Improving the TAMI for use with athletes

Abstract

Athletes have been shown to have greater movement imagery abilities than non-athletes. However, since these differences were observed using questionnaires where participants subjectively judged the vividness of performing imagined movements, it is possible that responses could be biased by other factors such as social desirability. One possible solution is to use an objective test, such as the Test of Ability in Movement Imagery (TAMI; Madan, C. R., & Singhal, A. (2013). Introducing TAMI: An objective test of ability in movement imagery. Journal of Motor Behavior, 45, 153–166.). Unfortunately, young adults perform relatively well on the TAMI, leaving little room for statistical sensitivity in observing higher scores. Here we propose an alternate scoring method for the TAMI that resolves this limitation by weighing items according to their difficulty. We apply this scoring method to existing data and show that this improves the TAMI’s selectivity to measuring ability in movement imagery, rather than related imagery processes. Thus, we have successfully improved the TAMI to be more suited for use with athletic populations.     

Application of geographic information technologies to historical landscape reconstruction and military terrain analysis of an American Revolution Battlefield: Preservation potential of historic lands in urbanized settings,Boston, Massachusetts,USA

Through funding from the National Park Service's American Battlefield Protection Program, geographic information technologies were employed to create a high resolution, spatially accurate representation of the 1775 landscape of Boston's Inner Harbor and to conduct a geospatial and temporal assessment of the location, extent, and preservation potential of an American Revolutionary War battlefield and its associated cultural resources. Geographic information technologies provide the tools and methodologies to accurately create digital representations of historical landscapes. These tools enable the visualization and geospatial analysis of landscapes and significant historical events, greatly enhancing the understanding of temporal and spatial interactions between these events and the physical landscape upon which they occurred. Data sources include historical bibliographic and cartographic records, high resolution orthophotographs, constant value raster grids, and LIDAR data. A military terrain model was created utilizing American Battlefield Protection Program's KOCOA system categories, in order to identify defining features of the battlefield. KOCOA is an acronym which stands for Key terrain, Obstacles, Cover and Concealment, Observation and Fields of Fire, and Avenues of Advancement and Withdrawal. The KOCOA analysis provides an established method for identifying critical defining features of the battle and determining the influence of the landscape on the ephemeral battle events. The base map was created utilizing U.S. Navy Coast Survey maps dating from the mid-19th century. A digital elevation model was created to represent the 1775 topography, utilizing LIDAR data and constant value raster layers. The military terrain analysis provided valuable insights into battlefield events and decisions. Defining features of the battle were also identified and mapped. A detailed Environmental Systems Research Institute's ArcGIS Citation Data Model was used to link landscape and KOCOA features to the historical sources they were derived from. A comprehensive source table was created as part of this effort. The results of this investigation have provided a high resolution dataset of Boston's historical landscape during the time of the American Revolution. The geospatial analysis will aid in the development of long-range management strategies for the Chelsea Creek Battlefield and facilitate the assessment of threats to cultural resources posed by both anthropogenic activities and environmental change. The methodologies and interdisciplinary approach will also be applicable to other investigations seeking to recreate historical landscapes within a geographic information system.     

Planning for leadership succession: creating a talent pool in primary schools

This article reports on a study that was funded by the National College for School Leadership in order to explore practices, drivers and barriers to leadership talent identification, leadership development, leadership succession planning and leadership retention within a group of contextually different schools. The article offers two narratives from primary school headteachers, operating in different circumstances, in order to show the ways in which schools are attempting to ‘grow their own’ leaders through systematic policies for leadership development. Key features of successful schools which consider themselves to be good at leadership development, which may be relevant to other primary schools, are outlined.