice than the pitch of a synthesized sound. In this study, we compared the effects of two different feedback modalities in learning pitch-matching abilities using a synthesized pure tone in 47 participants with no prior music experience. Participants were divided into three groups: a feedback group (N = 15) receiving real-time visual feedback of their pitch as well as knowledge of results; an equal-timbre group (N = 17) receiving additional auditory feedback of the target note with a similar timbre to the instrument being used (i.e., violin or human voice); and a control group (N = 15) practicing without any feedback or knowledge of results. An additional fourth group of violin experts performed the same task for comparative purposes (N = 15). All groups were posteriorly evaluated in a transfer phase. Both experimental groups (i.e., the feedback and equal-timbre groups) improved their intonation abilities with the synthesized sound after receiving feedback. Participants from the equal-timber group seemed as capable as the feedback group of producing the required pitch with the voice after listening to the human voice, but not with the violin (although they also showed improvement). In addition, only participants receiving real-time visual feedback learned and retained in the transfer phase the mapping between the synthesized pitch and its correspondence with the produced vocal or violin pitch. It is suggested that both the effect of an objective external reward, together with the experience of exploring the pitch space with their instrument in an explicit manner, helped participants to understand how to control their pitch production, strengthening their schemas, and favoring retention.

scholarly journals Real-Time Sound and Motion Feedback for Violin Bow Technique Learning: A Controlled, Randomized Trial

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angel David Blanco ◽  
Simone Tassani ◽  
Rafael Ramirez
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Motion Capture ◽  
Sound Quality ◽  
Musical Instrument ◽  
Quality Analysis ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Practice Session ◽  
Quality Feedback ◽  
Bow Technique ◽  
Experimental Group

The production of good sound generation in the violin is a complex task that requires coordination and spatiotemporal control of bowing gestures. The use of motion-capture technologies to improve performance or reduce injury risks in the area of kinesiology is becoming widespread. The combination of motion accuracy and sound quality feedback has the potential of becoming an important aid in violin learning. In this study, we evaluate motion-capture and sound-quality analysis technologies developed inside the context of the TELMI, a technology-enhanced music learning project. We analyzed the sound and bow motion of 50 participants with no prior violin experience while learning to produce a stable sound in the violin. Participants were divided into two groups: the experimental group (N = 24) received real-time visual feedback both on kinematics and sound quality, while participants in the control group (N = 26) practiced without any type of external help. An additional third group of violin experts performed the same task for comparative purposes (N = 15). After the practice session, all groups were evaluated in a transfer phase without feedback. At the practice phase, the experimental group improved their bowing kinematics in comparison to the control group, but this was at the expense of impairing the sound quality of their performance. At the retention phase, the experimental group showed better results in sound quality, especially concerning control of sound dynamics. Besides, we found that the expert group improved the stability of their sound while using the technology. All in all, these results emphasize the importance of feedback technologies in learning complex tasks, such as musical instrument learning.

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