Operationalizing the Relation Between Affect and Cognition With the Somatic Transform

This article introduces the somatic transform that operationalizes the relation between affect and cognition at the psychological level of analysis by capitalizing on the relation between the cognitive-denotative and affective-connotative meaning of concepts as measured with semantic differential rating scales. Following discussion of levels of analysis, the importance of language at the psychological level, and two principles (inextricability and complementarity) summarizing the relation between affect and cognition that are rendered explicit by the somatic transform, we present affect control theory (ACT) and its Bayesian extension (BayesACT) containing the somatic transform. We conclude by identifying examples of inextricability and complementarity in the social science and neuroscience literatures and discussing how our psychological model might be implemented in a realistic neural model.

“How Am I Going, Coach?”—The Effect of Augmented Feedback During Small-Sided Games on Locomotor, Physiological, and Perceptual Responses

Purpose: To investigate whether providing global positioning system feedback to players between bouts of small-sided games (SSGs) can alter locomotor, physiological, and perceptual responses. Methods: Using a reverse counterbalanced design, 20 male university rugby players received either feedback or no feedback during “off-side” touch rugby SSGs. Eight 5v5, 6 × 4-minute SSGs were played over 4 d. Teams were assigned to a feedback or no-feedback condition (control) each day, with feedback provided during the 2-min between-bouts rest interval. Locomotor, heart rate, and differential rating of perceived exertion of breathlessness and leg-muscle exertion were measured and analyzed using a linear mixed model. Outcomes were reported using effect sizes (ES) and 90% confidence intervals (CI), and then interpreted via magnitude-based decisions. Results: Very likely trivial to unclear differences at all time points were observed in heart rate and differential rating of perceived exertion measures. Possibly to very likely trivial effects were observed between conditions, including total distance (ES = 0.15; 90 CI, −0.03 to 0.34), high-speed distance (ES = −0.07; 90 CI, −0.27 to 0.13), and maximal sprint speed (ES = 0.11; 90% CI, −0.11 to 0.34). All within-bout comparisons showed very likely to unclear differences, apart from possible increases in low-speed distance in bout 2 (ES = 0.23; 90% CI, 0.01 to 0.46) and maximal sprint speed in bout 4 (ES = 0.21; 90% CI, −0.04 to 0.45). Conclusions: In this study, verbal feedback did not alter locomotor, physiological, or perceptual responses in rugby players during SSGs. This may be due to contextual factors (eg, opposition) or the type (ie, distance) or low frequency of feedback provided.

Quantifying Training Demands of a 2-Week In-Season Squash Microcycle

Purpose: To quantify the demands of specific on- and off-court sessions, using internal and external training load metrics, in elite squash. Methods: A total of 15 professional squash players (11 males and 4 females) wore a 100-Hz triaxial accelerometer/global positioning system unit and heart rate monitor during on-court “Group,” “Feeding,” “Ghosting,” “Matchplay,” and off-court “Conditioning” sessions across a 2-week in-season microcycle. Comparisons of absolute training load (total values) and relative intensity (per minute) were made between sessions for internal (session rating of perceived exertion, differential rating of perceived exertion, TRIMP) and external (Playerload, very high–intensity movements [>3.5 m·s−2]) metrics. Results: The Group sessions were the longest (79 [12] min), followed by Feeding (55 [15] min), Matchplay (46 [17] min), Conditioning (37 [9] min), and Ghosting (35 [6] min). Time >90% maximum heart rate was the lowest during Feeding (vs all others P < .05) but other sessions were not different (all P > .05). Relative Playerload during Conditioning (14.3 [3.3] arbitrary unit [a.u.] per min, all P < .05) was higher than Ghosting (7.5 [1.2] a.u./min) and Matchplay (6.9 [1.5] a.u./min), with no difference between these 2 sessions (P ≥ .999). Conditioning produced the highest Playerloads (519 [153] a.u., all P < .001), with the highest on-court Playerloads from Group (450 [94] a.u., all P < .001). The highest session rating of perceived exertion (all P < .001), Edward’s TRIMP (all P < .001), and TEAM-TRIMP (all P < .019) occurred during the Group sessions. Conclusions: Squash Matchplay does not systematically produce the highest training intensities and loads. Group sessions provide the highest training loads for many internal and external parameters and, therefore, play a central role within the training process. These findings facilitate planning or adjustment of intensity, volume, and frequency of sessions to achieve desirable physical outcomes.

A Research on Customers’ Attitudes and Their Preferences Toward Online Shopping Vis-à-vis Offline Shopping with Special Reference to Electric and Electronic Products in India

The increasing no. of netizens in India is likely to increase the chances of online shopping being successful in India. In the present era, it is believed that online shopping has become a popular mode of shopping for the customers because of their changing attitudes and adoption of technological change. With this belief marketers in India are busy in studying customers’ attitudes toward online shopping vis-à-vis offline shopping so that they can devise their strategies to satisfy their target customers. The present research study is undertaken to measure and compare customers' attitudes toward online shopping and offline shopping and study their preferred shopping mode for electric and electronic products. This study includes the use of Fishbein’s Multi-attributes Attitude Model to measure the attitude of individual customers through the semantic differential rating scale. After calculating the attitude scores, z-Test for sample means is applied for the meaningful comparison of average attitude scores obtained for two samples of online shopping scores and offline shopping scores. Proportions of customers preferring online and offline shopping modes are compared by using z- test. The extent of the population selected for the investigation is geographical boundaries of Dehradun city of Uttarakhand state in India. Statistical analysis of collected data infers that there is evidence of customers’ more favorable attitudes toward online shopping vis-a-vis offline shopping for electric and electronic products and that almost half of the population of customers prefers to shop electric and electronic products online.

Comparative Differential Rating — A Practical Method for Assessing User Preference among Design Alternatives

During the early stages of designing user interfaces within the software industry, it is common for several alternatives to emerge before arriving at a final design. Although formative testing can be used to assess user preference among the alternatives, resource constraints imposed by the industry can easily render such testing impractical. This paper introduces comparative differential rating (CDR) as a simple, efficient formative testing method for assessing user preference among design alternatives. Users assign preference ratings to each alternative by making paired comparisons of the alternatives on a differential scale. Alternatives rated lower than the most highly rated alternative are discarded while those remaining are candidates for the final design. Unlike more complex paired comparison methods that use multiple criteria to obtain ratings, such as analytic hierarchy process (AHP), CDR is intended for simple, frequent cases early in the design process where multiple alternatives emerge and user preference is the only criteria of interest in determining the final design. In further contrast to AHP, CDR typically requires fewer comparisons, is measured on an interval scale, and is analyzed using inferential statistics.