The effect of smartphones and playing video games on decision-making in soccer players: A crossover and randomised study

ABSTRACT

The objective of this study was to analyse the effect of the use of social networks in smartphones or playing video games on the passing decision-making performance in professional soccer athletes. Participants were 25 male professional soccer athletes (mean ± SD: age 23.4 ± 2.8 years). The participants performed three randomised conditions divided into three groups: control (CON), smartphone (SMA), and video game (VID). Before and after each experimental condition, the Stroop Task assessed the level of induced mental fatigue. Then, the athletes performed a simulated soccer match. A CANON® camera recorded the matches for further analysis on passing decision-making performance. A group effect was identified (p < .01) with impairment on passing decision-making performance for the SMA (p = .01, ES = 0.5) and VID (p = .01, ES = 0.5) conditions. We concluded that the use of social networks on smartphones and/or playing video games right before official soccer matches might impair the passing decision-making performance in professional soccer athletes.     

Response Time Adjustment in the Stop Signal Task: Development in Children and Adolescents

Adjusting speed to maintain fast and accurate performance is critical to goal-directed behavior. This study examined development of response time adjustments in the stop signal task in 13,709 individuals aged 6–17 years (49.0% Caucasian) across four trial types: correct and incorrect go, successful (stop-inhibit), and failed (stop-respond) trials. People sped more after correct than incorrect go responses and slowed more after failed than successful stop trials. Greater slowing after stop-respond but less slowing after stop-inhibit trials was associated with better response inhibition. Response time adjustments were evident in children as young as age 6, developed throughout childhood, and plateaued by age 10. Results were consistent with the predictions of the error detection and shifting goal priority hypotheses for adjustments.     

Idea generation in biomedical engineering courses using Design Heuristics

ABSTRACT

With increasing demand for improved medical equipment and healthcare, next-generation biomedical engineers need strong design skills. Equipping biomedical engineering students with tools for idea generation and development can increase student design success. Design Heuristics are an ideation tool developed through empirical studies of product designs. While identified in the mechanical engineering space, Design Heuristics may be applicable in biomedical engineering design. In our study, we implemented a Design Heuristics session during upper-level undergraduate and first-year graduate biomedical engineering design courses. We examined the applicability of Design Heuristics within individual and team concept generation contexts. The findings demonstrated that biomedical engineering students were able to use Design Heuristics to generate multiple concepts, and that initial concepts produced using Design Heuristics were carried over into final team design. The results support the applicability of Design Heuristics to student idea generation in biomedical engineering design.     

二十世纪日本汉学界之荀子名学研究综述

在先秦时期,除了名家和墨家之外,在名学研究方面,其成就最大的当属荀子。荀子对于先秦名学之贡献主要是进一步批判和发展名家和墨辩之名学,使儒家之名学更加严谨。然而,历来有关荀子之研究多着眼于其心、性、天、礼等之探讨,而疏于抉发其名学之义蕴。直到近年来,由于大陆学界积极挖掘中国古代之逻辑思想,以免西方逻辑专美于前,于是有关中国逻辑史或逻辑思想之论着,如雨后春笋般出现。此等有关中国逻辑论者之研究对象主要为先秦时期讨论名实辩说之篇章,尤其是公孙龙、墨辩和荀子名学之研究。此外,由于一些国外学者之参与,使得中国古代逻辑之研究,尤其是关于荀子名学之研究,如今已成一较为普遍之现象。有关荀子之研究,日本汉学界已作出极为可喜之成绩。唯历来有关荀子之研究,日本汉学界多着重其心、性、天、礼或政治、伦理学说之阐述,而较疏于其名学之研究。然而,就目前已发表之论着而言,无论是在厘清荀子之哲学立场或对于名学之分析等,亦颇有其独到之处,值得吾人借镜。     

A Meta-Analysis of Single-Case Research on Mathematics Word Problem-Solving Interventions for English Learners with Learning Disabilities and Mathematics Difficulties

This single-case meta-analysis is the first to provide a quantitative synthesis of the published literature on mathematics word problem-solving intervention studies for English learners with learning disabilities and mathematics difficulties. A total of ten single-subject studies were included for analysis. The current study investigated the magnitude of the effect of mathematics interventions targeting the improvement of students’ mathematics word problem-solving performance, and analyzed variables that moderated this effect. Results indicate a moderate overall effect size of 0.81 (95% CI [0.71, 0.90]) on word problem-solving performance for English learners with learning disabilities and mathematics difficulties. Moderator variables such as the implementer of the interventions, instructional focus, and word problem-solving content significantly moderated the mathematics intervention effects.     

Using pig die and simulation to explore probability and expected values

We present a variant of the Game of Pig to introduce the concepts of probability, simulation and expected value.