Evening electronic device use and sleep patterns in athletes

The present study aimed to investigate pre-sleep behaviours (including evening electronic device use) and sleep quantity in well-trained athletes. Seventy well-trained athletes (44 females, 26 males) aged 21 ± 4 y from a range of team and individual sports were asked to complete an online sleep diary for 7 days. The sleep diary included questions about pre-sleep behaviours (e.g. napping, caffeine intake), electronic device use in the 2 h prior to bedtime (e.g. type of device and duration of use) and sleep (e.g. time in bed, sleep onset latency). On average, athletes spent 8:20 ± 1:21 h in bed each night. Associations between age, time in bed and sleepiness suggested that younger athletes spent more time in bed (B = -0.05, p = 0.001) but felt sleepier (r = -0.32, p < 0.01) than older athletes. On average, athletes mostly used electronic devices for 0–30 min prior to sleep. The use of multiple devices in the evening was associated with more perceived difficulty in falling asleep (B = 0.22, p = 0.03), but no associations existed with other sleep variables. In summary, younger athletes may require later start times or improved sleep quality to resolve excessive sleepiness.     

Sand training: Exercise-induced muscle damage and inflammatory responses to matched-intensity exercise

This study compared markers of muscle damage and inflammation elevated by a matched-intensity interval running session on soft sand and grass surfaces. In a counterbalanced, repeated-measures and crossover design, 10 well-trained female athletes completed 2 interval-based running sessions 1 week apart on either a grass or a sand surface. Exercise heart rate (HR) was fixed at 83–88% of HR maximum. Venous blood samples were collected pre-, post- and 24?h post-exercise, and analysed for myoglobin (Mb) and C-reactive protein (CRP). Perceptual ratings of exertion (RPE) and muscle soreness (DOMS) were recorded immediately post- and 24?h post-exercise. A significant time effect showed that Mb increased from pre- to post-exercise on grass (p?=?.008) but not on sand (p?=?.611). Furthermore, there was a greater relative increase in Mb on grass compared with that on sand (p?=?.026). No differences in CRP were reported between surfaces (p?>?.05). The HR, RPE and DOMS scores were not significantly different between conditions (p > .05). These results suggest that in response to a matched-intensity exercise bout, markers of post-exercise muscle damage may be reduced by running on softer ground surfaces. Such training strategy may be used to minimize musculoskeletal strain while still incurring an equivalent cardiovascular training stimulus.     

Regression Analysis for Prediction: Understanding the Process

Research related to cardiorespiratory fitness often uses regression analysis in order to predict cardiorespiratory status or future outcomes. Reading these studies can be tedious and difficult unless the reader has a thorough understanding of the processes used in the analysis. This feature seeks to “simplify” the process of regression analysis for prediction in order to help readers understand this type of study more easily. Examples of the use of this statistical technique are provided in order to facilitate better understanding.     

The effects of amount and type of teacher-child interaction on child-child interaction during free-play

Social interactions between preschool behaviorally handicapped children were measured under three experimental conditions during free-play: (a) active teacher involvement in free-play, (b) no teacher involvement in free-play, and (c) teacher structured free-play. Significantly more child-child interactions occurred during teacher structured free-play than in either of the other two conditions, with the no teacher involvement condition producing significantly more child-child interactions when compared to the active teacher involvement condition. Additionally, significantly more teacher-child interactions occurred during the active teacher involvement condition than in either of the other two conditions, with nonsignificant differences in teacher-child interaction between the no teacher involvement and the teacher structured conditions. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for ameliorating social interaction deficits among young behaviorally handicapped children.     

The effects of teacher-delivered social reinforcement on the task persistent behavior of educable mentally retarded children

The effects of teacher-delivered social reinforcers on the task persistent behavior of children enrolled in an intermediate class for the educable mentally retarded were studied. These children were grouped with a regular fourth grade class during a social studies period in which the study was conducted. The special education children were randomly divided into two groups, with seven children in each group. Using a reversal design, social reinforcers were delivered contingent upon the task persistent behavior of the seven target children. The seven youngsters in the control, or nonreinforcement, group were essentially ignored as they engaged in appropriate task-related behaviors. The results clearly show that increases in the level of task persistent behavior and the administration of social reinforcement were functionally related. The level of task persistent behavior emitted by the control children was not affected by reinforcement delivered to their peers.     

The effects of dependent and interdependent group contingencies on socially appropriate responses in classes for emotionally handicapped children

The effects of group dependent and group interdependent reinforcement contingencies on the level of socially appropriate behaviors emitted by emotionally handicapped elementary school students were examined. The investigation employed an ABAC design with a systematic replication (ACAB) across a second classroom. The findings suggested that: (a) Both group dependent and group interdependent reinforcement contingencies were effective in incieasing the level of socially appropriate behaviors. (b) For Classroom II, group interdependent reinforcement contingencies more often resulted in higher rates of responding for individual subjects than did group dependent reinforcement contingencies. (c) Group interdependent contingencies were shown to set the occasion for cooperative behavior among class members designed to help each other achieve individual but interdependent goals.     

INTRODUCTION TO THE SPECIAL ISSUE OF EDUCATIONAL GERONTOLOGY: INTERDISCIPLINARY GERIATRIC EDUCATION IN THE HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONS: THE DEVELOPMENT,IMPLEMENTATION, AND EVALUATION OF PROGRAMS IN THE RHODE ISLAND GERIATRIC EDUCATION CENTER

The interest around intergenerational programs and the fostering of intergenerational relationships is growing internationally. However, studies on the profile and functions of intergenerational program managers are still scarce. Furthermore, available approaches to the traits and functions of intergenerational program managers have not highlighted which features are distinctive of these professionals. Through a Delphi study undertaken in Spain, with participation of 18 intergenerational program managers and 12 intergenerational specialists, consensus was reached around characteristics of both the general profile of intergenerational program managers and the specificities of this occupational role. On the one hand, being able to work on a team, having skills for observation and contextual analysis, and being skilled at managing resources were identified as the most important general characteristics. On the other hand, being good at promoting contacts, social relationships, interactions, and bonds was deemed to be the most distinctive feature of this profile. After contrasting our results with international guidelines and standards for intergenerational work, the need to develop and reinforce further the relational nature of this professional figure is argued.