Melanie A. Hart

INFLUENCE OF PARTICIPATION IN A CUP-STACKING UNIT ON TIMING TASKS '

Cup stacking is a relatively new activity which has been promoted at conferences for physical educators as having many direct and indirect benefits, such as improved quickness. This study examined the influence of a cup-stacking instructional unit on reaction and anticipation times of 69 children in Grades 2 and 4. Within each grade participants were assigned to an experimental or a control group. The former received a 3-wk. instructional unit following the lesson plans provided by the promoters of cup stacking. The control groups received a standard physical education curriculum. Analysis indicated no significant differences in reaction and anticipation times between the groups before and after practicing the instructional unit.

Influence of auditory modeling on learning a swimming skill.

Auditory modeling has been an effective method of learning a new skill in laboratory settings; however, research examining the effectiveness of auditory modeling in a real world task is limited. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of auditory modeling on the learning of a swimming skill, specifically the butterfly stroke. Participants were 37 male college students enrolled in two swimming classes. The classes were randomly assigned as the control group, i.e., the standard swimming curriculum for the butterfly stroke including demonstration, verbal instructions, and practice, and the auditory modeling group, i.e., standard swimming curriculum for the butterfly stroke plus auditory modeling. Quantitative and qualitative analyses indicate that auditory modeling is an effective method for enhancing the learning of this real world motor skill.

MANIPULATIONS OF SENSORY INFORMATION: A TEST OF THE HYPOTHESIS OF REDUNDANCY OF KNOWLEDGE OF RESULTS

The hypothesis of redundancy in knowledge of results was examined by manipulating the amount and location of sensory information available to participants performing a coincident anticipation timing task. Either the last 8 lights or the last 16 lights of the visual display were visible to 48 participants. Following an acquisition phase, learning was tested over immediate (5-min.) and delayed (24-hr.) retention intervals. The main finding was that performance was better when knowledge of results was present, regardless of the amount of sensory information available; therefore, knowledge of results was not redundant information for learning this task.

Influence of practice on response-selection and response-implementation processes involved in the response-interference effect.

In a choice reaction-time task, the response-interference effect is an increase in reaction times when the two possible responses are from the same hand compared to when the two possible responses are from different hands [Psychonomic Science 2 (1965) 55-56; Human Motor Control, Academic Press, San Diego, CA, 1991]. Although the influence of practice on other reaction-time effects (i.e., the complexity effect and precuing) has been examined, research evaluating the influence of practice on the response-interference effect is limited. Therefore, two experiments were conducted to determine the influence of practice on the response-interference effect. In Experiment 1, a bilateral transfer task was used to assess the influence of practice on the response-selection processes associated with the response-interference effect. The practice results indicated decreased reaction times, but did not influence the response-interference effect. In Experiment 2, a priming task was used to assess the influence of practice on response-implementation processes associated with the response-interference effect. The reaction time results indicated a change in the response-interference effect. The results of these two experiments suggest that with only two fingers on response keys, practice alters the mechanical constraints affecting the response-implementation processes and thereby decreases the response-interference effect.

A PRELIMINARY COMPARISON OF STIMULUS PRESENTATION METHODS WITH THE BASSIN ANTICIPATION TIMING TASK

The Bassin Anticipation Timing Task was used to compare response performance when the stimulus terminated at the target location to when the stimulus continued past the target location. Two conditions (terminating and continuing) were tested by measuring timing errors on the task. Analyses indicated no significant differences in absolute error and variable error between the conditions. However, analysis of constant error showed a significant effect, with the timing errors being fewer on the terminating condition. These results suggest that the two stimulus presentation methods with the Bassin Anticipation Task differentially influence timing performance.

Primal Fitness Curriculum: A Self-Determination Perspective

According to Ryan and Deci (2009), the environment in a given setting has a great deal to do with an individual’s perceptions of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. For example, when a teacher pro-vides a classroom environment in which students have choices in how learning happens, feel connected to others, and are appropriately challenged, they are more likely to feel a sense of autonomy, relatedness, and competency. When these three constructs are present, the learner may be motivated for more intrinsic reasons. Additionally, intrinsic motivators lead to future engagement and development (Ryan, Deci, & Grolnick, 1995) Subscribe to TPE