Performance of gymnastics skill benefits from an external focus of attention

The present study was designed to fill a gap in the literature on attentional focus and sports performance. Specifically, in contrast to most previous studies in which an external focus was directed at an implement, we used a gymnastics skill that did not involve the use of an implement. Furthermore, while most studies used only outcome measures of performance, we also assessed movement quality. Twelve-year-old gymnasts performed a maximum vertical jump with a 180-degree turn while airborne, with their hands crossing in front of their chest during the turn under three different focus conditions. Under the external focus condition, participants were asked to focus on the direction in which a tape marker, which was attached to their chest, was pointing after the turn. Under the internal focus condition, they were asked to focus on the direction in which their hands were pointing after the turn. Under the control condition, no focus instructions were given. The external focus condition resulted in both superior movement form and greater jump height than did the other two conditions, which produced comparable results. The present findings show that, similar to other tasks, the performance of form-based skills can be enhanced relatively easily by appropriate external focus instructions.     

Overall indexes of coordination in front crawl swimming

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to propose a group of parameters able to quantify not only arm coordination but also inter limb coordination. These include the well know index of coordination with the relative duration of the stroke phases and two new parameters: the Index of synchronization (Ids) between arms and legs actions; and the Index of inter limb coordination (IdIC) calculated as the relative foot position during successive arm stroke phases. These parameters were compared between experts and amateur swimmers in a maximal front crawl sprint. The influence of arm stroke in leg kick parameters was also assessed, comparing the full stroke condition with a condition without arms actions. Sixty-five per cent of expert swimmers used synchronized limb actions while 95% of amateur swimmers used non-synchronized limb motions. These synchronized expert swimmers also converged towards a specific coordination pattern between foot position and arm stroke phases. In the condition without arms, both groups changed kick rate and amplitude. The present study reveals the interdependency of arms and legs actions and the importance of coordination and synchronization between limbs. Therefore, the proposed group of overall indexes of coordination provides a more complete marker for the analysis of swimming technique.     

How Gender and Age Affect Newscasters' Credibility—An Investigation in Switzerland

In an experimental study conducted in Switzerland the effects of newscasters' gender and age on credibility were analyzed using a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design. Participants (N = 160) evaluated Swiss, German, and Austrian TV news items in terms of credibility of the newscaster and credibility of the message. News items read by female newscasters were perceived as being more credible. In contrast, male newscasters were considered to be more credible persons. Furthermore, a significant interaction between the newscasters' gender and age was observed: Age had no effect on the credibility of the younger newscasters, whereas older male newscasters were perceived as being the most credible.     

Photography and Film

Estelle Jussim's Visual Communication and the Graphic Arts: Photographic Technologies in the Nineteenth Century (New York: R.R. Bowker, 1974—$25.00)

Donald Chase's Filmmaking: The Collaborative Art (Boston: Little, Brown, 1975—$9.95)

D.J. Wenden's The Birth of the Movies (New York: Dutton Paperbacks, 1975—$5.95, paper)

Peter Bowen, Martin Hayden, and Frank Riess' Screen Test: A Quiz Book About the Movies (Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1974—$2.50, paper)     

On the density of stabilizable plants in the class of unstabilizable plants: The real symmetric disk algebra case

Let A_R denote the set of functions from the disk algebra having real Fourier coefficients. Generalizing a result of Quadrat we show that every unstabilizable multi-input multi-output plant is as close as we want to a stabilizable multi-input multi-output plant in the product topology.     

Science and Education in a Totalitarian Regime: The Case of Slovakia

In this paper we attempt to reflect on the past period in which we have lived and worked; more specifically to examine the role played by science and science education in the two recent Slovakian totalitarian regimes (1939–1945, 1948–1989).     

PUBLIC EDUCATION ABOUT NORMAL FORGETFULNESS AND DEMENTIA: EFFECTIVENESS OF A SYSTEMATICALLY DEVELOPED INFORMATION BROCHURE

Earlier research revealed that many elderly people in The Netherlands are worried about their forgetfulness and are afraid of incipient dementia. Until now, no systematic research has been conducted on the effects of public education about normal forgetfulness and dementia, and therefore an information brochure was developed and evaluated. The main function of this brochure was to reassure people who were unnecessarily worrying about possible dementia. A second function was to motivate people to seek professional help when this seemed advisable. Sixty‐two percent of all respondents (307 of 400) who had been worried about dementia before reading the brochure said that their anxiety decreased or disappeared after reading it; approximately 3% became more worried after reading the brochure. A cognitive test battery was administered to 104 people to determine whether their increased or decreased anxiety was justified. Thirty subjects had low test scores, yet 16 of these subjects had been reassured by the brochure that their forgetfulness was nothing to worry about. This group was characterized as experiencing fewer problems in daily life as a result of their forgetfulness and as having a higher internal locus of control. Seventy‐four subjects performed well on the cognitive tests, yet 18 of them had remained worried about their forgetfulness after reading the brochure. Anxiety for heredity of dementia could be a possible explanation for their persistent concern. Although many people were reassured by the brochure, the results also show that it is important to evaluate information brochures used as intervention instruments—in one third of the present sample, the effects of the brochure were not in accordance with its goal.