The Age-Related Changes in Speed of Visual Perception, Visual Verbal and Visuomotor Performance, and Nonverbal Intelligence During Early School Years

Speed of sensory information processing has long been recognized as an important characteristic of global intelligence, though few studies have concurrently investigated the contribution of different types of information processing to nonverbal IQ in children, nor looked at whether chronological age vs. months of early schooling plays a larger role. Thus, this study investigated the speed of visual information processing in three tasks including a simple visual inspection time (IT) task, a visual-verbal processing task using Rapid Automatic Naming (RAN) of objects as an accepted preschool predictor of reading, and a visuomotor processing task using a game-like iPad application, (the “SLURP” task) that requires writing like skills, in association with nonverbal IQ (Raven’s Coloured Progressive Matrices) in children (n = 100) aged 5–7 years old. Our results indicate that the rate and accuracy of information processing for all three tasks develop with age, but that only RAN and SLURP rates show significant improvement with years of schooling. RAN and SLURP also correlated significantly with nonverbal IQ scores, but not with IT. Regression analyses demonstrate that months of formal schooling provide additional contributions to the speed of dual-task visual-verbal (RAN) and visuomotor performance and Raven’s scores supporting the domain-specific hypothesis of processing speed development for specific skills as they contribute to global measures such as nonverbal IQ. Finally, RAN and SLURP are likely to be useful measures for the early identification of young children with lower intelligence and potentially poor reading.

Resting-state aperiodic neural dynamics predict individual differences in visuomotor performance and learning

An emerging body of work has demonstrated that resting-state non-oscillatory, or aperiodic, 1/f neural activity is a functional and behaviorally relevant marker of cognitive function capacity. In the motor domain, previous work has only applied 1/f analyses to description of action coordination and performance. The value of aperiodic resting-state neural dynamics as a marker of individual visuomotor performance capacity remains unknown. Accordingly, the aim of this work was to investigate if individual 1/f intercept and slope parameters of aperiodic resting-state neural activity predict reaction time and perceptual sensitivity in an immersive virtual reality marksmanship task. The marksmanship task required speeded selection of target stimuli and avoidance of non-target stimuli selection. Motor and perceptual demands were incrementally increased across task blocks and participants performed the task across three training sessions spanning one week. When motor demands were high, steeper individual 1/f slope predicted shorter reaction time. This relationship did not change with practice. Increased 1/f intercept and a steeper 1/f slope were associated with higher perceptual sensitivity, measured as d′. However, this association was only observed under the highest levels of perceptual demand and only in the initial exposure to these conditions. Individuals with a lower 1/f intercept and a shallower 1/f slope demonstrated the greatest gains in perceptual sensitivity from task practice. These findings demonstrate that individual differences in motor and perceptual performance can be accounted for with resting-state aperiodic neural dynamics. The 1/f aperiodic parameters are most informative in predicting visuomotor performance under complex and demanding task conditions. In addition to predicting capacity for high visuomotor performance with a novel task, 1/f aperiodic parameters might also be useful in predicting which individuals might derive the most improvements from practice.

Protective Football Headgear and Peripheral Visuomotor Ability in NCAA Football Athletes: The Role of Facemasks and Visors

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effects of varying facemask reinforcement and visor tint on peripheral visuomotor abilities in collegiate football players. Division I NCAA football players (n = 14) completed two peripheral visuomotor experiments: (1) Varying facemask reinforcement, (2) Varying visor tinting. In experiment 1, participants were tested under the following conditions: baseline (no helmet; BL), helmet + light (HL), helmet + medium (HM), helmet + heavy (HH), and helmet + extra heavy (HXH) reinforced facemasks. In experiment 2, participants were tested under the following conditions: baseline (no helmet; BL), helmet only (HO), helmet + clear (HCV), helmet + smoke-tinted (HSV), and helmet + mirror-tinted (HMV) visors. For each condition, a 60 s peripheral visuomotor test was completed on a Dynavision D2 visuomotor board. For experiment 1, the BL peripheral reaction time (PRT) was faster than all facemask conditions (p < 0.05). Furthermore, PRT was impaired with the HXH compared to HL (p < 0.001), HM (p < 0.001), and HH (p = 0.001). Both HH and HXH resulted in the potentiation of PRT impairments in the outermost and inferior peripheral visual areas (p < 0.05). In experiment 2, BL PRT was faster than all helmeted conditions (p < 0.05). Additionally, PRT was slower in HSV (p = 0.013) and HMV (p < 0.001) conditions compared to HO. HMV resulted in slower PRT in all peripheral areas (p < 0.05) while PRT was impaired only in outer areas for HSV (p < 0.05). Wearing protective football headgear impairs peripheral visuomotor ability. Lighter reinforced facemasks and clear visors do not appear to exacerbate impairment. However, heavier reinforced facemasks and tinted visors further decrease visuomotor performance in outer and inferior visual areas, indicating a potential need for considerations of on-field player performance and safety.