The Year of the Expert

The personnel and guidance profession is plagued with numerous types of experts who, without attempting to do so, retard the advancement of the profession. The mark of an expert is a person who publicly and unwaveringly proclaims that he has the answers to the problems confronting the profession. Perhaps the most disturbing characteristic of the expert found in the profession today is that he represents his own position as the only “true” one regardless of the issue. It is suggested that all members of the profession adopt a more open and questioning attitude particularly with regard to their own position. Additionally, it seems that the entire profession could benefit from a number of changes. Specifically it is recommended that opinion type articles be labeled as such, that theory be separated from fact, and that a greater attempt be made to redefine the language of the profession operationally.     

Do monkeys choose to choose?

Both empirical and anecdotal evidence supports the idea that choice is preferred by humans. Previous research has demonstrated that this preference extends to nonhuman animals, but it remains largely unknown whether animals will actively seek out or prefer opportunities to choose. Here we explored the issue of whether capuchin and rhesus monkeys choose to choose. We used a modified version of the SELECT task—a computer program in which monkeys can choose the order of completion of various psychomotor and cognitive tasks. In the present experiments, each trial began with a choice between two icons, one of which allowed the monkey to select the order of task completion, and the other of which led to the assignment of a task order by the computer. In either case, subjects still had to complete the same number of tasks and the same number of task trials. The tasks were relatively easy, and the monkeys responded correctly on most trials. Thus, global reinforcement rates were approximately equated across conditions. The only difference was whether the monkey chose the task order or it was assigned, thus isolating the act of choosing. Given sufficient experience with the task icons, all monkeys showed a significant preference for choice when the alternative was a randomly assigned order of tasks. To a lesser extent, some of the monkeys maintained a preference for choice over a preferred, but computer-assigned, task order that was yoked to their own previous choice selection. The results indicated that monkeys prefer to choose when all other aspects of the task are equated.     

Use of deterministic models in sports and exercise biomechanics research

A deterministic model is a modeling paradigm that determines the relationships between a movement outcome measure and the biomechanical factors that produce such a measure. This review provides an overview of the use of deterministic models in biomechanics research, a historical summary of this research, and an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of using deterministic models. The deterministic model approach has been utilized in technique analysis over the last three decades, especially in swimming, athletics field events, and gymnastics. In addition to their applications in sports and exercise biomechanics, deterministic models have been applied successfully in research on selected motor skills. The advantage of the deterministic model approach is that it helps to avoid selecting performance or injury variables arbitrarily and to provide the necessary theoretical basis for examining the relative importance of various factors that influence the outcome of a movement task. Several disadvantages of deterministic models, such as the use of subjective measures for the performance outcome, were discussed. It is recommended that exercise and sports biomechanics scholars should consider using deterministic models to help identify meaningful dependent variables in their studies.     

Giving presentations and workshops

Now you've done it — agreed to give a workshop or presentation. The self-doubts begin. “I don't know anything more than they do.” “I'm not good in front of a group.” “What if they ask a question I can't answer?” All of the above are common concerns presenters have about themselves and their skills.