Kylie A Steel

Identifying swimmers as water-polo or swim team-mates from visual displays of less than one second

Abstract Opportunities for ball passing in water-polo may be brief and the decision to pass only informed by minimal visual input. Since researchers using point light displays have shown that the walking or running gait of familiars can be identified, water-polo players may have the ability to recognize team-mates from their swimming gait. To test this hypothesis, members of a water-polo team and a competition swim team viewed two randomized sets of video clips, each less than one second long, of swimmers from both teams sprinting freestyle past a fixed camera. The arm stroke clip sequence showed only the upper body, and the kick sequence showed only the lower body. After viewing each video clip, observers rated their level of certainty as to whether the swimmer presented was a team-mate or not. Discrimination was significantly above chance in both groups. Water-polo players were better able to identify team-mates from their kick, whereas swimmers were better able to do so by viewing arm stroke. Our results suggest that, as with walking and running gait, small amounts of visual information about swimmers can be used for recognition, and so raise the possibility that specific training may be able to improve team-mate classification in water-polo, particularly in newly formed teams.

The application of biological motion research: biometrics, sport, and the military

The body of research that examines the perception of biological motion is extensive and explores the factors that are perceived from biological motion and how this information is processed. This research demonstrates that individuals are able to use relative (temporal and spatial) information from a person’s movement to recognize factors, including gender, age, deception, emotion, intention, and action. The research also demonstrates that movement presents idiosyncratic properties that allow individual discrimination, thus providing the basis for significant exploration in the domain of biometrics and social signal processing. Medical forensics, safety garments, and victim selection domains also have provided a history of research on the perception of biological motion applications; however, a number of additional domains present opportunities for application that have not been explored in depth. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to present an overview of the current applications of biological motion-based research and to propose a number of areas where biological motion research, specific to recognition, could be applied in the future.

Identifying Runners as Football Teammates from 400 Msec. Video Clips

Ability to recognize a runner as a teammate from only a brief visual exposure is suggested from research on gait recognition with point-light displays and has particular importance for ball-passing in sports. 15 touch football players of mean age 20 yr. (SD = 0.7), on two teams of 7 wk. standing, observed 31 400-msec. video clips of running individuals whose familiarity varied from high to low. These were their teammates, players from the other team, or nonfootball players. After viewing each clip, participants rated their certainty that each running player was a teammate. Despite the brevity of the visual display, overall performance at discriminating teammates from other runners was significantly better than chance, and accuracy did not differ between colour or black-and-white formats. Recognition of teammates was better if familiar nonteammates were removed from the set of analyzed clips and worse if unfamiliar nonplayers were removed.

Junior Football Players' Classification of Runners as Their Teammates from 400-MSEC. Video Clips

It was hypothesized that a specialized gait recognition skill enables humans to distinguish the gait of familiar from unfamiliar individuals, and that this may have relevance in team sports. Runners seen for less than half a second can be classified as teammates or not by adult players, so it may be asked whether this skill would also be demonstrated by young team players. In the current study, junior football players (M age=10.0 yr., SD = 0.8, N =13) viewed 400-msec. video clips of runners sprinting past a fixed forward facing digital video camera and similarly showed teammate recognition scores significantly above chance. Given the variation among the junior players in this skill, it seems possible for researchers to assess whether improvement can be obtained with structured training for young team players, where running teammates are seen in peripheral vision during training drills.

Why few older adults participate in complex motor skills: a qualitative study of older adults’ perceptions of difficulty and challenge

BackgroundMaintaining neuromotor fitness across the life course is imperative. It can reduce falls in older individuals and improve/maintain physical and cognitive functioning. Complex motor skills (CMS) are involved in many physical activities (e.g., ball games, dance), which can improve neuromotor fitness. However, few older adults participate in CMS. This study aimed to understand how older adults perceive the degree of difficulty and challenge, using Gentile’s taxonomy of motor skills as a framework.MethodsSix focus groups (FGs) were conducted with older adults (aged 61–92 years; N = 36) using a semi-structured question guide, to explore older adults’ perceptions of difficulty and challenges associated with physical activity types. FGs were conducted in three villages and community groups in Sydney, Australia. Verbatim transcripts were coded inductively following a grounded theory approach to analysis to discover categories and concepts based on participants’ views.ResultsOlder adults perceived physical effort and pace as influencing difficulty where as challenging activities were not found to hinder older adults’ willingness to participate. Other challenges in performing activities were attributed to: skill level, environment conditions (e.g., pool versus ocean swimming) and variations influencing complexity. Social and interpersonal issues, such as embarrassment, rapport with instructors, prior experience/ familiarity, in addition to physical effort, were other central features of older adults’ perceptions of physical activities. Themes that appeared to increase the likelihood of participation in CMS were: age appropriate modification; enjoyment; social aspects; past experience; and having experienced instructors.ConclusionsThis study offers recommendations for increasing participation in CMS. Modifying activities to suit ability and age and increasing exposure during the life span may help maintain participation into old age. Gentile’s taxonomy provides an appropriate framework for classifying activities as simple or complex, which were recognised by participants on a descriptive level. Existing and new sports, which have been modified for old age, should be made available to older adults. Within the motor learning literature, the focus on older adults is limited. If activity complexity translates to improved cognitive abilities as well as improved individual neuromotor performance, the challenge of modifying activities to suit older adults’ preferences needs to be addressed.

What is the Effect of Compression Garments on a Novel Kick Accuracy Task

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of wearing long leg compression garments (CGs) on the accuracy of elite football players performing a novel kicking task. A double-blinded, crossover, randomised and controlled laboratory trial was used to examine the contribution of the long leg CGs to kicking accuracy of a drop-punt-kick. The drop-punt-kick is a backward spinning kick often used in Australian Rules. Participants performed 10 drop-punt-kicks towards a target for each garment condition (fitted, over-sized and training shorts) with both their dominant and non-dominant leg. Kicking accuracy data was collected using a high-speed camera. Kicking accuracy between garment conditions was only significantly different when kicking with the dominant leg (p = 0.002). Kicking accuracy was reduced in the fitted CG condition compared to the oversized CG (mean difference = 20 cm, p = 0.018) and for fitted CGs compared to training shorts (mean difference = 21 cm, p = 0.003) indicating that the fitted CGs had a negative effect on kicking accuracy. As these compression garments are worn regularly during training, further research is required to determine the long-term effect on skill development.

Liking and Response Latency in Teammate Identification: Processing Delays below Conscious Awareness?

Success in fast-ball sports relies on many factors which interact at both movement and cognitive levels. Players must recognize their teammates and decide whether to pass the ball to create or take advantage of scoring affordances. Previous research has shown athletes can identify teammates from brief visual displays during fast-ball sports and this is related to the amount of time individuals train together. However, it is likely other factors also affect recognition and, consequently, decision making related to ball passing. The present study extended the Teammate Identification (TM–ID) paradigm to examine magnitude of liking of ones teammates in relation to response time components of TM–ID. An increase in movement time was found for identifying a swimmer who was the observers “least liked” teammate, which suggests that processes below conscious awareness may influence the time taken for sport actions directed toward specific teammates, such as ball passing.

Can Video Self-Modeling Improve Affected Limb Reach and Grasp Ability in Stroke Patients?

ABSTRACT The authors examined whether feedforward video self-modeling (FF VSM) would improve control over the affected limb, movement self-confidence, movement self-consciousness, and well-being in 18 stroke survivors. Participants completed a cup transport task and 2 questionnaires related to psychological processes pre- and postintervention. Pretest video footage of the unaffected limb performing the task was edited to create a best-of or mirror-reversed training DVD, creating the illusion that patients were performing proficiently with the affected limb. The training yielded significant improvements for the forward movement of the affected limb compared to the unaffected limb. Significant improvements were also seen in movement self-confidence, movement self-consciousness, and well-being. FF VSM appears to be a viable way to improve motor ability in populations with movement disorders.

Laterality frequency, team familiarity, and game experience affect kicking-foot identification in Australian football players

This study examined whether laterality frequency, team familiarity, and game experience affected preferred kicking foot identification in professional Australian Football players. Using a repeated-measures experimental design, 13 and 10 players, respectively, identified the kicking foot of 30 teammates and 30 opponents using static images in a randomised sequence. Accuracy (%), reaction time (RT ms), and discrimination capability indices were examined. Overall, participants were less accurate and had slower reaction times when identifying the kicking foot of opposing team players relative to the speed and accuracy of identifying teammates. Significantly lower discrimination accuracy was also evident in participants’ capability to identify left-footed players from two different opposing teams. In moderating trends, opposing player game experience was correlated with accuracy and reduced reaction times, while participant game experience correlated with faster reaction times only. Laterality, (opposing) team familiarity, and game experience affect kicking foot identification in Australian Football with training and performance implications.

‘No one wants to be taught from a textbook!’ Pre-service health and physical education teachers’ reflections on skill acquisition and a new curriculum

Changes to the purpose and scope of health and physical education (HPE) in schools have prompted revisions in teacher education degrees within Australia. Using a qualitative approach, this study explored HPE teachers’ perceptions of these changes. Of particular interest was pre-service HPE teachers’ reflections on the importance of skill acquisition (also referred to as motor learning) content in their university degree, which focuses on the theories and practices involved in learning movement and perceptual skills. Findings were based on the thematic analysis of four semi-structured focus groups with 25 pre-service HPE teachers at one Australian metropolitan university. Analysis suggests that the importance of skill acquisition and the imperative to increase physical activity without a focus on competence are contradictory priorities within pre-service HPE curricula. The goal of promoting enjoyment of physical education sustained this tension, implying that there is a new discourse in HPE and suggesting the need for further research into the self-reflection and emotional dynamics of pre-service HPE teachers’ reflections on curricula.