Jaqueline Freitas de Oliveira Neiva

Trait anxiety and goal difficulty on learning to climb the Bachman ladder.

This study examined the effects of trait anxiety and goal setting on learning of the Bachman ladder. It was hypothesized that easy goals would increase learning for individuals with high trait anxiety while hard goals would increase learning for individuals with low trait anxiety. 80 high school students (40 boys, 40 girls; M age = 15 yr., SD = 1.0) filled out the Brazilian State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) for trait anxiety. The experiment was divided into four phases: acquisition, immediate transfer (after 5 min.), delayed transfer, and retention (after 24 hr.). On the transfer phases, the participants started climbing the ladder with the foot opposite of that used in acquisition. Participants were assigned to one of four experimental groups combining high and low anxiety traits and hard and easy goals. Variances were analyzed with repeated measurements on the last factor of all phases. The results showed the performance increased during the acquisition phase and no effects were observed in any phases.

Extroversão, prática mental e perspectivas de mentalização na aquisição da estrela da ginástica artística

O presente trabalho teve como objetivos (1) investigar os efeitos da pratica fisica (PF) associada a pratica mental (PM) com mentalizacao interna (MI) e externa (ME) na aprendizagem da habilidade “estrela” da ginastica artistica e (2) correlacionar escores de extroversao e de desempenho na tarefa. Trinta adolescentes (12,93 ± 0,73 anos) foram designadas a dois grupos: 1) PF seguida de PM com ME (n=15) e 2) PF seguida de PM com MI (n=15). O delineamento constou de pre-teste, aquisicao, pos-teste, retencao e transferencia (todas as fases foram fi lmadas, exceto a aquisicao). Os registros em video foram analisados por meio de uma lista de checagem da estrela. O Eysenck Personality Questionnaire foi utilizado para classifi car as participantes quanto a niveis de extroversao. As analises apontaram que houve melhora de desempenho dentro de cada grupo (do pre-teste para os outros testes), mas que em nenhuma das fases houve qualquer diferenca signifi cativa entre os grupos. No entanto, uma correlacao positiva e moderada foi detectada entre os escores de extroversao e de desempenho no grupo ME. Esses achados reforcam a importância da PM como estrategia complementar a PF e sinalizam a existencia de relacao entre extroversao, desempenho da estrela e perspectiva de mentalizacao.

Effects of distinct practice conditions on the learning of the o soto gari throwing technique of judo

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different types of practice on learning the o soto gari, focusing on the kuzushi (unbalancing the opponent). A total of 64 children (mean age 9.19 ± 1.41 years) were assigned to one of four groups: (1) static traditional practice, i.e., uchikomi – repetition of the moving pattern that characterises the technique up to the point of throwing; (2) in motion traditional practice – uchikomi with the tori (player executing the technique) moving/walking; (3) whole practice with pre-kuzushi – full technique with a preparatory component for kuzushi; (4) progressive parts practice with pre-kuzushi – progressively introducing kuzushi, tsukuri (set-up to execute the technique) and kake (final part of the technique; projection) with pre-kuzushi. Pre-test, acquisition, post-test and retention test were carried out. Movements were video recorded and analysed regarding three aspects: global technique of the tori, occurrence of a movement pattern performed by the tori to unbalance the uke (player receiving the “attack”), and occurrence of actual unbalance (kuzushi). Results showed no significant differences between-groups. However, different within-groups improvements suggest that using a uchikomi with pre-kuzushi can help learners deal with the motor actions of pulling and pushing in order to unbalance the opponent.