Contextual influences on baseball ball-strike decisions in umpires, players, and controls

Baseball umpires, players, and control participants with no baseball experience were asked to call balls and strikes for video clips. In a basic judgement task, umpires and players were significantly better at calling pitches than controls. In a direct information task, borderline pitches were presented following clips of definite balls and definite strikes. Participants called target pitches closer to the strike end of the scale when viewed after definite balls than when they followed definite strikes. Similarly, when borderline pitches were shown in different pitch counts, participants called pitches more towards the strike end of the scale when there were three balls in the count (3-0, 3-2). These findings indicate that the standard for evaluation changes based on the context in which stimuli are processed. Moreover, the strength of the contextual factors is illustrated in that the effects were shown in observers with and without experience in the task. Overall, however, umpires had a greater tendency to call strikes, indicating that they may use a norm of "hastening the game".     

Seasonal progression and variability of repeat-effort line-drill performance in elite junior basketball players

To determine gender differences, positional differences, and patterns of change in the performance of the basketball line-drill test, 93 male (mean age 16.8 years, s = 1.1) and 95 female (mean age 16.5 years, s = 1.0) basketball players undertook 516 line-drill tests over a 5-year period. Log-transformed performance times were analysed using a mixed model that included quadratic within-participant fixed effects for time in the season and time in the programme. Changes and differences were standardized for interpretation of magnitudes. Mean performance times were 28.0 s (s = 1.3) for males and 30.4 s (s = 1.3) for females. The mean pattern of change in performance within a season differed substantially between the sexes and playing positions: male guards and female centres showed moderate to very large improvements mid-season of 1.1% and 3.5% respectively (90% confidence limits +/-2.1% and +/-3.0%), while female guards and male forwards showed large to very large decrements of -1.6% (+/-2.6%) and -2.4% (+/-2.0%). Over 3 years, males improved performance across all three playing positions by 1.4% (+/-1.3%) and females by 2.9% (+/-1.4%). Males improved performance by 0.2% (+/-0.5%) per year, whereas the performance of females deteriorated by 0.6% (+/-0.4%) per year. The differing patterns of performance change presumably reflect variations in training and competition loads, with short-term fluctuations in performance being managed to promote longer-term improvements.     

Teacher-student verbal communication patterns in regular and special classrooms

Patterns of verbal communications between a teacher and student can influence the classroom environment, quality of the instructional program, and student management in the classroom. This study examined teacher-student communication patterns in both regular and special education classes for behaviorally and emotionally handicapped students. It was expected that special class communication patterns would differ substantially from those used in regular classes. Those communications would result in more effective student management and more time on-task for learning. Webster's (1984, 1986) Process Interaction Model was used to analyze the communication patterns. Expected differences between how regular and special class teachers interact with students were not found. Implications of findings are discussed in relationship to teacher training, teacher effectiveness, and classroom management.     

Compelling overuse injury incidence in youth multisport athletes

The present investigation was carried out to examine the incidence and pattern of injuries in adolescent multisport athletes from youth sports academy. Injury data were prospectively collected from 166 athletes during the seasons from 2009 to 2014. A total of 643 injuries were identified, 559 (87.0%) were time-loss injuries. The overall injury incidence was 5.5 (95% confidence interval CI: 5.1–6.0), the incidence of time-loss injuries was 4.8 (95% CI: 4.4–5.2), the incidence of growth conditions was 1.2 (95% CI: 1.0–1.4) and incidence of serious injuries was 0.6 (95% CI: 0.5–0.8) per 1000?h of exposure. The prevalence of overuse injuries was 50.3%. Growth conditions represented 20.0%. Most of the injuries (67.0%) involved the lower extremities, and both foot and ankle were the most predominant injured body parts (22.0%). Knee injuries were mostly from overuse (50 vs. 23, p?=?.02), whereas foot and ankle injuries resulted from an acute mechanism (94 vs. 31, p?<?.0001). Minor and moderate injuries accounted for 87.0%. Muscle, tendon and osteochondrosis injuries accounted for 52.0% of all injuries. Comparing groups, squash sport was having the highest injury incidence (8.5 injuries per athlete). Higher exposure was associated with greater overuse relative risk (RR?=?1.03, 95% CI: 1.01–1.014, p?<?.001). In conclusion, the results of this study identified a high incidence of injuries in this youth sports population. Striking was the prevalence of overuse injuries of 50%, which suggests the need for injury prevention protocols for adolescent highly trained athletes.     

Hot-Heads,Gentlemen and the Liberties of Tradesmen

Abstract

Over the summer and autumn of 1739 Philadelphia’s two newspapers published competing versions of a hearing in the Pennsylvania assembly that was described as the ‘Affair of the Tanners’. What began as a minor property dispute in the colonial assembly became, with the aid of the local press, a citywide paper war for the support of the urban populace. This article argues the affair provides unique evidence for competing conceptions of the common good in the eighteenth-century colonial city, and was an expression of conflict with deep roots in Philadelphia’s history. The affair also shows how the medium of print could reflect both transatlantic cultural processes as well as distinctly local grievances, as a group of prosperous city artisans and their opponents utilized the city’s newspapers to articulate competing commonwealth ideologies.     

Towards a Cultural Understanding of the Disability and Deaf Experience: A Content Analysis of Introductory Multicultural Education Textbooks

This paper reports the findings of a simple normative content analysis of 11 multicultural education textbooks to determine the extent to which disability and deaf culture are represented. In addition, this study examines multicultural education textbooks to assess the extent to which perspectives of members of the disability and deaf communities are represented in the discourse about disabled and deaf persons. Results indicate that on average less than 1% of the total pages of text reviewed addressed or mentioned disability or deaf culture. Of these, it was found that on average about 6% of the pages addressed disability or deaf culture. In addition, inaccurate information was presented and perspectives were often not informed by a substantial body of literature that has emerged in the field of disability studies. It was found that multicultural education textbooks rely heavily on information about persons with disabilities from Special Education that may not be widely accepted by disabled or deaf persons. A follow-up paper examines the implications of the exclusion of disabled and deaf persons and their perspectives from the discourse about the shared and collective disability and deaf experience in favor of a dominant perspective widely held by the nondisabled professional community. Questions are raised about whether this is consistent with the values and goals of multicultural education and teaching. A rationale and recommendations are proposed for engaging disabled and deaf persons about their shared and collective experience and for promoting cultural competence and proficiency with respect to the disability and Deaf experience in multicultural education.