Publications by year
In Press
Harris D, Bird J, Smart P, Wilson M, Vine S (In Press). A framework for the testing and validation of simulated environments in experimentation and training. Frontiers in Psychology
Harris D, Arthur T, Broadbent D, Wilson M, Vine S, Runswick O (In Press). An active inference account of skilled anticipation in sport: Using computational models to
formalise theory and generate new hypotheses.
Sports MedicineAbstract:
An active inference account of skilled anticipation in sport: Using computational models to
formalise theory and generate new hypotheses
Optimal performance in time-constrained and dynamically changing environments depends on
making reliable predictions about future outcomes. In sporting tasks, performers have been found
to employ multiple information sources to maximize the accuracy of their predictions, but
questions remain about how different information sources are weighted and integrated to guide
anticipation. In this paper, we outline how predictive processing approaches, and active inference
in particular, provide a unifying account of perception and action which explains many of the
prominent findings in the sports anticipation literature. Active inference proposes that perception
and action are underpinned by the organisms’ need to remain within certain stable states. To this
end, decision making approximates Bayesian inference and actions are used to minimise future
prediction errors during brain-body-environment interactions. Using a series of Bayesian
neurocomputational models based on a partially observable Markov process, we demonstrate that
key findings from the literature can be recreated from the first principles of active inference. In
doing so, we formulate a number of novel and empirically falsifiable hypotheses about human
anticipation capabilities which could guide future investigations in the field
Abstract.
Harris D, Wilson M, Jones M, de Burgh T, Mundy D, Arthur T, Olonilua M, Vine S (In Press). An investigation of feed-forward and feed-back eye movement training in immersive virtual reality. Journal of Eye Movement Research
Harris D, Arthur T, de Burgh T, Duxbury M, Lockett-Kirk R, McBarnett W, Vine S (In Press). Assessing expertise using eye tracking in a Virtual Reality flight simulation. The International Journal of Aerospace Psychology
Harris D, Arthur T, Wilson M, Vine S (In Press). Attention computing for enhanced visuomotor skill performance: Testing the effectiveness of gaze-adaptive cues in virtual reality golf putting. Multimedia Tools and Applications
Harris D, Wilson M, Vine S, Arthur T, Brock K (In Press). Can cognitive training capitalise on near transfer effects? No evidence of transfer following online inhibition training in a randomised-controlled trial.
PLoS ONEAbstract:
Can cognitive training capitalise on near transfer effects? No evidence of transfer following online inhibition training in a randomised-controlled trial
Despite early promise, cognitive training research has failed to deliver consistent real-world benefits and questions have been raised about the experimental rigour of many studies. Several meta-analyses have suggested that there is little to no evidence for transfer of training from computerised tasks to real-world skills. More targeted training approaches that aim to optimise performance on specific tasks have, however, shown more promising effects. In particular, the use of inhibition training for improving shoot/don’t-shoot decision-making has returned positive far transfer effects. In the present work, we tested whether an online inhibition training task could generate near and mid-transfer effects in the context of response inhibition tasks. As there has been relatively little testing of retention effects in the literature to date, we also examined whether any benefits would persist over a 1-month interval. In a pre-registered, randomised-controlled trial, participants (n=73) were allocated to either an inhibition training programme (six training sessions of a visual search task with singleton distractor) or a closely matched active control task (that omitted the distractor element). We assessed near transfer to a Flanker task, and mid-transfer to a computerised shoot/don’t-shoot task. There was evidence for a near transfer effect, but no evidence for mid-transfer. There was also no evidence that the magnitude of training improvement was related to transfer task performance. This finding adds to the growing body of literature questioning the effectiveness of cognitive training. Given previous positive findings, however, there may still be value in continuing to explore the extent to which cognitive training can capitalise on near or mid-transfer effects for performance optimisation.
Abstract.
Harris D, Wilson M, Vine S (In Press). Development and validation of a simulation workload measure: the simulation task load index (SIM-TLX). Virtual Reality
Harris D, Buckingham G, Wilson M, Brookes J, Mushtaq F, Mon-Williams M, Vine S (In Press). Exploring sensorimotor performance and user experience within a virtual reality golf putting simulator. Virtual Reality
Brock K, Vine S, Harris D (In Press). Movement kinematic and postural control differences when performing a visuomotor skill in real and virtual environments. Experimental Brain Research
Arthur T, Vine S, Brosnan M, Buckingham G (In Press). Predictive Sensorimotor Control in. Autism. Brain: a journal of neurology
Harris D, Arthur T, Vine S, Wilson M (In Press). The effect of performance pressure and error-feedback on anxiety and performance in an interceptive task. Frontiers in Psychology
Harris D, Wilson M, Vine S (In Press). The functional role of visual information and fixation stillness in the quiet eye.
PLoS ONEAbstract:
The functional role of visual information and fixation stillness in the quiet eye
The final fixation to a target in far-aiming tasks, known as the quiet eye, has been consistently identified as an important perceptual-cognitive variable for task execution. Yet, despite a number of proposed mechanisms it remains unclear whether the fixation itself is driving performance effects or is simply an emergent property of underpinning cognitions. Across two pre-registered studies, novice golfers (n = 127) completed a series of golf putts in a virtual reality simulation to examine the function of the quiet eye in the absence of visual information. In experiment 1 participants maintained a quiet eye fixation even when all visual information was occluded. Visual occlusion did significantly disrupt motor skill accuracy, but the effect was relatively small (89cm vs 105cm radial error, std. beta = 0.25). In experiment 2, a ‘noisy eye’ was induced using covertly moving fixation points, which disrupted skill execution (p =. 04, BF = 318.07, std. beta = -0.25) even though visual input was equivalent across conditions. Overall, the results showed that performers persist with a long pre-shot fixation even in the absence of visual information, and that the stillness of this fixation confers a functional benefit that is not merely related to improved information extraction.
Abstract.
Harris DJ, Vine S, Eysenck M, Wilson M (In Press). To err again is human: exploring a bidirectional relationship between pressure and performance failure feedback. Anxiety, Stress and Coping
2024
Halmai B, Holsgrove TP, Vine SJ, Harris DJ, Williams GKR (2024). The after-effects of occupational whole-body vibration on human cognitive, visual, and motor function: a systematic review.
Applied Ergonomics,
118Abstract:
The after-effects of occupational whole-body vibration on human cognitive, visual, and motor function: a systematic review
Whole-body vibration (WBV) is prevalent in labour-related activities and can have adverse effects on the health and performance of the individuals exposed. However, evidence regarding the extent to which human functionality is affected following occupational WBV exposure has not been collated. The current systematic review sought to synthesize existing literature and assess the strength and direction of evidence regarding the acute after-effects of occupational WBV exposure on cognition, visual function, postural stability, and motor control. We conducted a comprehensive search of AMED, CINAHL, MEDLINE, PubMED, Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Collection, SPORTDiscus, APA PsychInfo, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, HMIC, Global Health, ProQuest Central, Scopus, Web of Science, and the US National Technical Information Service on April 26, 2023. Studies that quantified vibration exposure and measured acute changes in cognition, visual function, postural stability, and motor control from baseline to post-vibration were considered without date restriction. Out of the 2663 studies identified, 32 were eligible for inclusion. Based on the Risk of Bias in Non-Randomized Studies of Exposure (ROBINS-E) tool, the studies demonstrated low (66%), moderate (25%) and high risk of bias (9%). The findings indicate that after exposure to WBV, postural stability either deteriorates or remains unchanged. Inconsistent effects of WBV on cognition were reported, while visual function and motor control showed no pronounced changes following WBV. This might be attributed to assessment limitations such as learning effects in neuropsychological and motor tasks, and non-functional measures of vision employed. There was a lack of consistency in the characterization of vibration exposure and the assessment of associated effects on functional performance. Current evidence is therefore insufficient to provide definitive guidance for updating occupational health and safety regulations regarding WBV. However, this review highlights the potential for WBV to jeopardize post-exposure human performance and, consequently, safety. The completion of the review was supported by a UKRI EPSRC training grant. The review has been registered on PROSPERO (ref CRD42023391075).
Abstract.
2023
Harris DJ, Allen KL, Vine SJ, Wilson MR (2023). A systematic review and meta-analysis of the relationship between flow states and performance.
International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology,
16(1), 693-721.
Abstract:
A systematic review and meta-analysis of the relationship between flow states and performance
Flow is an optimal experience that has received particular interest within sport because of a possible relationship with enhanced athletic performances. Yet, the strength and direction of the putative flow–performance relationship remain unclear. Consequently, a PRISMA guided systematic review was conducted in May 2020 to examine the empirical evidence for a flow–performance relationship, to examine potential mechanisms, and to assess the quality of current evidence. Peer-reviewed articles that examined the relationship between flow and performance in sport or computer gaming tasks were searched for using five online databases. The results were collated into a narrative synthesis and a meta-analysis. Twenty articles met the inclusion criteria, featuring 22 studies that were appropriate for meta-analysis. The overall quality of the studies was fairly good, with a mean quality assessment score of 76.5% (SD = 9.7). The pooled effect size (r = 0.31, 95% CI [0.24; 0.38]) indicated that across a range of sport and gaming tasks there was a medium-sized flow–performance relationship. However, current evidence is unable to determine the causal direction of this relationship or the mechanisms that mediate it. A number of conceptual and methodological challenges facing the study of flow are discussed and recommendations for future work are outlined.
Abstract.
Harris D, Donaldson R, Bray M, Arthur T, Wilson M, Vine SJ (2023). Attention computing for enhanced visuomotor skill performance: Testing the effectiveness of gaze-adaptive cues in virtual reality golf putting.
Abstract:
Attention computing for enhanced visuomotor skill performance: Testing the effectiveness of gaze-adaptive cues in virtual reality golf putting
This work explored how immersive technologies like virtual reality can be exploited for improved motor learning. While virtual reality is becoming a practical replacement for training that is otherwise expensive, dangerous, or inconvenient to deliver, virtual simulations can also enhance the learning process. Based on the concept of ‘attention computing’, we developed and tested a novel ‘gaze-adaptive’ training method within a virtual putting environment augmented with eye and motion tracking. Novice golfers were randomly assigned to either standard putting practice in virtual reality (control) or gaze-adaptive training conditions. For gaze-adaptive training, the golf ball was sensitive to the participant’s gaze and illuminated when fixated upon, to prompt longer and more stable pre-shot fixations. We recorded the effect of these training conditions on task performance, gaze control, and putting kinematics. Gaze-adaptive training was successful in generating more expert-like gaze control and putting kinematics, although this did not transfer to improved performance outcomes within the abbreviated training paradigm. These findings suggest that gaze-adaptive environments can enhance visuomotor learning and may be a promising method for augmenting virtual training environments.
Abstract.
Harris D, Arthur T, Wilson M, Le Gallais B, Parsons T, Dill A, Vine SJ (2023). Counteracting Uncertainty: Exploring the Impact of Anxiety on Predictive Sensorimotor Control Mechanisms in a Manual Interception Task.
Abstract:
Counteracting Uncertainty: Exploring the Impact of Anxiety on Predictive Sensorimotor Control Mechanisms in a Manual Interception Task
The impact of clinical anxiety on learning and decision-making is well-established. However, the influence of temporary anxiety states on optimal learning and belief updating in healthy individuals remains less explored. In this study, we investigated how anxious states affect the process of forming and revising sensorimotor predictions. Study participants engaged in a virtual reality interceptive task while we manipulated performance incentives to induce situational pressure. We then assessed changes in physiological arousal, self-reported anxiety levels, task performance, and eye movement patterns. Employing Bayesian computational models of perception, we analysed how quickly predictive eye movements were adjusted across multiple trials. The results revealed that heightened anxiety led to a slower rate of updating predictive eye movements, accompanied by an increase in visual exploration of the environment. These findings deepen our understanding of how emotional states, like anxiety, interact with active inference behaviours. Specifically, they highlight the limitation imposed on updating predictive sensorimotor behaviours during anxious conditions. We discuss the implications of these findings within the context of theoretical frameworks such as the free energy principle, which conceptualises anxiety as a state of internal entropy that organisms seek to alleviate.
Abstract.
Arthur T, Loveland-Perkins T, Williams C, Harris D, Wilson M, de Burgh T, Dhanda J, Vine S (2023). Examining the validity and fidelity of a virtual reality simulator for basic life support training. BMC Digital Health, 1(1).
Harris DJ, Arthur T, Kearse J, Olonilua M, Hassan EK, De Burgh TC, Wilson MR, Vine SJ (2023). Exploring the role of virtual reality in military decision training. Frontiers in Virtual Reality, 4
Harris D, Arthur T, Wilson M, Vine SJ (2023). Eye tracking for affective computing in virtual reality healthcare applications.
Abstract:
Eye tracking for affective computing in virtual reality healthcare applications
This paper examines opportunities and challenges associated with using eye tracking as a sensory system for affective computing in extended reality (XR) environments. Affective computing is a rapidly growing field that aims to develop computing systems capable of recognizing, interpreting, and responding to human emotions. Eye tracking has several potential benefits for improving the detection of emotions, including its ability to unobtrusively monitor affective states in real time, and its sensitivity to a variety of affective states. This paper introduces affective computing, explains eye tracking methodologies, and describes how eye tracking can be used to detect attentional and affective states, realizing concepts such as virtual exposure therapy, and adaptive virtual reality. The paper discusses several potential applications of eye tracking for affective computing in healthcare settings
Abstract.
Arthur T, Brosnan M, Harris D, Buckingham G, Wilson M, Williams G, Vine S (2023). Investigating how Explicit Contextual Cues Affect Predictive Sensorimotor Control in Autistic Adults.
J Autism Dev Disord,
53(11), 4368-4381.
Abstract:
Investigating how Explicit Contextual Cues Affect Predictive Sensorimotor Control in Autistic Adults.
Research suggests that sensorimotor difficulties in autism could be reduced by providing individuals with explicit contextual information. To test this, we examined autistic visuomotor control during a virtual racquetball task, in which participants hit normal and unexpectedly-bouncy balls using a handheld controller. The probability of facing each type of ball was varied unpredictably over time. However, during cued trials, participants received explicit information about the likelihood of facing each uncertain outcome. When compared to neurotypical controls, autistic individuals displayed poorer task performance, atypical gaze profiles, and more restricted swing kinematics. These visuomotor patterns were not significantly affected by contextual cues, indicating that autistic people exhibit underlying differences in how prior information and environmental uncertainty are dynamically modulated during movement tasks.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Arthur T, Vine S, Buckingham G, Brosnan M, Wilson M, Harris D (2023). Testing predictive coding theories of autism spectrum disorder using models of active inference.
PLoS Comput Biol,
19(9).
Abstract:
Testing predictive coding theories of autism spectrum disorder using models of active inference.
Several competing neuro-computational theories of autism have emerged from predictive coding models of the brain. To disentangle their subtly different predictions about the nature of atypicalities in autistic perception, we performed computational modelling of two sensorimotor tasks: the predictive use of manual gripping forces during object lifting and anticipatory eye movements during a naturalistic interception task. In contrast to some accounts, we found no evidence of chronic atypicalities in the use of priors or weighting of sensory information during object lifting. Differences in prior beliefs, rates of belief updating, and the precision weighting of prediction errors were, however, observed for anticipatory eye movements. Most notably, we observed autism-related difficulties in flexibly adapting learning rates in response to environmental change (i.e. volatility). These findings suggest that atypical encoding of precision and context-sensitive adjustments provide a better explanation of autistic perception than generic attenuation of priors or persistently high precision prediction errors. Our results did not, however, support previous suggestions that autistic people perceive their environment to be persistently volatile.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Harris D, Vine S, Wilson M, Arthur T (2023). The Relationship Between Environmental Statistics and Predictive Gaze Behaviour During a Manual Interception Task: Eye Movements as Active Inference.
Computational Brain & BehaviorAbstract:
The Relationship Between Environmental Statistics and Predictive Gaze Behaviour During a Manual Interception Task: Eye Movements as Active Inference
AbstractHuman observers are known to frequently act like Bayes-optimal decision-makers. Growing evidence indicates that the deployment of the visual system may similarly be driven by probabilistic mental models of the environment. We tested whether eye movements during a dynamic interception task were indeed optimised according to Bayesian inference principles. Forty-one participants intercepted oncoming balls in a virtual reality racquetball task across five counterbalanced conditions in which the relative probability of the ball’s onset location was manipulated. Analysis of pre-onset gaze positions indicated that eye position tracked the true distribution of onset location, suggesting that the gaze system spontaneously adhered to environmental statistics. Eye movements did not, however, seek to minimise the distance between the target and foveal vision according to an optimal probabilistic model of the world and instead often reflected a ‘best guess’ about onset location. Trial-to-trial changes in gaze position were, however, found to be better explained by Bayesian learning models (hierarchical Gaussian filter) than associative learning models. Additionally, parameters relating to the precision of beliefs and prediction errors extracted from the participant-wise models were related to both task-evoked pupil dilations and variability in gaze positions, providing further evidence that probabilistic context was reflected in spontaneous gaze dynamics.
Abstract.
Harris D, Arthur T, Vine SJ, Rahman HRA, Han F, liu J, Wilson M (2023). The effect of performance pressure and error-feedback on anxiety and performance in an interceptive task.
Abstract:
The effect of performance pressure and error-feedback on anxiety and performance in an interceptive task
While the disruptive effects of anxiety on attention and performance have been well documented, the antecedents to anxiety in motivated performance scenarios are less well understood. We therefore sought to understand the cognitive appraisals that mediate the relationship between pressurised performance situations and the onset of anxiety. We tested the effects of performance pressure and error feedback on appraisals of the probability and cost of failure, the experience of anxiety, and subsequent impacts on visual attention, movement kinematics, and task performance during a virtual reality interception task. A series of linear mixed effects models indicated that failure feedback and situational pressure influenced moment-to-moment appraisals of the probability and cost of failure, which subsequently predicted the onset of anxious states. We did not, however, observe downstream effects on performance and attention. The findings support the predictions of Attentional Control Theory Sport, that i) momentary errors lead to negative appraisals of the probability of future failure; and ii) that appraisals of both the cost and probability of future failure are important predictors of anxiety. The results contribute to a better understanding of the precursors to anxiety and the feedback loops that may maintain anxious states.
Abstract.
Harris D, Vine SJ, Wilson M, Arthur T (2023). The relationship between environmental statistics and predictive gaze behaviour during a manual interception task: Eye movements as active inference.
Abstract:
The relationship between environmental statistics and predictive gaze behaviour during a manual interception task: Eye movements as active inference
Human observers are known to frequently act like Bayes-optimal decision makers and there is growing evidence that the deployment of the visual system may similarly be driven by probabilistic mental models of the environment. We tested whether eye movements during a dynamic interception task were indeed optimised according to Bayesian inference principles. Forty-one participants intercepted oncoming balls in a virtual reality racquetball task across five counterbalanced conditions in which the relative probability of the onset location was manipulated. Analysis of pre-onset gaze positions indicated that eye position tracked the true distribution of onset location, indicating that the gaze system spontaneously adhered to environmental statistics. Eye position did not, however, minimise the distance between the target and foveal vision in a fully probabilistic way, and instead often reflected a ‘best guess’ about onset location. Trial-to-trial changes in gaze position were found to be better explained by Bayesian learning models (Hierarchical Gaussian Filter) than associative learning models. Additionally, parameters relating to the precision of beliefs and prediction errors extracted from the participant-wise models were related to both task-evoked pupil dilations and variability in gaze positions, providing further evidence that probabilistic context was reflected in spontaneous gaze dynamics.
Abstract.
Arthur T, Vine SJ, Wilson M, Harris D (2023). The role of prediction and visual tracking strategies during manual interception: an exploration of individual differences.
2022
Bird JM, Smart PA, Harris DJ, Phillips LA, Giannachi G, Vine SJ (2022). A Magic Leap in Tourism: Intended and Realized Experience of Head-Mounted Augmented Reality in a Museum Context. Journal of Travel Research
Harris D, Arthur T, Kearse J, Olonilua M, Hassan EK, de Burgh T, Wilson M, Vine SJ (2022). A comparison of live fire, 2D video, and virtual reality simulations for judgemental training in the military.
Abstract:
A comparison of live fire, 2D video, and virtual reality simulations for judgemental training in the military
Simulation methods, including physical synthetic environments, already play a substantial role in human skills training in the military and are commonly used for developing situational awareness and judgemental skills. The rapid development of virtual reality technologies has provided a new opportunity for performing this type of training, but before VR can be adopted as part of mandatory training it should be subjected to rigorous tests of its suitability and effectiveness. In this work, we adopted established methods for testing the fidelity and validity of simulated environments to compare three different methods of judgemental training. Thirty-nine dismounted close combat troops from the UK’s Royal Air Force completed shoot/don’t-shoot judgemental tasks in: i) live-fire; ii) virtual reality; and iii) 2D video simulation conditions. A range of shooting accuracy and decision-making metrics were recorded from all three environments. The results showed that 2D video simulation posed little decision-making challenge during training. Decision-making performance across live fire and virtual reality simulations was comparable but the two may offer slightly different, and perhaps complementary, methods of training judgemental skills. Different types of simulation should, therefore, be selected carefully to address the exact training need.
Abstract.
Harris D, Wilson M, Jones MI, de Burgh T, Mundy D, Arthur T, Olonilua M, Vine SJ (2022). An investigation of feed-forward and feed-back eye movement training in immersive virtual reality.
Abstract:
An investigation of feed-forward and feed-back eye movement training in immersive virtual reality
The control of eye gaze is critical to the execution of many skills. The observation that task experts in many domains exhibit more efficient control of eye gaze than novices has led to the development of gaze training interventions that teach these behaviours. We aimed to extend this literature by i) examining the relative benefits of feed-forward (observing an expert’s eye movements) versus feed-back (observing your own eye movements) training, and ii) automating this training within virtual reality. Serving personnel from the British Army and Royal Navy were randomised to either feed-forward or feed-back training within a virtual reality simulation of a room search and clearance task. Eye movement metrics – including visual search, saccade direction, and entropy – were recorded to quantify the efficiency of visual search behaviours. Feed-forward and feed-back eye movement training produced distinct learning benefits, but both accelerated the development of efficient gaze behaviours. However, we found no evidence that these more efficient search behaviours transferred to better decision making in the room clearance task. Our results suggest integrating eye movement training principles within virtual reality training simulations may be effective, but further work is needed to understand the learning mechanisms.
Abstract.
Harris D, Arthur T, de Burgh T, Duxbury M, Lockett-Kirk R, McBarnett W, Vine SJ (2022). Assessing expertise using eye tracking in a Virtual Reality flight simulation.
Abstract:
Assessing expertise using eye tracking in a Virtual Reality flight simulation
Objective: the aim of this work was to examine the fidelity and validity of an aviation simulation using eye tracking. Background: Commercial head-mounted virtual reality (VR) systems offer a convenient and cost-effective alternative to existing aviation simulation (e.g. for refresher exercises). We performed pre-implementation testing of a novel aviation simulation, designed for head-mounted VR, to determine its fidelity and validity as a training device. Method: Eighteen airline pilots, with varying levels of flight experience, completed a sequence of training ‘flows’. Self-reported measures of presence and workload and users’ perceptions of fidelity were taken. Pilots’ eye movements and performance were recorded to determine whether more experienced pilots showed distinct performance and eye gaze profiles in the simulation, as they would in the real-world. Results: Real-world expertise correlated with eye gaze patterns characterised by fewer, but longer, fixations and a scan path that was more structured and less random. Multidimensional scaling analyses also indicated differential clustering of strategies in more versus less experienced pilots. Subjective ratings of performance, however, showed little relationship with real-world expertise or eye movements. Conclusion: We adopted an evidence-based approach to assessing the fidelity and validity of a VR flight training tool. Pilot reports indicated the simulation was realistic and potentially useful for training, while direct measurement of eye movements was useful for establishing construct validity and psychological fidelity of the simulation.
Abstract.
Słowiński PM, Grindley B, Muncie H, Harris D, Vine SJ, Wilson M (2022). Assessment of cognitive biases in Augmented Reality: Beyond eye tracking.
Abstract:
Assessment of cognitive biases in Augmented Reality: Beyond eye tracking.
We study an individual’s propensity for rational thinking; the avoidance of cognitive biases (unconscious errors generated by our mental simplification methods) using a novel augmented reality (AR) platform. Specifically, we developed an odd-one-out game-like task in AR designed to try to induce and assess confirmatory biases. Forty students completed the AR task in the laboratory, and the short form of the comprehensive assessment of rational thinking (CART) online via the Qualtrics platform. We used distance correlation approaches and stepwise regression to identify objective markers (based on eye, hand and head movements) associated with the psychometric measures of propensity for rational thinking. We show that the proposed markers are associated with the short CART score – more rational thinkers have slower head and hand movements, faster gaze movements and more consistent hand-eye-head coordination patterns across conditions.
Abstract.
Discombe RM, Bird JM, Kelly A, Blake RL, Harris DJ, Vine SJ (2022). Effects of traditional and immersive video on anticipation in cricket: a temporal occlusion study. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 58, 102088-102088.
Harris DJ, Wilson MR, Holmes T, de Burgh T, Vine SJ (2022). Eye Movements in Sports Research and Practice: Immersive Technologies as Optimal Environments for the Study of Gaze Behavior. In (Ed) Neuromethods, Springer US, 207-221.
Arthur T, Brosnan M, Harris D, Buckingham G, Wilson M, Williams G, Vine SJ (2022). Investigating how explicit contextual cues affect predictive sensorimotor control in autistic adults.
Abstract:
Investigating how explicit contextual cues affect predictive sensorimotor control in autistic adults.
Research suggests that sensorimotor difficulties in autism could be reduced by providing individuals with explicit contextual information. To test this, we examined autistic visuomotor control during a virtual racquetball task, in which participants hit normal and unexpectedly-bouncy balls using a handheld controller. The probability of facing each type of ball was varied unpredictably over time; however, during cued trials, participants received explicit information about the likelihood of facing each uncertain outcome. When compared to neurotypical controls, autistic individuals displayed poorer task performance, atypical gaze profiles, and more restricted swing kinematics. These visuomotor patterns were not significantly affected by contextual cues, indicating that autistic people exhibit underlying differences in how prior information and environmental uncertainty are dynamically modulated during movement tasks.
Abstract.
Brock K, Vine SJ, Ross J, Trevarthen M, Harris D (2022). Movement kinematic and postural control differences when performing a visuomotor skill in real and virtual environments.
Abstract:
Movement kinematic and postural control differences when performing a visuomotor skill in real and virtual environments
Immersive technologies, like virtual and mixed reality, pose a novel challenge for our sensorimotor systems as they deliver simulated sensory inputs that may not match those of the natural environment. These include reduced fields of view, missing or inaccurate haptic information, and distortions of 3D space; differences that may impact the control of motor actions. For instance, reach-to-grasp movements without end-point haptic feedback are characterised by slower and more exaggerated movements and a general uncertainty about input may induce a more conscious form of movement control. We tested whether a more complex skill like golf putting was also characterised by more consciously controlled movement. In a repeated-measures design, kinematics of the putter swing and postural control were compared between i) real-world putting, ii) VR putting, and iii) VR putting with haptic feedback from a real ball (i.e. mixed reality). Differences in putter swing were observed both between the real-world and VR, and between VR conditions with and without haptic information. Further, clear differences in postural control emerged between real and virtual putting, with both VR conditions characterised by greater postural movement which was more regular and less complex, suggesting a more conscious form of balance control. Conversely, participants actually reported less conscious awareness of their movements in VR. These findings highlight how fundamental movement differences may exist between virtual and natural environments, which may pose challenges for transfer of learning within applications to motor rehabilitation and sport.
Abstract.
Harris D, Vine SJ, Wilson M (2022). Neurocognitive Mechanisms of the Flow State.
Abstract:
Neurocognitive Mechanisms of the Flow State
While the experience of flow is often described in attentional terms - focused concentration or task absorption - specific cognitive mechanisms have received limited interest. We propose that an attentional explanation provides the best way to advance theoretical models and produce practical applications, as well as providing potential solutions to core issues such as how an objectively difficult task can be subjectively effortless. Recent research has begun to utilise brain-imaging techniques to investigate neurocognitive changes during flow, which enables attentional mechanisms to be understood in greater detail. Some tensions within flow research are discussed; including the dissociation between psychophysiological and experiential measures, and the equivocal neuroimaging findings supporting prominent accounts of hypofrontality. While flow has received only preliminary investigation from a neuroscientific perspective, findings already provide important insights into the crucial role played by higher order attentional networks, and clear indications of reduced activity in brain regions linked to self-referential processing. The manner in which these processes may benefit sporting performance are discussed.
Abstract.
Hudson DM, Heales C, Vine SJ (2022). Radiographer Perspectives on current occurrence and management of claustrophobia in MRI. Radiography, 28(1), 154-161.
Hudson DM, Heales C, Vine SJ (2022). Scoping review: How is virtual reality being used as a tool to support the experience of undergoing Magnetic resonance imaging?. Radiography, 28(1), 199-207.
Arthur T (2022). Sensorimotor Differences in Autism Spectrum Disorder: an evaluation of potential mechanisms.
Abstract:
Sensorimotor Differences in Autism Spectrum Disorder: an evaluation of potential mechanisms.
This thesis examined the aetiology of sensorimotor impairments in Autism Spectrum Disorder: a neurodevelopmental condition that affects an individual’s socio-behavioural preferences, personal independence, and quality of life. Issues relating to clumsiness and movement coordination are common features of autism that contribute to wide-ranging daily living difficulties. However, these characteristics are relatively understudied and there is an absence of evidence-based practical interventions. To pave the way for new, scientifically-focused programmes, a series of studies investigated the mechanistic underpinnings of sensorimotor differences in autism. Following a targeted review of previous research, study one explored links between autistic-like traits and numerous conceptually-significant movement control functions. Eye-tracking analyses were integrated with force transducers and motion capture technology to examine how participants interacted with uncertain lifting objects. Upon identifying a link between autistic-like traits and context-sensitive predictive action control, study two replicated these procedures with a sample of clinically-diagnosed participants. Results illustrated that autistic people are able to use predictions to guide object interactions, but that uncertainty-related adjustments in sensorimotor integration are atypical. Such findings were advanced within a novel virtual-reality paradigm in study three, which systematically manipulated environmental uncertainty during naturalistic interception actions. Here, data supported proposals that precision weighting functions are aberrant in autistic people, and suggested that these individuals have difficulties with processing volatile sensory information. These difficulties were not alleviated by the experimental provision of explicit contextual cues in study four. Together, these studies implicate the role of implicit neuromodulatory mechanisms that regulate dynamic sensorimotor behaviours. Results support the development of evidence-based programmes that ‘make the world more predictable’ for autistic people, with various theoretical and practical implications presented. Possible applications of these findings are discussed in relation to recent multi-disciplinary research and conceptual advances in the field, which could help improve daily living skills and functional quality of life.
Abstract.
Harris D, Arthur T, Vine SJ, liu J, Rahman HRA, Han F, Wilson M (2022). Task-evoked pupillary responses track precision-weighted prediction errors and learning rate during interceptive visuomotor actions.
Abstract:
Task-evoked pupillary responses track precision-weighted prediction errors and learning rate during interceptive visuomotor actions
In this study we examined the relationship between physiological encoding of surprise and the learning of anticipatory eye movements. Active inference portrays perception and action as interconnected inference processes driven by the imperative to minimise the surprise of sensory observations. To examine this characterisation of oculomotor learning during a hand-eye coordination task, we tested whether anticipatory eye movements were updated in accordance with Bayesian principles and whether learning rates tracked pupil dilation as a marker of ‘surprise’. Forty-four participants completed an interception task in immersive virtual reality that required them to hit bouncing balls with either expected or unexpected bounce profiles. We recorded anticipatory eye movements known to index participants’ beliefs about likely ball bounce trajectories. By fitting a hierarchical Bayesian inference model to the trial-wise trajectories of these predictive eye movements, we were able to estimate each individual’s expectations about bounce trajectories, rates of belief updating, and precision-weighted prediction errors. We found that the task-evoked pupil response tracked prediction errors and learning rates but not beliefs about ball bounciness or environmental volatility. These findings are partially consistent with active inference accounts and shed light on how encoding of surprise may shape the control of action.
Abstract.
Harris DJ, Arthur T, Vine SJ, Liu J, Abd Rahman HR, Han F, Wilson MR (2022). Task-evoked pupillary responses track precision-weighted prediction errors and learning rate during interceptive visuomotor actions.
Scientific Reports,
12(1).
Abstract:
Task-evoked pupillary responses track precision-weighted prediction errors and learning rate during interceptive visuomotor actions
AbstractIn this study, we examined the relationship between physiological encoding of surprise and the learning of anticipatory eye movements. Active inference portrays perception and action as interconnected inference processes, driven by the imperative to minimise the surprise of sensory observations. To examine this characterisation of oculomotor learning during a hand–eye coordination task, we tested whether anticipatory eye movements were updated in accordance with Bayesian principles and whether trial-by-trial learning rates tracked pupil dilation as a marker of ‘surprise’. Forty-four participants completed an interception task in immersive virtual reality that required them to hit bouncing balls that had either expected or unexpected bounce profiles. We recorded anticipatory eye movements known to index participants’ beliefs about likely ball bounce trajectories. By fitting a hierarchical Bayesian inference model to the trial-wise trajectories of these predictive eye movements, we were able to estimate each individual’s expectations about bounce trajectories, rates of belief updating, and precision-weighted prediction errors. We found that the task-evoked pupil response tracked prediction errors and learning rates but not beliefs about ball bounciness or environmental volatility. These findings are partially consistent with active inference accounts and shed light on how encoding of surprise may shape the control of action.
Abstract.
Arthur T, Vine SJ, Buckingham G, Brosnan M, Wilson M, Harris D (2022). Testing predictive coding theories of autism spectrum disorder using models of active inference.
Abstract:
Testing predictive coding theories of autism spectrum disorder using models of active inference
Several competing neuro-computational theories of autism have emerged from predictive coding models of the brain. These accounts have a common focus on the relationship between prior beliefs and sensory inputs as a mechanism for explaining key features of autism, yet they differ in exactly how they characterise atypicalities in perception and action. We tested these competing predictions using computational modelling of two datasets that allowed us to probe both visual and motor aspects of active inference: manual gripping forces during object lifting and anticipatory eye movements during a naturalistic interception task. We compared estimated belief trajectories between autistic and neurotypical individuals to determine the underlying differences in active inference. We found no evidence of chronic deficits in the use of priors or weighting of sensory information during object lifting. Differences in prior beliefs, rates of belief updating, and the precision weighting of prediction errors were, however, observed for anticipatory eye movements. Notably, we observed autism-related difficulties in flexibly adapting learning rates in response to environmental change (i.e. volatility). These findings suggest that aberrant encoding of precision and context-sensitive adjustments provide a better explanation of autistic perception than generic attenuation of priors or persistently high precision prediction errors.
Abstract.
Harris D, Vine SJ, Wilson M, Arthur T (2022). The design and development of a virtual environment to measure eye movement indicators of prediction: Report on pilot testing.
Abstract:
The design and development of a virtual environment to measure eye movement indicators of prediction: Report on pilot testing
This report describes the results of the design, development, and pilot testing of a virtual reality interception task. The task was designed to measure anticipatory eye movements as a way to index the evolution of probabilistic beliefs about the environment. We sought to validate the task as a way to measure predictions by manipulating statistics of the environment and determining whether eye movements tracked the changes in probability. During the task, the player was placed in a virtual squash court, where a ball was projected from one of two locations on the front wall. The player simply has to intercept the ball. We created conditions with a 90/10, 70/30, and 50/50 left/right probability split to examine whether the horizontal position of the eye just before the ball was released tracked these probabilities. Results indicated that anticipatory eye position was adjusted in response to these probabilities, but the effect was relatively weak. These results partially validate the task but also indicate that additional challenge or uncertainty may be needed to create a greater demand on correct prediction.
Abstract.
Harris D, Wilson M, Vine SJ (2022). The functional role of visual information and fixation stillness in the quiet eye.
Abstract:
The functional role of visual information and fixation stillness in the quiet eye
The final fixation to a target in far-aiming tasks, known as the quiet eye, has been consistently identified as an important perceptual-cognitive variable for task execution. Yet, despite a number of proposed mechanisms it remains unclear whether the fixation itself is driving performance effects or is simply an emergent property of underpinning cognitions. Across two pre-registered studies, novice golfers (n = 127) completed a series of golf putts in a virtual reality simulation to examine the function of the quiet eye in the absence of visual information. In experiment 1 participants maintained a quiet eye fixation even when all visual information was occluded (p =. 57, BF = 0.61, std. beta = 0.06). Visual occlusion did significantly disrupt motor skill accuracy, but the effect was relatively small (89cm vs 105cm radial error, std. beta = 0.25). In experiment 2, a ‘noisy eye’ was induced using covertly moving fixation points, which disrupted skill execution (p =. 04, BF = 318.07, std. beta = -0.25) even though visual input was equivalent across conditions. Overall, the results showed that performers persist with a long pre-shot fixation even in the absence of visual information, and that the stillness of this fixation confers a functional benefit that is not merely related to improved information extraction.
Abstract.
2021
Harris D, Arthur T, Broadbent D, Wilson M, Vine SJ, Runswick O (2021). An active inference account of skilled anticipation in sport.
Abstract:
An active inference account of skilled anticipation in sport
Optimal performance in time-constrained and dynamically changing environments depends on making reliable predictions about future outcomes. In sporting tasks, performers have been found to employ multiple information sources to maximize the accuracy of their predictions, but questions remain about how different information sources are weighted and integrated to guide anticipation. In this paper, we outline how active inference, a unifying account of perception and action, explains many of the prominent findings in the sports anticipation literature. Active inference proposes that perception and action are underpinned by the need to minimize prediction errors and optimise a predictive model of the world. To this end, decision making approximates Bayesian inference and actions are used to minimize future prediction errors. Using a series of Bayesian neurocomputational models based on a partially observable Markov process, we demonstrate that key findings from the literature can be recreated from the first principles of active inference. In doing so, we formulate a number of novel, empirically falsifiable hypotheses about human anticipation capabilities which could guide future investigations in the field.
Abstract.
Arthur T, Harris D, Buckingham G, Brosnan M, Wilson M, Williams G, Vine S (2021). An examination of active inference in autistic adults using immersive virtual reality.
Sci Rep,
11(1).
Abstract:
An examination of active inference in autistic adults using immersive virtual reality.
The integration of prior expectations, sensory information, and environmental volatility is proposed to be atypical in Autism Spectrum Disorder, yet few studies have tested these predictive processes in active movement tasks. To address this gap in the research, we used an immersive virtual-reality racquetball paradigm to explore how visual sampling behaviours and movement kinematics are adjusted in relation to unexpected, uncertain, and volatile changes in environmental statistics. We found that prior expectations concerning ball 'bounciness' affected sensorimotor control in both autistic and neurotypical participants, with all individuals using prediction-driven gaze strategies to track the virtual ball. However, autistic participants showed substantial differences in visuomotor behaviour when environmental conditions were more volatile. Specifically, uncertainty-related performance difficulties in these conditions were accompanied by atypical movement kinematics and visual sampling responses. Results support proposals that autistic people overestimate the volatility of sensory environments, and suggest that context-sensitive differences in active inference could explain a range of movement-related difficulties in autism.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Harris DJ, Hardcastle KJ, Wilson MR, Vine SJ (2021). Assessing the learning and transfer of gaze behaviours in immersive virtual reality.
Virtual Reality,
25(4), 961-973.
Abstract:
Assessing the learning and transfer of gaze behaviours in immersive virtual reality
Virtual reality (VR) has clear potential for improving simulation training in many industries. Yet, methods for testing the fidelity, validity and training efficacy of VR environments are, in general, lagging behind their adoption. There is limited understanding of how readily skills learned in VR will transfer, and what features of training design will facilitate effective transfer. Two potentially important elements are the psychological fidelity of the environment, and the stimulus correspondence with the transfer context. In this study, we examined the effectiveness of VR for training police room searching procedures, and assessed the corresponding development of perceptual-cognitive skill through eye-tracking indices of search efficiency. Participants (n = 54) were assigned to a VR rule-learning and search training task (FTG), a search only training task (SG) or a no-practice control group (CG). Both FTG and SG developed more efficient search behaviours during the training task, as indexed by increases in saccade size and reductions in search rate. The FTG performed marginally better than the CG on a novel VR transfer test, but no better than the SG. More efficient gaze behaviours learned during training were not, however, evident during the transfer test. These findings demonstrate how VR can be used to develop perceptual-cognitive skills, but also highlight the challenges of achieving transfer of training.
Abstract.
Moore LJ, Vine SJ, Wilson MR (2021). Attention and visuomotor performance under pressure. In (Ed) Stress, Well-Being, and Performance in Sport, 113-130.
Harris DJ, Vine SJ, Eysenck MW, Wilson MR (2021). Psychological pressure and compounded errors during elite-level tennis. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 56, 101987-101987.
Harris D, Vine SJ, Eysenck M, Wilson M (2021). Psychological pressure and compounded errors during elite-level tennis.
Abstract:
Psychological pressure and compounded errors during elite-level tennis
Objectives: in the context of Grand Slam tennis, we sought to examine how situational pressure and prior errors can disrupt subsequent performance in elite performers. Methods: a retrospective analysis of more than 650,000 points across 12 Grand Slam tennis tournaments from 2016-2019 was conducted to identify pressurised in-game moments and unforced errors. A scoring system was used to index situational pressure based on the current match situation (e.g. break points, stage of the match) on a point-by-point basis. The occurrence of performance errors was identified based on double faults and unforced errors, as instances of controllable mistakes. Results: a mixed effects logistic regression model revealed that an increase in the pressure index (a 1-5 score) significantly increased the probability of a performance error (ps<.001), as did an error on the preceding point (OR=1.2, 95%CI [1.17, 1.23], p<.001). A multiplicative effect of pressure and prior errors also emerged, as the negative impact of prior errors on performance was greater when situational pressure was already high, in line with the predictions of Attentional Control Theory: Sport (ACTS). Analyses of the distribution of winners and unforced errors across individual players revealed that winning players were as susceptible to pressure and prior errors as losing players. Conclusions: These findings extend our understanding of how ongoing feedback from prior mistakes may further exacerbate the effects of pressure on performance.
Abstract.
Wood G, Wright DJ, Harris D, Pal A, Franklin ZC, Vine SJ (2021). Testing the construct validity of a soccer-specific virtual reality simulator using novice, academy, and professional soccer players.
VIRTUAL REALITY,
25(1), 43-51.
Author URL.
Naylor CE, Harris D, Vine SJ, Brookes J, Mushtaq F, Buckingham G (2021). The Integration of Tactile and Visual Cues Increases Golf Putting Error in a Mixed-Reality Paradigm.
Mathew RK, Mushtaq F, Ahmed S, Ahmed K, Anderton LK, Arnab S, Awais M, Badger JR, Bajwa KS, Baraas RC, et al (2021). Three principles for the progress of immersive technologies in healthcare training and education. BMJ Simulation and Technology Enhanced Learning, 7(5), 459-460.
Arthur T, Harris D, Allen K, Naylor C, Wood G, Vine S, Wilson M, Tsaneva-Atanasova K, Buckingham G (2021). Visuo-motor attention during object interaction in children with developmental coordination disorder.
CortexAbstract:
Visuo-motor attention during object interaction in children with developmental coordination disorder
Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) describes a condition of poor motor performance in the absence of intellectual impairment. Despite being one of the most prevalent developmental disorders, little is known about how fundamental visuomotor processes might function in this group. One prevalent idea is children with DCD interact with their environment in a less predictive fashion than typically developing children. A metric of prediction which has not been examined in this group is the degree to which the hands and eyes are coordinated when performing manual tasks. To this end, we examined hand and eye movements during an object lifting task in a group of children with DCD (n=19) and an age-matched group of children without DCD (n=39). We observed no differences between the groups in terms of how well they coordinated their hands and eyes when lifting objects, nor in terms of the degree by which the eye led the hand. We thus find no evidence to support the proposition that children with DCD coordinate their hands and eyes in a non-predictive fashion. In a follow-up exploratory analysis we did, however, note differences in fundamental patterns of eye movements between the groups, with children in the DCD group showing some evidence of atypical visual sampling strategies and gaze anchoring behaviours during the task.
Abstract.
Author URL.
2020
Harris D, Wilson M, Vine SJ (2020). A critical analysis of the functional parameters of the quiet eye using immersive virtual reality.
Abstract:
A critical analysis of the functional parameters of the quiet eye using immersive virtual reality
Directing ocular fixations towards a target assists the planning and control of visually-guided actions. In far aiming tasks, the quiet eye, an instance of pre-movement gaze anchoring, has been extensively studied as a key performance variable. However, theories of quiet eye are yet to establish the exact functional role of the location and duration of the fixation. The present work used immersive virtual reality to manipulate key parameters of the quiet eye – location (experiment 1) and duration (experiment 2) – to test competing theoretical predictions about their importance. Across two pre-registered experiments, novice participants (n=127) completed a series of golf putts while their eye movements, putting accuracy, and putting kinematics were recorded. In experiment 1, participants’ pre-movement fixation was cued to locations on the ball, near the ball, and far from the ball. In experiment 2, long and short quiet eye durations were induced using auditory tones as cues to movement phases. Linear mixed effects models indicated that manipulations of location and duration had little effect on performance or movement kinematics. The findings suggest that, for novices, the spatial and temporal parameters of the final fixation may not be critical for movement pre-programming and may instead reflect attentional control or movement inhibition functions.
Abstract.
Harris D, Allen K, Vine SJ, Wilson M (2020). A systematic review and meta-analysis of the relationship between flow states and performance.
Abstract:
A systematic review and meta-analysis of the relationship between flow states and performance
Background: Flow is a peak experiential state, during which athletes report focused concentration, effortless performance and enhanced enjoyment. Flow, or ‘the zone’, has received particular interest within sporting circles because flow experiences appear to be associated with peak athletic performances. Yet, the nature of the flow-performance relationship is not straightforward and is yet to be critically reviewed. Objectives: This systematic review and meta-analysis sought to examine the empirical evidence for a flow-performance relationship, examine potential mechanisms, and assess the quality of current evidence. Methods: a PRISMA guided systematic review was conducted in May 2020. Peer-reviewed articles, published in English language journals, which examined the relationship between flow and performance were searched for, using five online databases. The results of the studies were collated into a narrative synthesis as well as a meta-analysis. Results: Twenty articles met the inclusion criteria, featuring 22 studies that were appropriate for meta-analysis. The pooled effect size (r = 0.31, 95% CI [0.24; 0.38]) indicated that across a range of sporting and gaming tasks there was a consistent medium-sized relationship between flow experience and task performance. A number of mechanisms were proposed to explain this relationship, but none were supported by convincing empirical evidence. Conclusions: Performance enhancing effects appear highly likely given the functional mental state that arises during flow. Yet, current evidence is unable to determine the exact nature of the flow-performance relationship, or the mechanisms which mediate this effect. A number of conceptual and methodological challenges
Abstract.
Arthur T, Harris D, Buckingham G, Brosnan M, Wilson M, Williams G, Vine SJ (2020). An examination of active inference in autistic adults using immersive virtual reality.
Abstract:
An examination of active inference in autistic adults using immersive virtual reality.
The integration of prior expectations, sensory information, and environmental volatility is proposed to be atypical in Autism Spectrum Disorder, yet few studies have tested these predictive processes in active movement tasks. We used an immersive virtual-reality racquetball paradigm to explore how visual sampling behaviours and movement kinematics are adjusted in relation to unexpected, uncertain, and volatile changes in environmental statistics. We found that prior expectations concerning ball ‘bounciness’ affected sensorimotor control in both autistic and neurotypical participants, with all individuals using prediction-driven gaze strategies to track the virtual ball. However, autistic participants showed substantial differences in visuomotor behaviour when environmental conditions were more volatile. Specifically, uncertainty-related performance difficulties in these conditions were accompanied by atypical movement kinematics and visual sampling behaviours. Results support proposals that autistic people overestimate the volatility of sensory environments, and suggest that context-sensitive differences in active inference could explain a range of movement-related difficulties in autism.
Abstract.
Sammy N, Harris D, Vine SJ (2020). Challenge and Threat States and Emotions.
Sammy N, Harris D, Vine S (2020). Challenge and threat states, and emotions. In (Ed) Feelings in Sport: Theory, Research, and Practical Implications for Performance and Well-being, 18-26.
Harris DJ, Wilson MR, Crowe EM, Vine SJ (2020). Examining the roles of working memory and visual attention in multiple object tracking expertise.
Cognitive Processing,
21(2), 209-222.
Abstract:
Examining the roles of working memory and visual attention in multiple object tracking expertise
AbstractWhen tracking multiple moving targets among visually similar distractors, human observers are capable of distributing attention over several spatial locations. It is unclear, however, whether capacity limitations or perceptual–cognitive abilities are responsible for the development of expertise in multiple object tracking. Across two experiments, we examined the role of working memory and visual attention in tracking expertise. In Experiment 1, individuals who regularly engaged in object tracking sports (soccer and rugby) displayed improved tracking performance, relative to non-tracking sports (swimming, rowing, running) (p = 0.02, ηp2 = 0.163), but no differences in gaze strategy (ps > 0.31). In Experiment 2, participants trained on an adaptive object tracking task showed improved tracking performance (p = 0.005, d = 0.817), but no changes in gaze strategy (ps > 0.07). They did, however, show significant improvement in a working memory transfer task (p < 0.001, d = 0.970). These findings indicate that the development of tracking expertise is more closely linked to processing capacity limits than perceptual–cognitive strategies.
Abstract.
Harris D, Wilson M, Holmes T, de Burgh T, Vine SJ (2020). Eye movements in sports research and practice: Immersive technologies as optimal environments for the study of gaze behaviour.
Abstract:
Eye movements in sports research and practice: Immersive technologies as optimal environments for the study of gaze behaviour
Head-mounted eye tracking has been fundamental for developing an understanding of sporting expertise, as the way in which performers sample visual information from the environment is a major determinant of successful performance. There is, however, a long running tension between the desire to study realistic, in-situ gaze behaviour and the difficulties of acquiring accurate ocular measurements in dynamic and fast-moving sporting tasks. Here, we describe how immersive technologies, such as virtual reality, offer an increasingly compelling approach for conducting eye movement research in sport. The possibility of studying gaze behaviour in representative and realistic environments, but with high levels of experimental control, could enable significant strides forward for eye tracking in sport and improve understanding of how eye movements underpin sporting skills. By providing a rationale for virtual reality as an optimal environment for eye tracking research, as well as outlining practical considerations related to hardware, software and data analysis, we hope to guide researchers and practitioners in the use of this approach.
Abstract.
Crowe EM, Wilson MR, Harris DJ, Vine SJ (2020). Eye tracking and cardiovascular measurement to assess and improve sporting performance. In (Ed) Advancements in Mental Skills Training, Taylor & Francis, 135-148.
Crowe E, Wilson M, Harris D, Vine SJ (2020). Eye tracking and cardiovascular measurement to assess and improve sporting performance.
Crowe E, Wilson M, Harris D, Vine S (2020). Eye tracking and cardiovascular measurement to assess and improve sporting performance. In (Ed) Advancements in Mental Skills Training, Routledge, 135-148.
Crowe EM, Moore LJ, Harris DJ, Wilson MR, Vine SJ (2020). In-task auditory performance-related feedback promotes cardiovascular markers of a challenge state during a pressurized task. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 33(5), 497-510.
Harris DJ, Wilson MR, Smith SJR, Meder N, Vine SJ (2020). Testing the Effects of 3D Multiple Object Tracking Training on Near, Mid and Far Transfer. Frontiers in Psychology, 11
Harris D, Hardcastle K, Wilson M, Vine SJ (2020). The development of visual search behaviours in immersive virtual reality.
Abstract:
The development of visual search behaviours in immersive virtual reality
Virtual reality (VR) has clear potential for improving simulation training in many industries. Yet, methods for testing the fidelity, validity and training efficacy of VR environments is, in general, lagging behind their adoption. In this study we examined the effectiveness of VR for training Police room searching procedures, and assessed the corresponding development of perceptual-cognitive expertise through eye-tracking indices of search efficiency. Participants (n=54) were assigned to a VR rule-learning and search training game, a search only training game or a no-practice control group. The VR search training group developed more efficient search behaviours (indexed by saccade size, search rate and gaze entropy) and performed better than controls on a novel transfer test. Efficient gaze behaviours learned during training were not, however, evident during the transfer test. These findings demonstrate how VR can be used to develop perceptual-cognitive skills, but also highlight the challenges of achieving transfer of training.
Abstract.
Harris DJ, Buckingham G, Wilson MR, Brookes J, Mushtaq F, Mon-Williams M, Vine SJ (2020). The effect of a virtual reality environment on gaze behaviour and motor skill learning. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 50, 101721-101721.
Harris D, Wilson M, Vine SJ (2020). The effect of crowd removal on goal scoring in professional football.
Abstract:
The effect of crowd removal on goal scoring in professional football
In the present work we sought to use the rare opportunity to compare professional sport without a crowd with typical performance from previous seasons. We focused on the English Premier League as, anecdotally, there appears to have been an increase in goal scoring. Our primary aims were to: 1) determine whether more goals are in fact being scored; and 2) if so, further explore whether any performance data can indicate why this might be the case.
Abstract.
2019
Payne KL, Wilson MR, Vine SJ (2019). A systematic review of the anxiety-attention relationship in far-aiming skills.
International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology,
12(1), 325-355.
Abstract:
A systematic review of the anxiety-attention relationship in far-aiming skills
Theoretical accounts of the anxiety and motor performance relationship cite disruptions to attention as a critical mediating factor. The aims of this paper were to (1) systematically review published research examining attentional mechanisms underpinning the anxiety–performance relationship in targeting skills, and (2) subsequently discuss these findings in relation to contemporary theoretical perspectives. Adhering to PRISMA guidelines, three electronic databases (PubMed, PsycInfo, and SPORTDiscus) were searched from inception until June 2017. Thirty-four articles satisfied the inclusion criteria. Overall, the research is of high methodological quality; however, there is a tendency to focus on the historical dichotomy between self-focus and distraction accounts, whereas empirical support for more contemporary theoretical perspectives is lacking. Whilst this review provides further support for the role of attentional disruptions in anxiety-induced performance degradation, the exact mechanisms still lack consensus. In addition, more innovative experimental designs and measures are required to progress our understanding of moderating variables.
Abstract.
Harris DJ, Vine SJ, Wilson MR (2019). An external focus of attention promotes flow experience during simulated driving.
Eur J Sport Sci,
19(6), 824-833.
Abstract:
An external focus of attention promotes flow experience during simulated driving.
Achieving a state of flow is associated with positive experiences and improved sporting performance (Jackson & Csikszentmihalyi, 1999). Focused attention is a fundamental component of the flow experience, but to date there has been little investigation of whether attention plays a causal role in creating flow, or is a product of it. Consequently, this study aimed to test the effect of an attentional focus manipulation on flow and performance in a simulated driving task. It was predicted that an external focus would lead to improved visuomotor control, greater flow experience and improved performance. Thirty-three participants from a student population completed the driving task under both internal and external focus instructions. Eye movements and steering wheel movements were recorded during each race. Participants reported greater flow experience (p 0.28). These findings suggest that adopting an external focus of attention may contribute to positive performance states such as flow.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Brimmell J, Parker J, Wilson MR, Vine SJ, Moore LJ (2019). Challenge and threat states, performance, and attentional control during a pressurized soccer penalty task.
Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology,
8(1), 63-79.
Abstract:
Challenge and threat states, performance, and attentional control during a pressurized soccer penalty task
The integrative framework of stress, attention, and visuomotor performance was developed to explain the benefits of responding to competitive pressure with a challenge rather than a threat state. However, the specific predictions of this framework have not been tested. Forty-two participants completed 2 trials of a pressurized soccer penalty task. Before the first trial, challenge and threat states were assessed via demand and resource evaluations and cardiovascular reactivity. Performance and gaze behavior were then recorded during the first trial. Before the second trial, challenge and threat states were measured again through demand and resource evaluations and cardiovascular reactivity. A challenge state, indexed by evaluations that coping resources matched or exceeded task demands, and higher cardiac output and/or lower total peripheral resistance reactivity, was associated with superior performance, with the cardiovascular response predicting performance more strongly. Furthermore, a challenge-like cardiovascular response was related to longer quiet eye durations and lower search rates, marginally more fixations toward the goal and ball, and more time spent fixating on the goal and other locations (e.g. ground). However, none of the attentional variables mediated the relationship between challenge and threat states and performance, suggesting more research is needed to elucidate underlying mechanisms. Finally, although performing well on Trial 1 was marginally associated with evaluating the second trial as a challenge, no support was found for the other feedback loops. The findings offer partial support for the integrative framework and imply that practitioners should foster a challenge state to optimize performance under pressure.
Abstract.
Harris D, Wilson M, Vine SJ (2019). Development and validation of a simulation workload measure: the Simulation Task Load Index (SIM-TLX).
Abstract:
Development and validation of a simulation workload measure: the Simulation Task Load Index (SIM-TLX)
Background: Virtual reality (VR) simulation offers significant potential for human factors training as it provides a novel approach which enables training in environments that are otherwise dangerous, impractical or expensive to simulate. While VR training has been adopted in many environments, such as heavy industry, surgery and aviation, there remains an inadequate understanding of how virtual simulations impact cognitive factors. One such factor, which needs careful consideration during the design of VR simulations, is the degree of mental or cognitive load experienced during training. Objective: This study aimed to validate a newly developed measure of workload, based on existing instruments (e.g. the NASA-TLX), but tailored to the specific demands placed on users of simulated environments. Method: While participants completed a VR puzzle game, a series of experimental manipulations of workload were used to assess the sensitivity of the new instrument. Results: the manipulations affected the questionnaire subscales (mental demands; physical demands; temporal demands; frustration; task complexity; situational stress; distraction; perceptual strain; task control; presence) as predicted in all cases (ps&lt;.05), except for presence, which displayed little relationship with other aspects of task load. Conclusions: the scale was also found to have good convergent validity with an alternate index of task load. The findings support the sensitivity of the new instrument for assessing task load in virtual reality. Application: Overall, this study contributes to the understanding of mental workload in simulated environments and provides a practical tool for use in both future research and applications in the field.
Abstract.
Arthur TG, Wilson MR, Moore LJ, Wylie LJ, Vine SJ (2019). Examining the effect of challenge and threat states on endurance exercise capabilities.
Psychology of Sport and Exercise,
44, 51-59.
Abstract:
Examining the effect of challenge and threat states on endurance exercise capabilities
This paper presents the first two studies to explore the effect of challenge and threat states on endurance exercise capabilities. In study one, relationships between cardiovascular markers of challenge and threat states, ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), and exercise tolerance were explored during moderate- and severe-intensity cycling. Cardiovascular reactivity more reflective of a challenge state (i.e. relatively higher cardiac output and/or lower total peripheral resistance reactivity) predicted lower RPE throughout moderate- but not severe-intensity cycling. Building on these findings, study two experimentally manipulated participants into challenge, threat, and neutral groups, and compared 16.1 km time-trial performances, where pacing is self-regulated by RPE. Participants completed familiarisation, control, and experimental visits while physiological (oxygen uptake), perceptual (RPE), and performance-based (time to completion [TTC] and power output [PO]) variables were assessed. When compared to the threat group, the challenge group demonstrated cardiovascular responses more indicative of a challenge state, and delivered faster early-race pacing (PO) at similar RPE. Although there were no significant differences in TTC, results revealed that augmentations in PO for the challenge group were facilitated by tempered perceptions of fatigue. The findings suggest that an individual's pre-exercise psychophysiological state might influence perceived exertion and endurance exercise capabilities.
Abstract.
Arthur T, Vine S, Brosnan M, Buckingham G (2019). Exploring how material cues drive sensorimotor prediction across different levels of autistic-like traits.
Exp Brain Res,
237(9), 2255-2267.
Abstract:
Exploring how material cues drive sensorimotor prediction across different levels of autistic-like traits.
Recent research proposes that sensorimotor difficulties, such as those experienced by many autistic people, may arise from atypicalities in prediction. Accordingly, we examined the relationship between non-clinical autistic-like traits and sensorimotor prediction in the material-weight illusion, where prior expectations derived from material cues typically bias one's perception and action. Specifically, prediction-related tendencies in perception of weight, gaze patterns, and lifting actions were probed using a combination of self-report, eye-tracking, motion-capture, and force-based measures. No prediction-related associations between autistic-like traits and sensorimotor control emerged for any of these variables. Follow-up analyses, however, revealed that greater autistic-like traits were correlated with reduced adaptation of gaze with changes in environmental uncertainty. These findings challenge proposals of gross predictive atypicalities in autistic people, but suggest that the dynamic integration of prior information and environmental statistics may be related to autistic-like traits. Further research into this relationship is warranted in autistic populations, to assist the development of future movement-based coaching methods.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Słowiński P, Baldemir H, Wood G, Alizadehkhaiyat O, Coyles G, Vine S, Williams G, Tsaneva-Atanasova K, Wilson M (2019). Gaze training supports self-organization of movement coordination in children with developmental coordination disorder.
Scientific Reports,
9(1), 1712-1712.
Abstract:
Gaze training supports self-organization of movement coordination in children with developmental coordination disorder
Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) struggle with the acquisition of coordinated motor skills. This paper adopts a dynamical systems perspective to assess how individual coordination solutions might emerge following an intervention that trained accurate gaze control in a throw and catch task. Kinematic data were collected from six upper body sensors from twenty-one children with DCD, using a 3D motion analysis system, before and after a 4-week training intervention. Covariance matrices between kinematic measures were computed and distances between pairs of covariance matrices calculated using Riemannian geometry. Multidimensional scaling was then used to analyse differences between coordination patterns. The gaze trained group revealed significantly higher total coordination (sum of all the pairwise covariances) following training than a technique-trained control group. While the increase in total coordination also significantly predicted improvement in task performance, the distinct post-intervention coordination patterns for the gaze trained group were not consistent. Additionally, the gaze trained group revealed individual coordination patterns for successful catch attempts that were different from all the coordination patterns before training, whereas the control group did not. Taken together, the results of this interdisciplinary study illustrate how gaze training may encourage the emergence of coordination via self-organization in children with DCD.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Buckingham G, Allen K, Vine SJ, Harris DJ, Wood G, Tsaneva-Atanasova K, Wilson MR (2019). Investigating How Prior Knowledge Influences Perception and Action in Developmental Coordination Disorder.
Author URL.
Harris DJ, Wilson MR, Buckingham G, Vine SJ (2019). No effect of transcranial direct current stimulation of frontal, motor or visual cortex on performance of a self-paced visuomotor skill.
Psychology of Sport and Exercise,
43, 368-373.
Abstract:
No effect of transcranial direct current stimulation of frontal, motor or visual cortex on performance of a self-paced visuomotor skill
Objectives: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a form of neurostimulation that can modulate neural activity in targeted brain regions through electrical current applied directly to the scalp. Previous findings have shown cognitive enhancement and improved motor learning following tDCS. Consequently, there has been growing interest in direct brain stimulation for enhancing sporting skills. We aimed to assess the effect of tDCS on golf putting performance and control of visual attention. Design: Using a mixed factorial design, the effect of stimulation (between-participants) was assessed at baseline, following stimulation and in a pressure test (within-participants). Methods: 73 novice golfers were randomly assigned to transcranial direct current stimulation of frontal, motor or visual cortex, or sham stimulation. Participants first performed a series of golf putts at baseline, then while receiving tDCS and finally under pressurised conditions. Putting performance (distance from the hole) and control of visual attention (quiet eye duration) was assessed. Results: There was no effect of real tDCS stimulation compared to sham stimulation on either performance or visual attention (quiet eye durations), for any stimulation site. Conclusions: While beneficial effects of tDCS have been found in computerised cognitive tests and simple motor tasks, there is currently little evidence that this will transfer to real-world sporting performance.
Abstract.
Moore LJ, Harris DJ, Sharpe BT, Vine SJ, Wilson MR (2019). Perceptual-cognitive expertise when refereeing the scrum in rugby union.
Journal of Sports Sciences,
37(15), 1778-1786.
Abstract:
Perceptual-cognitive expertise when refereeing the scrum in rugby union
Compared to sports performers, relatively little is known about how sports officials make decisions at a perceptual-cognitive level. Thus, this study examined the decision-making accuracy and gaze behaviour of rugby union referees of varying skill levels while reviewing scrum scenarios. Elite (n = 9) and trainee (n = 9) referees, as well as experienced players (n = 9), made decisions while watching ten projected scrum clips and wearing a mobile eye-tracker. Decision-making accuracy and gaze behaviour were recorded for each scrum. The elite and trainee referees made more accurate decisions than the players, and differences in gaze behavior were observed. The elite and trainee referees displayed lower search rates, spent more time fixating central-pack (i.e. front rows, binds, and contact point) and less time fixating outer-pack (e.g. second rows) and non-pack (e.g. other) locations, and exhibited lower entropy than the players. While search rate failed to predict decision-making accuracy, the time spent fixating central-, outer-, and non-pack locations, as well as entropy, were significant predictors. The findings have implications for training perceptual-cognitive skill among sports officials.
Abstract.
Payne K (2019). Understanding performance under pressure: anxiety, attention, cognitive biases and the perception of failure.
Abstract:
Understanding performance under pressure: anxiety, attention, cognitive biases and the perception of failure
It is consistently found that heightened anxiety leads to poorer performance in sport environments, with the majority of research reporting that disrupted attentional mechanisms explain the negative anxiety-performance relationship. However, there has been little exploration of why sports performers might become anxious in the first instance. Additionally, the effect these different interpretations of pressure might have on attentional control and performance has not been explored. These two issues drove the main aims of the current thesis, which sought to test the predictions of a new theory developed by researchers in the anxiety-performance area.
First, the thesis systematically collated the evidence in regards to the attentional mechanisms underpinning the anxiety-performance relationship to determine the consensus in the sporting literature, including the challenges and areas of emergent or current research. Second, the thesis addressed the research challenges highlighted in the review by exploring the Attentional Control Theory Sport (ACTS; Eysenck & Wilson, 2016) with the aim to understand what initiates the anxiety response in individuals, in particular through the interpretation of pressure.
The first experimental study examined the cognitive biases element of ACTS and investigated whether attention and interpretive bias as moderating variables of state anxiety are related to trait anxiety and attentional control, with the intention of better understanding what pre-empts experiencing cognitive biases. The second experimental study examined the perception of failure by determining whether perceived probability and cost of failure influenced the experience of state anxiety. Finally, the third experimental study built upon the aims from the previous studies and examined the hypothesised relationships between cognitive biases, perception of failure and state anxiety, attentional control and performance. This work is the first to empirically examine the theoretically derived predictions of ACTS, through exploring attentional and interpretive biases, perceived probability and cost of failure and the influence on momentary state anxiety, attentional control and performance.
Abstract.
Harris DJ, Buckingham G, Wilson MR, Vine SJ (2019). Virtually the same? How impaired sensory information in virtual reality may disrupt vision for action.
Exp Brain Res,
237(11), 2761-2766.
Abstract:
Virtually the same? How impaired sensory information in virtual reality may disrupt vision for action.
Virtual reality (VR) is a promising tool for expanding the possibilities of psychological experimentation and implementing immersive training applications. Despite a recent surge in interest, there remains an inadequate understanding of how VR impacts basic cognitive processes. Due to the artificial presentation of egocentric distance cues in virtual environments, a number of cues to depth in the optic array are impaired or placed in conflict with each other. Moreover, realistic haptic information is all but absent from current VR systems. The resulting conflicts could impact not only the execution of motor skills in VR but also raise deeper concerns about basic visual processing, and the extent to which virtual objects elicit neural and behavioural responses representative of real objects. In this brief review, we outline how the novel perceptual environment of VR may affect vision for action, by shifting users away from a dorsal mode of control. Fewer binocular cues to depth, conflicting depth information and limited haptic feedback may all impair the specialised, efficient, online control of action characteristic of the dorsal stream. A shift from dorsal to ventral control of action may create a fundamental disparity between virtual and real-world skills that has important consequences for how we understand perception and action in the virtual world.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Harris D, Buckingham G, Wilson M, Vine SJ (2019). Virtually the same? How impaired sensory information in virtual reality may disrupt visually-guided action.
Abstract:
Virtually the same? How impaired sensory information in virtual reality may disrupt visually-guided action.
Virtual reality (VR) is a promising tool for expanding the possibilities of psychological experimentation and implementing immersive training applications. Despite a recent surge in interest, there remains an inadequate understanding of how VR impacts basic cognitive processes. Due to the artificial presentation of egocentric distance cues in virtual environments, a number of cues to depth in the optic array are impaired or placed in conflict with each other. Moreover, realistic haptic information is all but absent from current VR systems. The resulting conflicts could impact not only the execution of motor skills in VR but raises deeper concerns about basic visual processing, and the extent to which virtual objects elicit neural and behavioural responses representative of real objects. In this brief review we outline how the novel perceptual environment of VR may affect vision for action, by shifting users away from a dorsal mode of control. Fewer binocular cues to depth, conflicting depth information and limited haptic feedback may all impair the specialised, efficient, online control of action characteristic of the dorsal stream. A shift from dorsal to ventral control of action may create a fundamental disparity between virtual and real-world skills that has important consequences for how we understand perception and action in the virtual world.
Abstract.
Parr JVV, Vine SJ, Wilson MR, Harrison NR, Wood G (2019). Visual attention, EEG alpha power and T7-Fz connectivity are implicated in prosthetic hand control and can be optimized through gaze training.
J Neuroeng Rehabil,
16(1).
Abstract:
Visual attention, EEG alpha power and T7-Fz connectivity are implicated in prosthetic hand control and can be optimized through gaze training.
BACKGROUND: Prosthetic hands impose a high cognitive burden on the user that often results in fatigue, frustration and prosthesis rejection. However, efforts to directly measure this burden are sparse and little is known about the mechanisms behind it. There is also a lack of evidence-based training interventions designed to improve prosthesis hand control and reduce the mental effort required to use them. In two experiments, we provide the first direct evaluation of this cognitive burden using measurements of EEG and eye-tracking (Experiment 1), and then explore how a novel visuomotor intervention (gaze training; GT) might alleviate it (Experiment 2). METHODS: in Experiment 1, able-bodied participants (n = 20) lifted and moved a jar, first using their anatomical hand and then using a myoelectric prosthetic hand simulator. In experiment 2, a GT group (n = 12) and a movement training (MT) group (n = 12) trained with the prosthetic hand simulator over three one hour sessions in a picking up coins task, before returning for retention, delayed retention and transfer tests. The GT group received instruction regarding how to use their eyes effectively, while the MT group received movement-related instruction typical in rehabilitation. RESULTS: Experiment 1 revealed that when using the prosthetic hand, participants performed worse, exhibited spatial and temporal disruptions to visual attention, and exhibited a global decrease in EEG alpha power (8-12 Hz), suggesting increased cognitive effort. Experiment 2 showed that GT was the more effective method for expediting prosthesis learning, optimising visual attention, and lowering conscious control - as indexed by reduced T7-Fz connectivity. Whilst the MT group improved performance, they did not reduce hand-focused visual attention and showed increased conscious movement control. The superior benefits of GT transferred to a more complex tea-making task. CONCLUSIONS: These experiments quantify the visual and cortical mechanisms relating to the cognitive burden experienced during prosthetic hand control. They also evidence the efficacy of a GT intervention that alleviated this burden and promoted better learning and transfer, compared to typical rehabilitation instructions. These findings have theoretical and practical implications for prosthesis rehabilitation, the development of emerging prosthesis technologies and for the general understanding of human-tool interactions.
Abstract.
Author URL.
2018
Harris DJ, Vine SJ, Wilson MR, McGrath JS, LeBel M-E, Buckingham G (2018). A randomised trial of observational learning from 2D and 3D models in robotically assisted surgery.
Surg Endosc,
32(11), 4527-4532.
Abstract:
A randomised trial of observational learning from 2D and 3D models in robotically assisted surgery.
BACKGROUND: Advances in 3D technology mean that both robotic surgical devices and surgical simulators can now incorporate stereoscopic viewing capabilities. While depth information may benefit robotic surgical performance, it is unclear whether 3D viewing also aids skill acquisition when learning from observing others. As observational learning plays a major role in surgical skills training, this study aimed to evaluate whether 3D viewing provides learning benefits in a robotically assisted surgical task. METHODS: 90 medical students were assigned to either (1) 2D or (2) 3D observation of a consultant surgeon performing a training task on the daVinci S robotic system, or (3) a no observation control, in a randomised parallel design. Subsequent performance and instrument movement metrics were assessed immediately following observation and at one-week retention. RESULTS: Both 2D and 3D groups outperformed no observation controls following the observation intervention (ps
Abstract.
Author URL.
Harris DJ, Wilson MR, Vine SJ (2018). A systematic review of commercial cognitive training devices: Implications for use in sport.
Frontiers in Psychology,
9(MAY).
Abstract:
A systematic review of commercial cognitive training devices: Implications for use in sport
Background: Cognitive training (CT) aims to develop a range of skills, like attention and decision-making, through targeted training of core cognitive functions. While CT can target context specific skills, like movement anticipation, much CT is domain general, focusing on core abilities (e.g. selective attention) for transfer to a range of real-world tasks, such as spotting opponents. Commercial CT (CCT) devices are highly appealing for athletes and coaches due to their ease of use and eye-catching marketing claims. The extent to which this training transfers to performance in the sporting arena is, however, unclear. Therefore, this paper sought to provide a systematic review of evidence for beneficial training effects of CCT devices and evaluate their application to sport. Methods: an extensive search of electronic databases (PubMed, PsychInfo, GoogleScholar, and SportDiscus) was conducted to identify peer-reviewed evidence of training interventions with commercially available CT devices. Forty-three studies met the inclusion criteria and were retained for quality assessment and synthesis of results. Seventeen studies assessed transfer effects beyond laboratory cognitive tests, but only 1 directly assessed transfer to a sporting task. Results: the review of evidence showed limited support for far transfer benefits from CCT devices to sporting tasks, mainly because studies did not target the sporting environment. Additionally, a number of methodological issues with the CCT literature were identified, including small sample sizes, lack of retention tests, and limited replication of findings by researchers independent of the commercial product. Therefore, evidence for sporting benefits is currently limited by the paucity of representative transfer tests and a focus on populations with health conditions. Conclusions: Currently there is little direct evidence that the use of CCT devices can transfer to benefits for sporting performance. This conclusion, however, stems more from a lack of experimental studies in the sporting field and a lack of experimental rigor, rather than convincing null effects. Subsequently, there is an opportunity for researchers to develop more reliable findings in this area through systematic assessment in athletic populations and major methodological improvements.
Abstract.
Harris DJ, Vine SJ, Wilson MR, McGrath JS, LeBel ME, Buckingham G (2018). Action observation for sensorimotor learning in surgery.
British Journal of Surgery,
105(13), 1713-1720.
Abstract:
Action observation for sensorimotor learning in surgery
Background: Acquiring new motor skills to learn complex movements and master the use of a diverse range of instruments is fundamental for developing expertise in surgery. Although aspects of skill development occur through trial and error, watching the performance of another individual (action observation) is an increasingly important adjunct for the acquisition of these complex skills before performing a procedure. The aim of this review was to examine the evidence in support of the use of action observation in surgery. Methods: a narrative review of observational learning for surgical motor skills was undertaken. Searches of PubMed and PsycINFO databases were performed using the terms ‘observational learning’ OR ‘action observation’ AND ‘motor learning’ OR ‘skill learning’. Results: Factors such as the structure of physical practice, the skill level of the demonstrator and the use of feedback were all found to be important moderators of the effectiveness of observational learning. In particular, observation of both expert and novice performance, cueing attention to key features of the task, and watching the eye movements of expert surgeons were all found to enhance the effectiveness of observation. It was unclear, however, whether repeated observations were beneficial for skill learning. The evidence suggests that these methods can be employed to enhance surgical training curricula. Conclusion: Observational learning is an effective method for learning surgical skills. An improved understanding of observational learning may further inform the refinement and use of these methods in contemporary surgical training curricula.
Abstract.
Parr JVV, Vine SJ, Harrison NR, Wood G (2018). Examining the Spatiotemporal Disruption to Gaze When Using a Myoelectric Prosthetic Hand.
J Mot Behav,
50(4), 416-425.
Abstract:
Examining the Spatiotemporal Disruption to Gaze When Using a Myoelectric Prosthetic Hand.
The aim of this study was to provide a detailed account of the spatial and temporal disruptions to eye-hand coordination when using a prosthetic hand during a sequential fine motor skill. Twenty-one able-bodied participants performed 15 trials of the picking up coins task derived from the Southampton Hand Assessment Procedure with their anatomic hand and with a prosthesis simulator while wearing eye-tracking equipment. Gaze behavior results revealed that when using the prosthesis, performance detriments were accompanied by significantly greater hand-focused gaze and a significantly longer time to disengage gaze from manipulations to plan upcoming movements. The study findings highlight key metrics that distinguish disruptions to eye-hand coordination that may have implications for the training of prosthesis use.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Walters-Symons R, Wilson MR, Klostermann A, Vine SJ (2018). Examining the response programming function of the Quiet Eye: Do tougher shots need a quieter eye?. Cogn. Process., 19, 47-52.
Walters-Symons R, Wilson M, Klostermann A, Vine S (2018). Examining the response programming function of the Quiet Eye: Do tougher shots need a quieter eye?.
Cognitive Processing,
19(1), 47-52.
Abstract:
Examining the response programming function of the Quiet Eye: Do tougher shots need a quieter eye?
Support for the proposition that the Quiet Eye (QE) duration reflects a period of response programming (including task parameterisation) has come from research showing that an increase in task difficulty is associated with increases in QE duration. Here, we build on previous research by manipulating three elements of task difficulty that correspond with different parameters of golf-putting performance; force production, impact quality and target line. Longer QE durations were found for more complex iterations of the task and furthermore, more sensitive analyses of the QE duration suggest that the early QE proportion (prior to movement initiation) is closely related to force production and impact quality. However, these increases in QE do not seem functional in terms of supporting improved performance. Further research is needed to explore QE’s relationship with performance under conditions of increased difficulty.
Abstract.
Buckingham G, Parr J, Wood G, Vine S, Dimitriou P, Day S (2018). The impact of using an upper-limb prosthesis on the perception of real and illusory weight differences.
Psychon Bull Rev,
25(4), 1507-1516.
Abstract:
The impact of using an upper-limb prosthesis on the perception of real and illusory weight differences.
Little is known about how human perception is affected using an upper-limb prosthesis. To shed light on this topic, we investigated how using an upper-limb prosthesis affects individuals' experience of object weight. First, we examined how a group of upper-limb amputee prosthetic users experienced real mass differences and illusory weight differences in the context of the 'size-weight' illusion. Surprisingly, the upper-limb prosthetic users reported a markedly smaller illusion than controls, despite equivalent perceptions of a real mass difference. Next, we replicated this dissociation between real and illusory weight perception in a group of nonamputees who lifted the stimuli with an upper-limb myoelectric prosthetic simulator, again noting that the prosthetic users experienced illusory, but not real, weight differences as being weaker than controls. These findings not only validate the use of a prosthetic simulator as an effective tool for investigating perception and action but also highlight a surprising dissociation between the perception of real and illusory weight differences.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Wilson MR, Webb A, Wylie LJ, Vine SJ (2018). The quiet eye is sensitive to exercise-induced physiological stress.
,
240, 35-52.
Abstract:
The quiet eye is sensitive to exercise-induced physiological stress
The current study sought to explore attentional mechanisms underpinning visuomotor performance degradation following acute exercise. Ten experienced basketball players took free throws while wearing mobile eye tracking glasses, before and after performing a bout of cycling exercise. Shooting accuracy was measured using a 6-point scoring system, and quiet eye duration (the final fixation to a target) was adopted as an objective measure of top-down attentional control. Four intensities of exercise (based on an initial ramp test) were performed in a counterbalanced order: rest, moderate, heavy and severe. The four intensities resulted in participants reaching 52 ± 4%, 58 ± 4%, 76 ± 6% and 86 ± 5% of their heart rate max, respectively. Performance and quiet eye were only significantly impaired (19% and 45% drops, respectively) between pre- and post-intervention at the severe intensity workload level. Additionally, exercise-induced changes in quiet eye predicted 33% of the subsequent change in performance accuracy. The results suggest that attentional disruptions may at least partially explain why sporting skills break down under acute fatigue. Implications for training to mitigate against these impairments are discussed.
Abstract.
2017
Vine SJ, Klostermann A (2017). 'Success is in the eye of the beholder': a special issue on the quiet eye.
Eur J Sport Sci,
17(1), 70-73.
Author URL.
Wood G, Miles CAL, Coyles G, Alizadehkhaiyat O, Vine SJ, Vickers JN, Wilson MR (2017). A randomized controlled trial of a group-based gaze training intervention for children with Developmental Coordination Disorder.
PLoS One,
12(2).
Abstract:
A randomized controlled trial of a group-based gaze training intervention for children with Developmental Coordination Disorder.
UNLABELLED: the aim of this study was to integrate a gaze training intervention (i.e. quiet eye training; QET) that has been shown to improve the throwing and catching skill of children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), within an approach (i.e. group therapy) that might alleviate the negative psychosocial impact of these motor skill deficits. Twenty-one children with DCD were split into either QET (8 male 3 female, mean age of 8.6 years (SD = 1.04) or technical training (TT) groups (7 male 3 female, mean age of 8.6 years (SD = 1.84). The TT group were given movement-related instructions via video, relating to the throw and catch phases, while the QET group were also taught to fixate a target location on the wall prior to the throw (QE1) and to track the ball prior to the catch (QE2). Each group partook in a 4-week, group therapy intervention and measurements of QE duration and catching performance were taken before and after training, and at a 6-week delayed retention test. Parental feedback on psychosocial and motor skill outcomes was provided at delayed retention. Children improved their gaze control and catching coordination following QET, compared to TT. Mediation analysis showed that a longer QE aiming duration (QE1) predicted an earlier onset of tracking the ball prior to catching (QE2) which predicted catching success. Parents reported enhanced perceptions of their child's catching ability and general coordination in the QET group compared to the TT group. All parents reported improvements in their child's confidence, social skills and predilection for physical activity following the trial. The findings offer initial support for an intervention that practitioners could apply to address deficits in the motor and psychosocial skills of children with DCD. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02904980.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Wood G, Vine SJ, Parr J, Wilson MR (2017). Aiming to Deceive: Examining the Role of the Quiet Eye During Deceptive Aiming Actions.
J Sport Exerc Psychol,
39(5), 327-338.
Abstract:
Aiming to Deceive: Examining the Role of the Quiet Eye During Deceptive Aiming Actions.
In three experiments, we explored the use of deceptive gaze in soccer penalty takers using eye-tracking equipment. In Experiment 1, players competed against a goalkeeper while taking unconstrained shots. Results indicated that when players used deception (looking to the opposite side to which they shot), they extended the duration of their final aiming (quiet eye) fixation and maintained shooting accuracy. In Experiment 2, with no goalkeeper present, players still used extended quiet-eye durations when using a deceptive strategy, but this time, their accuracy suffered. In Experiment 3, we manipulated the goalkeeper's location while controlling for the use of peripheral vision and memory of goal size. Results indicated that increased quiet-eye durations were required when using deceptive aiming, and that accuracy was influenced by the position of the goalkeeper. We conclude that during deceptive aiming, soccer players maintain accuracy by covertly processing information related to the goalkeeper's location.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Vine SJ, Lee DH, Walters-Symons R, Wilson MR (2017). An occlusion paradigm to assess the importance of the timing of the quiet eye fixation.
Eur J Sport Sci,
17(1), 85-92.
Abstract:
An occlusion paradigm to assess the importance of the timing of the quiet eye fixation.
The aim of the study was to explore the significance of the 'timing' of the quiet eye (QE), and the relative importance of late (online control) or early (pre-programming) visual information for accuracy. Twenty-seven skilled golfers completed a putting task using an occlusion paradigm with three conditions: early (prior to backswing), late (during putter stroke), and no (control) occlusion of vision. Performance, QE, and kinematic variables relating to the swing were measured. Results revealed that providing only early visual information (occluding late visual information) had a significant detrimental effect on performance and kinematic measures, compared to the control condition (no occlusion), despite QE durations being maintained. Conversely, providing only late visual information (occluding early visual information) was not significantly detrimental to performance or kinematics, with results similar to those in the control condition. These findings imply that the visual information extracted during movement execution - the late proportion of the QE - is critical when golf putting. The results challenge the predominant view that the QE serves only a pre-programming function. We propose that the different proportions of the QE (before and during movement) may serve different functions in supporting accuracy in golf putting.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Harris DJ, Vine SJ, Wilson MR (2017). Flow and quiet eye: the role of attentional control in flow experience.
Cogn Process,
18(3), 343-347.
Abstract:
Flow and quiet eye: the role of attentional control in flow experience.
This report was designed to investigate the role of effective attention control in flow states, by developing an experimental approach to the study of flow. A challenge-skill balance manipulation was applied to self-paced netball and basketball shooting tasks, with point of gaze recorded through mobile eye tracking. Quiet eye was used to index optimal control of visual attention. While the experimental manipulation was found to have no effect, quiet eye was associated with the experience of flow. Furthermore, mediation revealed an indirect effect of quiet eye on performance through flow experience. This study provides initial evidence that flow may be preceded by changes in visual attention, suggesting that further investigation of visual attention may elucidate the cognitive mechanisms behind flow experience.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Harris DJ, Vine SJ, Wilson MR (2017). Is flow really effortless? the complex role of effortful attention.
Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology,
6(1), 103-114.
Abstract:
Is flow really effortless? the complex role of effortful attention
The predominant characterization of flow in sport has emphasized athletes' reports of reduced conscious attention and effort; however, this is difficult to reconcile with other reports of superior focus and lack of distraction. The aim of this study was to explore this tension by testing novel, theoretically driven predictions for subjective and objective mental effort and by assessing visual attention control using an experimental research design. Specifically, we predicted that perceived and actual effortful attention might dissociate across 3 conditions of a simulated car-racing task designed to manipulate the level of flow: too easy, matched to skill (flow), and too difficult. Task absorption, objective mental effort, and focused gaze were all highest in the matched condition. However, objective performance, reported fluency, and mental effort demonstrated a linear relationship across conditions (participants performed worse and reported more effort and less fluency as difficulty increased). These results suggest a dichotomy between objective and reported effort and suggest that flow is underpinned by efficient attentional control.
Abstract.
Harris DJ, Vine SJ, Wilson MR (2017). Neurocognitive mechanisms of the flow state.
,
234, 221-243.
Abstract:
Neurocognitive mechanisms of the flow state
While the experience of flow is often described in attentional terms—focused concentration or task absorption—specific cognitive mechanisms have received limited interest. We propose that an attentional explanation provides the best way to advance theoretical models and produce practical applications, as well as providing potential solutions to core issues such as how an objectively difficult task can be subjectively effortless. Recent research has begun to utilize brain-imaging techniques to investigate neurocognitive changes during flow, which enables attentional mechanisms to be understood in greater detail. Some tensions within flow research are discussed; including the dissociation between psychophysiological and experiential measures, and the equivocal neuroimaging findings supporting prominent accounts of hypofrontality. While flow has received only preliminary investigation from a neuroscientific perspective, findings already provide important insights into the crucial role played by higher-order attentional networks, and clear indications of reduced activity in brain regions linked to self-referential processing. The manner in which these processes may benefit sporting performance are discussed.
Abstract.
Miles CAL, Wood G, Vine SJ, Vickers JN, Wilson MR (2017). Quiet eye training aids the long-term learning of throwing and catching in children: Preliminary evidence for a predictive control strategy.
European Journal of Sport Science,
17(1), 100-108.
Abstract:
Quiet eye training aids the long-term learning of throwing and catching in children: Preliminary evidence for a predictive control strategy
Quiet eye training (QET) may be a more effective method for teaching children to catch than traditional training (TT) methods, but it is unclear if the benefits accrued persist in the long term. Thirty children were randomly allocated into a QET or TT group and, while wearing a mobile eye tracker, underwent baseline testing, training and two retention tests over a period of eight weeks, using a validated throw and catch task. During training, movement-related information was provided to both groups, while the QET group received additional instruction to increase the duration of their targeting fixation (QE1) on the wall prior to the throw, and pursuit tracking (QE2) period on the ball prior to catching. In both immediate (R1) and delayed (R2, six weeks later) retention tests, the QET group had a significantly longer QE1 duration and an earlier and longer QE2 duration, compared to the TT group, who revealed no improvements. A performance advantage was also found for the QET compared to the TT group at both R1 and R2, revealing the relatively robust nature of the visuomotor alterations. Regression analyses suggested that only the duration of QE1 predicted variance in catch success post-training, pointing to the importance of a pre-programming visuomotor strategy for successful throw and catch performance.
Abstract.
Harris DJ, Vine SJ, Wilson MR, McGrath JS, LeBel M-E, Buckingham G (2017). The effect of observing novice and expert performance on acquisition of surgical skills on a robotic platform.
PLoS One,
12(11).
Abstract:
The effect of observing novice and expert performance on acquisition of surgical skills on a robotic platform.
BACKGROUND: Observational learning plays an important role in surgical skills training, following the traditional model of learning from expertise. Recent findings have, however, highlighted the benefit of observing not only expert performance but also error-strewn performance. The aim of this study was to determine which model (novice vs. expert) would lead to the greatest benefits when learning robotically assisted surgical skills. METHODS: 120 medical students with no prior experience of robotically-assisted surgery completed a ring-carrying training task on three occasions; baseline, post-intervention and at one-week follow-up. The observation intervention consisted of a video model performing the ring-carrying task, with participants randomly assigned to view an expert model, a novice model, a mixed expert/novice model or no observation (control group). Participants were assessed for task performance and surgical instrument control. RESULTS: There were significant group differences post-intervention, with expert and novice observation groups outperforming the control group, but there were no clear group differences at a retention test one week later. There was no difference in performance between the expert-observing and error-observing groups. CONCLUSIONS: Similar benefits were found when observing the traditional expert model or the error-strewn model, suggesting that viewing poor performance may be as beneficial as viewing expertise in the early acquisition of robotic surgical skills. Further work is required to understand, then inform, the optimal curriculum design when utilising observational learning in surgical training.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Sammy N, Anstiss PA, Moore LJ, Freeman P, Wilson MR, Vine SJ (2017). The effects of arousal reappraisal on stress responses, performance and attention.
Anxiety Stress Coping,
30(6), 619-629.
Abstract:
The effects of arousal reappraisal on stress responses, performance and attention.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study examined the effects of arousal reappraisal on cardiovascular responses, demand and resource evaluations, self-confidence, performance and attention under pressurized conditions. A recent study by Moore et al. [2015. Reappraising threat: How to optimize performance under pressure. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 37(3), 339-343. doi: 10.1123/jsep.2014-0186 ] suggested that arousal reappraisal is beneficial to the promotion of challenge states and leads to improvements in single-trial performance. This study aimed to further the work of Moore and colleagues (2015) by examining the effects of arousal reappraisal on cardiovascular responses, demand and resource evaluations, self-confidence, performance and attention in a multi-trial pressurized performance situation. DESIGN AND METHODS: Participants were randomly assigned to either an arousal reappraisal intervention or control condition, and completed a pressurized dart throwing task. The intervention encouraged participants to view their physiological arousal as facilitative rather than debilitative to performance. Measures of cardiovascular reactivity, demand and resource evaluations, self-confidence, task performance and attention were recorded. RESULTS: the reappraisal group displayed more favorable cardiovascular reactivity and reported higher resource evaluations and higher self-confidence than the control group but no task performance or attention effects were detected. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate the strength of arousal reappraisal in promoting adaptive stress responses, perceptions of resources and self-confidence.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Walters-Symons RM, Wilson MR, Vine SJ (2017). The quiet eye supports error recovery in golf putting.
Psychology of Sport and Exercise,
31, 21-27.
Abstract:
The quiet eye supports error recovery in golf putting
Objectives the aim of this study was to further examine the relationship between the Quiet eye (QE, Vickers, 1996) and performance. We aimed to scrutinise the relationship between QE and shot outcome and replicate the robust relationship between QE and expertise. Based on recent findings (Cooke et al. 2015) showing that motor planning is dependent upon the outcome of a previous attempt, we wanted to examine the influence of prior performance on the functionality of the QE. Design: We performed a 2 (expertise) x 2 (outcome) mixed design study. Participants performed golf putts until they had achieved 5 successful (hits) and 5 unsuccessful (misses) attempts. Methods 18 experienced and 21 novice golfers participated in the study. Putts were taken from ten feet while wearing a mobile eye tracker. Results Experienced golfers had consistently longer QE durations than novices but there was no difference in QE between randomly chosen hits and misses. However, QE durations were significantly longer on hits directly following a miss, but significantly shorter on misses following a miss. Conclusions This is the first study to have examined QE duration as a consequence of prior performance. Our findings highlight the important role of QE in recovering from an error and improving performance. The findings add further support for the response programming function of the QE, as additional ‘programming’ was needed to recover from an error. Findings also highlight the potential for a link between QE and the allocation of attentional resources to the task (effort).
Abstract.
2016
Vine SJ, Moore LJ, Wilson MR (2016). An Integrative Framework of Stress, Attention, and Visuomotor Performance.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY,
7 Author URL.
Vine SJ, Moore LJ, Wilson MR (2016). An Integrative Framework of Stress, Attention, and Visuomotor Performance.
Front Psychol,
7Abstract:
An Integrative Framework of Stress, Attention, and Visuomotor Performance.
The aim of this article is to present an integrative conceptual framework that depicts the effect of acute stress on the performance of visually guided motor skills. We draw upon seminal theories highlighting the importance of subjective interpretations of stress on subsequent performance and outline how models of disrupted attentional control might explain this effect through impairments in visuomotor control. We first synthesize and critically discuss empirical support for theories examining these relationships in isolation. We then outline our integrative framework that seeks to provide a more complete picture of the interacting influences of stress responses (challenge and threat) and attention in explaining how elevated stress may lead to different visuomotor performance outcomes. We propose a number of mechanisms that explain why evaluations of stress are related to attentional control, and highlight the emotion of anxiety as the most likely candidate to explain why negative reactions to stress lead to disrupted attention and poor visuomotor skill performance. Finally, we propose a number of feedback loops that explain why stress responses are often self-perpetuating, as well as a number of proposed interventions that are designed to help improve or maintain performance in real world performance environments (e.g. sport, surgery, military, and aviation).
Abstract.
Author URL.
Sun G, Zhang L, Vine SJ, Wilson MR (2016). The Quiet Eye Provides Preplanning and Online Control Support for Interceptive Task Performance.
J Sport Exerc Psychol,
38(5), 458-469.
Abstract:
The Quiet Eye Provides Preplanning and Online Control Support for Interceptive Task Performance.
Longer quiet eye (QE) periods are associated with better performance across a range of targeting and interceptive tasks. However, the direction of this relationship is still unclear. The two studies presented aimed to narrow this knowledge gap by experimentally manipulating QE duration-by delaying its onset or by truncating its offset-in an aiming interceptive task. In Experiment 1, the early trajectory was occluded, causing significantly shorter QE durations and worse subsequent performance. In Experiment 2, both early and/or late trajectory were occluded. Performance was degraded by the occlusion of either early or late information, and the worst performance occurred when both the early and late trajectory were occluded. Taken together, the results suggest that QE is not a by-product of performance but instead plays a causal role in supporting the interception of a moving target through a combination of preprogramming and online control processes.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Ducrocq E, Wilson M, Vine S, Derakshan N (2016). Training Attentional Control Improves Cognitive and Motor Task Performance.
J Sport Exerc Psychol,
38(5), 521-533.
Abstract:
Training Attentional Control Improves Cognitive and Motor Task Performance.
Attentional control is a necessary function for the regulation of goal-directed behavior. In three experiments we investigated whether training inhibitory control using a visual search task could improve task-specific measures of attentional control and performance. In Experiment 1 results revealed that training elicited a near-transfer effect, improving performance on a cognitive (antisaccade) task assessing inhibitory control. In Experiment 2 an initial far-transfer effect of training was observed on an index of attentional control validated for tennis. The principal aim of Experiment 3 was to expand on these findings by assessing objective gaze measures of inhibitory control during the performance of a tennis task. Training improved inhibitory control and performance when pressure was elevated, confirming the mechanisms by which cognitive anxiety impacts performance. These results suggest that attentional control training can improve inhibition and reduce taskspecific distractibility with promise of transfer to more efficient sporting performance in competitive contexts.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Wood G, Vine SJ, Wilson MR (2016). Working memory capacity, controlled attention and aiming performance under pressure.
Psychol Res,
80(4), 510-517.
Abstract:
Working memory capacity, controlled attention and aiming performance under pressure.
This study explored the possibility that individual differences in working memory capacity (WMC) could predict those individuals who would experience attentional disruptions and performance decrements under pressure. Two WMC groups performed a Stroop handgun task under counterbalanced conditions of threat whilst wearing eye-tracking equipment that measured visual search activity and quiet eye (QE) aiming duration. Performance was measured in terms of shooting accuracy. Low-WMC individuals experienced impaired visual search time to locate the target and reduced QE durations when shooting at incongruent target words. Furthermore, the low-WMC group experienced significant reductions in shooting accuracy when anxious. Conversely, high-WMC individuals experienced no significant differences in attentional control or performance across congruency or threat conditions. Results support the suggestion that WMC is not only a good predictor of an individual's ability to control their attention but can also predict those likely to fail under pressure.
Abstract.
Author URL.
2015
Wilson M, Wood G, Vine S (2015). "Use your illusion II'': Influencing spatial cognition and action.
Author URL.
Vine S, Walters-Symons R, Wilson M (2015). Blink and you might miss it: Blinks may reflect an inward shift of attention, during the performance of a skill.
COGNITIVE PROCESSING,
16, S42-S42.
Author URL.
Panchuk D, Vine S, Vickers JN (2015). EYE TRACKING METHODS IN SPORT EXPERTISE. In (Ed)
Routledge Handbook of Sport Expertise, 176-187.
Abstract:
EYE TRACKING METHODS IN SPORT EXPERTISE
Abstract.
Vine SJ, Uiga L, Lavric A, Moore LJ, Tsaneva-Atanasova K, Wilson MR (2015). Individual reactions to stress predict performance during a critical aviation incident.
Anxiety Stress Coping,
28(4), 467-477.
Abstract:
Individual reactions to stress predict performance during a critical aviation incident.
BACKGROUND: Understanding the influence of stress on human performance is of theoretical and practical importance. An individual's reaction to stress predicts their subsequent performance; with a "challenge" response to stress leading to better performance than a "threat" response. However, this contention has not been tested in truly stressful environments with highly skilled individuals. Furthermore, the effect of challenge and threat responses on attentional control during visuomotor tasks is poorly understood. DESIGN: Thus, this study aimed to examine individual reactions to stress and their influence on attentional control, among a cohort of commercial pilots performing a stressful flight assessment. METHODS: Sixteen pilots performed an "engine failure on take-off" scenario, in a high-fidelity flight simulator. Reactions to stress were indexed via self-report; performance was assessed subjectively (flight instructor assessment) and objectively (simulator metrics); gaze behavior data were captured using a mobile eye tracker, and measures of attentional control were subsequently calculated (search rate, stimulus driven attention, and entropy). RESULTS: Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that a threat response was associated with poorer performance and disrupted attentional control. CONCLUSION: the findings add to previous research showing that individual reactions to stress influence performance and shed light on the processes through which stress influences performance.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Miles CAL, Wood G, Vine SJ, Vickers JN, Wilson MR (2015). Quiet eye training facilitates visuomotor coordination in children with developmental coordination disorder.
Res Dev Disabil,
40, 31-41.
Abstract:
Quiet eye training facilitates visuomotor coordination in children with developmental coordination disorder.
INTRODUCTION: Quiet eye training (QET) has been shown to be more effective than traditional training (TT) methods for teaching a throw and catch task to typically developing 8-10 yr old children. The current study aimed to apply the technique to children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD). METHOD: 30 children with DCD were randomly allocated into TT or QET intervention groups. The TT group were taught how to control their arm movements during the throw and catch phases, while the QET group were also taught to fixate a target location on the wall prior to the throw (quiet eye1; QE1), followed by tracking the ball prior to the catch (quiet eye2; QE2). Performance, gaze and motion analysis data were collected at pre/post-training and 6-week retention. RESULTS: the QET group significantly increased QE durations from pre-training to delayed retention (QE1 = +247 ms, QE2 = +19%) whereas the TT group experienced a reduction (QE1 = -74 ms, QE2 = -4%). QET participants showed significant improvement in the quality of their catch attempts and increased elbow flexion at catch compared to the TT group (QET = -28°, TT = -1°). CONCLUSION: QET changed DCD children's ability to focus on a target on the wall prior to the throw, followed by better anticipation and pursuit tracking on the ball, which in turn led to improved catching technique. QET may be an effective adjunct to traditional instructions, for therapists teaching visuomotor skills to children with DCD.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Moore LJ, Vine SJ, Wilson MR, Freeman P (2015). Reappraising Threat: How to Optimize Performance Under Pressure.
J Sport Exerc Psychol,
37(3), 339-343.
Abstract:
Reappraising Threat: How to Optimize Performance Under Pressure.
Competitive situations often hinge on one pressurized moment. In these situations, individuals' psychophysiological states determine performance, with a challenge state associated with better performance than a threat state. But what can be done if an individual experiences a threat state? This study examined one potential solution: arousal reappraisal. Fifty participants received either arousal reappraisal or control instructions before performing a pressurized, single-trial, motor task. Although both groups initially displayed cardiovascular responses consistent with a threat state, the reappraisal group displayed a cardiovascular response more reflective of a challenge state (relatively higher cardiac output and/or lower total peripheral resistance) after the reappraisal manipulation. Furthermore, despite performing similarly at baseline, the reappraisal group outperformed the control group during the pressurized task. The results demonstrate that encouraging individuals to interpret heightened physiological arousal as a tool that can help maximize performance can result in more adaptive cardiovascular responses and motor performance under pressure.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Moore LJ, Wilson MR, Waine E, McGrath JS, Masters RSW, Vine SJ (2015). Robotically assisted laparoscopy benefits surgical performance under stress.
Journal of Robotic Surgery,
9(4), 277-284.
Abstract:
Robotically assisted laparoscopy benefits surgical performance under stress
While the benefits of robotic surgery for the patient have been relatively well established, little is known about the benefits for the surgeon. This study examined whether the advantages of robotically assisted laparoscopy (improved dexterity, a 3-dimensional view, reduction in tremors, etc.) enable the surgeon to better deal with stressful tasks. Subjective and objective (i.e. cardiovascular) responses to stress were assessed while surgeons performed on either a robotic or conventional laparoscopic system. Thirty-two surgeons were assigned to perform a surgical task on either a robotic system or a laparoscopic system, under three stress conditions. The surgeons completed self-report measures of stress before each condition. Furthermore, the surgeons’ cardiovascular responses to stress were recorded prior to each condition. Finally, task performance was recorded throughout each condition. While both groups reported experiencing similar levels of stress, compared to the laparoscopic group, the robotic group displayed a more adaptive cardiovascular response to the stress conditions, reflecting a challenge state (i.e. higher blood flow and lower vascular resistance). Furthermore, despite no differences in completion time, the robotic group performed the tasks more accurately than the laparoscopic group across the stress conditions. These results highlight the benefits of using robotic technology during stressful situations. Specifically, the results show that stressful tasks can be performed more accurately with a robotic platform, and that surgeons’ cardiovascular responses to stress are more favourable. Importantly, the ‘challenge’ cardiovascular response to stress displayed when using the robotic system has been associated with more positive long-term health outcomes in domains where stress is commonly experienced (e.g. lower cardiovascular disease risk).
Abstract.
Moore LJ, Wilson MR, Waine E, McGrath JS, Masters RSW, Vine SJ (2015). Robotically assisted laparoscopy benefits surgical performance under stress.
Journal of Robotic SurgeryAbstract:
Robotically assisted laparoscopy benefits surgical performance under stress
While the benefits of robotic surgery for the patient have been relatively well established, little is known about the benefits for the surgeon. This study examined whether the advantages of robotically assisted laparoscopy (improved dexterity, a 3-dimensional view, reduction in tremors, etc.) enable the surgeon to better deal with stressful tasks. Subjective and objective (i.e. cardiovascular) responses to stress were assessed while surgeons performed on either a robotic or conventional laparoscopic system. Thirty-two surgeons were assigned to perform a surgical task on either a robotic system or a laparoscopic system, under three stress conditions. The surgeons completed self-report measures of stress before each condition. Furthermore, the surgeons’ cardiovascular responses to stress were recorded prior to each condition. Finally, task performance was recorded throughout each condition. While both groups reported experiencing similar levels of stress, compared to the laparoscopic group, the robotic group displayed a more adaptive cardiovascular response to the stress conditions, reflecting a challenge state (i.e. higher blood flow and lower vascular resistance). Furthermore, despite no differences in completion time, the robotic group performed the tasks more accurately than the laparoscopic group across the stress conditions. These results highlight the benefits of using robotic technology during stressful situations. Specifically, the results show that stressful tasks can be performed more accurately with a robotic platform, and that surgeons’ cardiovascular responses to stress are more favourable. Importantly, the ‘challenge’ cardiovascular response to stress displayed when using the robotic system has been associated with more positive long-term health outcomes in domains where stress is commonly experienced (e.g. lower cardiovascular disease risk).
Abstract.
Moore LJ, Wilson MR, McGrath JS, Waine E, Masters RSW, Vine SJ (2015). Surgeons’ display reduced mental effort and workload while performing robotically assisted surgical tasks, when compared to conventional laparoscopy.
Surgical Endoscopy,
29(9), 2553-2560.
Abstract:
Surgeons’ display reduced mental effort and workload while performing robotically assisted surgical tasks, when compared to conventional laparoscopy
Background: Research has demonstrated the benefits of robotic surgery for the patient; however, research examining the benefits of robotic technology for the surgeon is limited. This study aimed to adopt validated measures of workload, mental effort, and gaze control to assess the benefits of robotic surgery for the surgeon. We predicted that the performance of surgical training tasks on a surgical robot would require lower investments of workload and mental effort, and would be accompanied by superior gaze control and better performance, when compared to conventional laparoscopy. Methods: Thirty-two surgeons performed two trials on a ball pick-and-drop task and a rope-threading task on both robotic and laparoscopic systems. Measures of workload (the surgery task load index), mental effort (subjective: rating scale for mental effort and objective: standard deviation of beat-to-beat intervals), gaze control (using a mobile eye movement recorder), and task performance (completion time and number of errors) were recorded. Results: As expected, surgeons performed both tasks more quickly and accurately (with fewer errors) on the robotic system. Self-reported measures of workload and mental effort were significantly lower on the robotic system compared to the laparoscopic system. Similarly, an objective cardiovascular measure of mental effort revealed lower investment of mental effort when using the robotic platform relative to the laparoscopic platform. Gaze control distinguished the robotic from the laparoscopic systems, but not in the predicted fashion, with the robotic system associated with poorer (more novice like) gaze control. Conclusions: the findings highlight the benefits of robotic technology for surgical operators. Specifically, they suggest that tasks can be performed more proficiently, at a lower workload, and with the investment of less mental effort, this may allow surgeons greater cognitive resources for dealing with other demands such as communication, decision-making, or periods of increased complexity in the operating room.
Abstract.
2014
Vine SJ, McGrath JS, Bright E, Dutton T, Clark J, Wilson MR (2014). Assessing visual control during simulated and live operations: gathering evidence for the content validity of simulation using eye movement metrics.
Surg Endosc,
28(6), 1788-1793.
Abstract:
Assessing visual control during simulated and live operations: gathering evidence for the content validity of simulation using eye movement metrics.
BACKGROUND: Although virtual reality (VR) simulators serve an important role in the training and assessment of surgeons, they need to be evaluated for evidence of validity. Eye-tracking technology and measures of visual control have been used as an adjunct to the performance parameters produced by VR simulators to help in objectively establishing the construct validity (experts vs. novices) of VR simulators. However, determining the extent to which VR simulators represent the real procedure and environment (content validity) has largely been a subjective process undertaken by experienced surgeons. This study aimed to examine the content validity of a VR transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) simulator by comparing visual control metrics taken during simulated and real TURP procedures. METHODS: Eye-tracking data were collected from seven surgeons performing 14 simulated TURP operations and three surgeons performing 15 real TURP operations on live patients. The data were analyzed offline, and visual control metrics (number and duration of fixations, percentage of time the surgeons fixated on the screen) were calculated. RESULTS: the surgeons displayed more fixations of a shorter duration and spent less time fixating on the video monitor during the real TURP than during the simulated TURP. This could have been due to (1) the increased complexity of the operating room (OR) environment (2) the decreased quality of the image of the urethra and associated anatomy (compared with the VR simulator), or (3) the impairment of visual attentional control due to the increased levels of stress likely experienced in the OR. CONCLUSIONS: the findings suggest that the complexity of the environment surrounding VR simulators needs to be considered in the design of effective simulated training curricula. The study also provides support for the use of eye-tracking technology to assess the content validity of simulation and to examine psychomotor processes during live operations.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Moore LJ, Vine SJ, Wilson MR, Freeman P (2014). Examining the antecedents of challenge and threat states: the influence of perceived required effort and support availability.
Int J Psychophysiol,
93(2), 267-273.
Abstract:
Examining the antecedents of challenge and threat states: the influence of perceived required effort and support availability.
To date, limited research has explicitly examined the antecedents of challenge and threat states proposed by the biopsychosocial model. Thus, the aim of the present study was to examine the influence of perceived required effort and support availability on demand/resource evaluations, challenge and threat states, and motor performance. A 2 (required effort; high, low)×2 (support availability; available, not available) between-subjects design was used with one hundred and twenty participants randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions. Participants received instructions designed to manipulate perceptions of required effort and support availability before demand/resource evaluations and cardiovascular responses were assessed. Participants then performed the novel motor task (laparoscopic surgery) while performance was recorded. Participants in the low perceived required effort condition evaluated the task as more of a challenge (i.e. resources outweighed demands), exhibited a cardiovascular response more indicative of a challenge state (i.e. higher cardiac output and lower total peripheral resistance), and performed the task better (i.e. quicker completion time) than those in the high perceived required effort condition. However, perceptions of support availability had no significant impact on participants' demand/resource evaluations, cardiovascular responses, or performance. Furthermore, there was no significant interaction effect between perceptions of required effort and support availability. The findings suggest that interventions aimed at promoting a challenge state should include instructions that help individuals perceive that the task is not difficult and requires little physical and mental effort to perform effectively.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Moore LJ, Vine SJ, Smith AN, Smith SJ, Wilson MR (2014). Quiet Eye Training Improves Small Arms Maritime Marksmanship.
Military PsychologyAbstract:
Quiet Eye Training Improves Small Arms Maritime Marksmanship
Quiet eye training-teaching task-specific gaze control-has been consistently shown to optimize the acquisition of motor skills. The present study aimed to examine the potential benefits of a quiet eye training intervention in a simulated maritime marksmanship task that involved shooting fast approaching moving targets with a decommissioned general-purpose machine gun. Twenty participants were randomly assigned to a quiet eye trained (QET) or technical trained (TT) group and completed 2 baseline, 20 training, and 2 retention trials on the moving-target task. Compared to their TT counterparts, the QET group displayed more effective gaze control (longer quiet eye durations and greater target locking) and more accurate performance (smaller radial error of both the initial shot and average of all shots) at retention. These findings highlight the potential for quiet eye training to be used to support the training of marksmanship skills in military settings. (PsycINFO Database Record © 2014 APA, all rights reserved).
Abstract.
Moore LJ, Vine SJ, Smith AN, Smith SJ, Wilson MR (2014). Quiet eye training improves small arms maritime marksmanship.
Military Psychology,
26(5-6), 355-365.
Abstract:
Quiet eye training improves small arms maritime marksmanship
Quiet eye training-teaching task-specific gaze control- has been consistently shown to optimize the acquisition of motor skills. The present study aimed to examine the potential benefits of a quiet eye training intervention in a simulated maritime marksmanship task that involved shooting fast approaching moving targets with a decommissioned general-purpose machine gun. Twenty participants were randomly assigned to a quiet eye trained (QET) or technical trained (TT) group and completed 2 baseline, 20 training, and 2 retention trials on the moving-target task. Compared to their TT counterparts, the QET group displayed more effective gaze control (longer quiet eye durations and greater target locking) and more accurate performance (smaller radial error of both the initial shot and average of all shots) at retention. These findings highlight the potential for quiet eye training to be used to support the training of marksmanship skills in military settings.
Abstract.
Miles CAL, Vine SJ, Wood G, Vickers JN, Wilson MR (2014). Quiet eye training improves throw and catch performance in children.
Psychology of Sport and Exercise,
15(5), 511-515.
Abstract:
Quiet eye training improves throw and catch performance in children
Objectives: to compare quiet eye training (QET) and 'traditional' technical training (TT) interventions for a throw and catch task in children. Design: This pilot study adopted a between groups randomized control design. Method: Sixteen, 10 year-old typically developing children performed 10 pre- and 10 post-test trials before and after QET or TT, while wearing a Mobile Eye gaze registration system. Both interventions consisted of three video demonstrations (focusing on the throw, the catch, and linking the throw and catch) followed by a series of practice trials. QET videos emphasized gaze strategy instructions whereas TT videos emphasized traditional primary school throwing and catching instructions. Results: Significant interaction effects for performance and quiet eye durations revealed that only the QET group significantly lengthened QE durations, which contributed to significant improvements in catching from pre- to post-test. Conclusions: QET may be an effective method for improving throwing and catching skills in typically developing children. © 2014.
Abstract.
Vine SJ, Moore LJ, Wilson MR (2014). Quiet eye training: the acquisition, refinement and resilient performance of targeting skills.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SPORT SCIENCE,
14, S235-S242.
Author URL.
Moore LJ, Wilson MR, Waine E, Masters RSW, McGrath JS, Vine SJ (2014). Robotic technology results in faster and more robust surgical skill acquisition than traditional laparoscopy. Journal of Robotic Surgery
Bright E, Vine SJ, Dutton T, Wilson MR, McGrath JS (2014). Visual Control Strategies of Surgeons: a Novel Method of Establishing the Construct Validity of a Transurethral Resection of the Prostate Surgical Simulator. Journal of Surgical Education
Bright E, Vine SJ, Dutton T, Wilson MR, McGrath JS (2014). Visual control strategies of surgeons: a novel method of establishing the construct validity of a transurethral resection of the prostate surgical simulator.
Journal of Surgical Education,
71(3), 434-439.
Abstract:
Visual control strategies of surgeons: a novel method of establishing the construct validity of a transurethral resection of the prostate surgical simulator
Objective to examine novice and expert differences in visual control strategies while performing a virtual reality transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) task and to determine if these differences could provide a novel method for assessing construct validity of the simulator. Subjects and Methods a total of 11 novices (no TURP experience) and 7 experts (>200 TURPs) completed a virtual reality prostate resection task on the TURPsim (Simbionix USA Corp, Cleveland, OH) while wearing an eye tracker (ASL, Bedford, MA). Performance parameters and the surgeon's visual control strategy were measured and compared between the 2 groups. Results Experts resected a greater percentage of prostate than novices (p < 0.01) and had less active diathermy time without tissue contact (p < 0.01). Experts adopted a target-locking visual strategy, employing fewer visual fixations (p < 0.05) with longer mean fixation duration (p < 0.005). With multiple learning trials, novices' performance improved and the adoption of a more expertlike gaze strategy was observed. Conclusion Significant differences between experts and novices in both performance and visual control strategy were observed. The study of visual control strategies may be a useful adjunct, alongside measurements of motor performance, providing a novel method of assessing the construct validity of surgical simulators. © 2014 Association of Program Directors in Surgery.
Abstract.
2013
Moore LJ, Wilson MR, Vine SJ, Coussens A, Freeman P (2013). Champ or chump? Challenge and threat states during pressurized competition.
Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology,
35, 551-562.
Abstract:
Champ or chump? Challenge and threat states during pressurized competition.
The present research examined the immediate impact of challenge and threat states on golf
performance in both real competition and a laboratory-based task. In study 1, one hundred
and ninety-nine experienced golfers reported their evaluations of competition demands and
personal coping resources before a golf competition. Evaluating the competition as a
challenge (i.e. sufficient resources to cope with demands) was associated with superior
performance. In study 2, sixty experienced golfers randomly received challenge or threat
manipulation instructions and then performed a competitive golf putting task. Challenge and
threat states were successfully manipulated and the challenge group outperformed the threat
group. Furthermore, the challenge group reported less anxiety, more facilitative
interpretations of anxiety, less conscious processing, and displayed longer quiet eye
durations. However, these variables failed to mediate the group-performance relationship.
These studies demonstrate the importance of considering pre-performance
psychophysiological states when examining the influence of competitive pressure on motor
performance.
Abstract.
Vine SJ, Moore LJ, Chandra-Ramana R, Freeman P, Wilson MR (2013). Evaluating stress as a challenge is associated with superior attentional control and motor skill performance: Testing the predictions of the biopsychosocial model of challenge and threat.
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied,
19, 185-194.
Abstract:
Evaluating stress as a challenge is associated with superior attentional control and motor skill performance: Testing the predictions of the biopsychosocial model of challenge and threat.
The biopsychosocial model of challenge and threat (Blascovich, 2008) suggests that individuals who evaluate a performance situation as a challenge will perform better than those who evaluate it as a threat. However, limited research has examined the attentional processes by which challenge and threat evaluations might influence the performance of learned motor tasks under pressure. The present study examined the effect of challenge and threat evaluations on a task (laparoscopic surgery) for which optimal visual attentional control has been established. Fifty-two novices performed a novel surgical task during which gaze and performance were recorded (Baseline). Participants were then trained to proficiency before performing under pressurized conditions (designed to increase anxiety; Pressure). At Baseline, evaluating the task as more of a challenge led to differential cardiovascular responses, more effective attentional control and superior performance. In the Pressure test, evaluating the task as more of a challenge also led to more effective attentional control and superior performance, but did not influence cardiovascular response. This study is the first to examine the influence of challenge and threat evaluations on learned motor performance under pressure. While there is some support for an attentional explanation of differential performance effects (and support for the predictions of attentional control theory, Eysenck, Santos, Derakshan, & Calvo, 2007), analysis did not reveal variables which mediate the relationship between challenge/threat evaluations and motor performance. These findings have implications for the training and performance of motor skills in pressurized environments (e.g. surgery, sport, aviation).
Abstract.
Vine SJ, Chaytor RJ, McGrath JS, Masters RSW, Wilson MR (2013). Gaze training improves the retention and transfer of laparoscopic technical skills in novices.
Surg Endosc,
27(9), 3205-3213.
Abstract:
Gaze training improves the retention and transfer of laparoscopic technical skills in novices.
BACKGROUND: Gaze training is an effective way of training basic laparoscopic skills, resulting in faster acquisition periods and more robust subsequent performance under pressure. The current study is a randomized control trial which examines whether the performance benefits of gaze training stand the test of time (delayed retention) and transfer to more complex skills. METHODS: Thirty-six medical students were trained to proficiency (50 trials) on a one-handed laparoscopic task (picking and dropping balls) in either a discovery learning (DL) or gaze training (GT) group. Both groups performed the one-handed task in baseline, retention and delayed retention (1 month) tests. They also performed baseline, retention and delayed retention tests of a two-handed task (grasping and cutting). Performance (completion time) and gaze control (target locking) were assessed throughout. RESULTS: for the one-handed task, the GT group displayed superior performance at retention (p <. 001), underpinned by more expert-like gaze control (p <. 05). The GT group also displayed superior performance in the one-handed task at delayed retention (p <. 005), underpinned by more expert-like gaze control strategies (p <. 001). Although the DL group's performance fell to 84% of performance at retention, the GT group maintained performance at 100% of retention. There were no differences between the groups for the two-handed task at retention (p =. 140); however, at delayed retention, the GT group outperformed the DL group (p <. 005) and displayed more expert-like gaze control (p <. 001). CONCLUSIONS: Novices trained to adopt an expert-like gaze control strategy were able to attain higher levels of performance more quickly than novices who learned by discovery alone. Furthermore, these skills were more durable over time and were transferable to more complex skills. Gaze training is a beneficial intervention to aid the acquisition of the basic motor skills required for laparoscopy.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Vine SJ, Lee D, Moore LJ, Wilson MR (2013). Quiet eye and choking: Online control breaks down at the point of performance failure.
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise,
45(10), 1988-1994.
Abstract:
Quiet eye and choking: Online control breaks down at the point of performance failure.
Purpose. The quiet eye (QE) is a characteristic of highly skilled perceptual and motor
performance that has been shown to be sensitive to increases in anxiety. The present study is the
first to examine changes in the QE at the precise point of performance failure under heightened
anxiety. QE durations were compared for the first, penultimate (next to last), and final (missed)putts taken in a pressurized ‘shootout’ task. To probe the effects of anxiety more specifically,
differences in the component of the QE that occurred before (QE-pre), during (QE-online), and
after (QE-dwell) putter movement were examined. Methods. Fifty expert golfers (average
handicap of 3.6) performed putts under pressure until they missed (‘shootout’). Gaze was
recorded throughout with an ASL Mobile Eye Tracker. Total QE, pre-programming QE (the
proportion of QE that occurred prior to backswing; QE-pre), online control QE (the proportion of QE that occurred during the putting stroke; QE-online), and QE dwell (the proportion of QE that occurred after putter-ball contact; QE-dwell), were calculated for the first, penultimate, and final putts. Results. Total QE duration was significantly shorter for the final (missed) putt compared to the first and penultimate (successful) putts. Although QE-pre duration was similar across the three putts, the components of the QE occurring during (QE-online) and after (QE-dwell) putter movement were significantly shorter on the missed putt. Conclusion. Performance failure under pressure appears to be due to disruptions in attentional control once movement has been initiated.
These findings support the predictions of attentional control theory (ACT) and suggest that the QE may have an online control function, providing visual sensory information as the movement unfolds.
Abstract.
Vine SJ, Lee D, Moore LJ, Wilson MR (2013). Quiet eye and choking: online control breaks down at the point of performance failure.
Med Sci Sports Exerc,
45(10), 1988-1994.
Abstract:
Quiet eye and choking: online control breaks down at the point of performance failure.
PURPOSE: the quiet eye (QE) is a characteristic of highly skilled perceptual and motor performance that has been shown to be sensitive to increases in anxiety. The present study is the first to examine changes in the QE at the precise point of performance failure under heightened anxiety. QE durations were compared for the first, penultimate, and final (missed) putts taken in a pressurized shootout task. To probe the effects of anxiety more specifically, differences in the component of the QE that occurred before (QE-pre), during (QE-online), and after (QE-dwell) putter movement were examined. METHODS: Fifty expert golfers (average handicap of 3.6) performed putts under pressure until they missed ("shootout"). Gaze was recorded throughout with an ASL Mobile Eye Tracker. Total QE, preprogramming QE (the proportion of QE that occurred before backswing; QE-pre), online control QE (the proportion of QE that occurred during the putting stroke; QE-online), and QE-dwell (the proportion of QE that occurred after putter-ball contact; QE-dwell) were calculated for the first, penultimate, and final putts. RESULTS: Total QE duration was significantly shorter for the final (missed) putt compared with the first and penultimate (successful) putts. Although QE-pre duration was similar across the three putts, the components of the QE occurring during (QE-online) and after (QE-dwell) putter movement were significantly shorter on the missed putt. CONCLUSIONS: Performance failure under pressure appears to be due to disruptions in attentional control once movement has been initiated. These findings support the predictions of attentional control theory and suggest that the QE may have an online control function, providing visual sensory information as the movement unfolds.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Wilson MR, Miles CAL, Vine SJ, Vickers JN (2013). Quiet eye distinguishes children of high and low motor coordination abilities.
Med Sci Sports Exerc,
45(6), 1144-1151.
Abstract:
Quiet eye distinguishes children of high and low motor coordination abilities.
PURPOSE: This is the first study to use the quiet eye (QE) as an objective measure of visuomotor control underpinning proficiency differences in children's motor coordination. METHODS: Fifty-seven, year 5 primary school children (9-10 yr old) completed the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition (MABC-2), while wearing a gaze registration system. Participants were subsequently divided into one of three ability groups: high motor coordination (HMC), median motor coordination (MMC), and low motor coordination (LMC) based on these MABC-2 scores (mean % rank: HMC = 84%, MMC = 51%, LMC = 19%). QE analyses were performed for the fourth task of the MABC-2, which involved throwing a tennis ball against a wall and catching it on the return. RESULTS: the HMC group was more successful in the catching task than both other groups (catching percentage: HMC = 92%, MMC = 62%, LMC = 35%) and demonstrated superior visuomotor control throughout the throwing and catching phases of the task. Compared with the other groups, the HMC group demonstrated longer targeting QE fixations before the release of the ball (HMC = 500 ms, MMC = 410 ms, LMC = 260 ms) and longer tracking QE durations before catching (HMC = 260 ms, MMC = 200 ms, LMC = 150 ms). There were no significant differences in ball flight time between the groups. Mediation analyses revealed that only the duration of the tracking QE predicted group differences in catching ability. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that the ability to predict and calibrate movements based on sensory feedback may be impaired in children with movement coordination difficulties and have implications for how they are taught fundamental movement skills.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Moore LJ, Vine SJ, Freeman P, Wilson MR (2013). Quiet eye training promotes challenge appraisals and aids performance under elevated anxiety. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology
Vine SJ, Moore LJ, Cooke A, Ring CM, Wilson MR (2013). Quiet eye training: a means to implicit motor learning.
International Journal of Sport Psychology,
44(4), 367-386.
Abstract:
Quiet eye training: a means to implicit motor learning.
The aim of this study was to determine if quiet eye (QE)-training might act as a form of implicit motor learning; enabling trainees to maintain performance under pressure by limiting the accrual of explicit rules governing performance. Forty-five novice golfers performed 40 baseline and 320 acquisition golf putts in one of three instruction groups (QE, analogy, explicit). Learning and resilience to pressure were assessed in a retention-pressure-retention design (60 putts) during which performance error, QE, conscious processing and explicit rule accrual were measured. The QE-trained group outperformed the analogy group in the retention tests and both other groups in the pressure test; underpinned by superior visual attentional control (longer QE periods). The QE trained group and the analogy group reported fewer explicit rules and less conscious processing than the explicit group. QE training therefore appears to offer advantages in terms of both resilience to pressure and expedited skill acquisition.
Abstract.
Wood G, Vine SJ, Wilson MR (2013). The impact of visual illusions on perception, action planning, and motor performance.
Atten Percept Psychophys,
75(5), 830-834.
Abstract:
The impact of visual illusions on perception, action planning, and motor performance.
The present study extended recent research revealing that illusions can influence performance in golf putting (Witt, Linkenauger, & Proffitt Psychological Science, 23, 397-399, 2012), by exploring the potential mediating roles of attention and action planning. Glover and Dixon's (Journal of Experimental Psychology. Human Perception and Performance, 27, 560-572, 2001) planning-control model suggests that both perceptual and movement-planning processes are prone to illusion-based bias. We therefore predicted that both the perception of target size and a measure of attentional control related to movement planning in golf putting (the quiet eye) would be influenced by the illusion. Moreover, as performance could not be corrected using online control (once the ball was struck), we predicted that these biases would also influence performance. We therefore proposed a three-stage process by which illusory context biases perceptual processes, which in turn bias subsequent attentional control related to movement planning, which in turn biases motor performance. Forty novice golfers completed an Ebbinghaus illusion putting task that was designed to manipulate their perceptions of target size, while quiet eye duration and performance (mean radial error) were measured. The results indicated that the illusion was effective in facilitating differences in perceived target size, with perceptually bigger holes promoting longer quiet eye durations and more accurate putting. Follow-up mediation analyses revealed that illusion-based differences in size perception partially mediated illusion-based differences in both quiet eye duration and performance. Moreover, the relationship between illusion-based differences in quiet eye duration and performance was also significant. Future research should further test this three-stage process of bias in other far-aiming tasks in which online control cannot be used.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Vine SJ, Masters RSW, McGrath JS, Bright E, Wilson MR (2013). You can't beat experience, but you can cheat it.
Surgery,
153(2).
Author URL.
2012
Vine SJ, Masters RSW, McGrath JS, Bright E, Wilson MR (2012). Cheating experience: Guiding novices to adopt the gaze strategies of experts expedites the learning of technical laparoscopic skills.
Surgery (United States),
152(1), 32-40.
Abstract:
Cheating experience: Guiding novices to adopt the gaze strategies of experts expedites the learning of technical laparoscopic skills
Background: Previous research has demonstrated that trainees can be taught (via explicit verbal instruction) to adopt the gaze strategies of expert laparoscopic surgeons. The current study examined a software template designed to guide trainees to adopt expert gaze control strategies passively, without being provided with explicit instructions. Methods: We examined 27 novices (who had no laparoscopic training) performing 50 learning trials of a laparoscopic training task in either a discovery-learning (DL) group or a gaze-training (GT) group while wearing an eye tracker to assess gaze control. The GT group performed trials using a surgery-training template (STT); software that is designed to guide expert-like gaze strategies by highlighting the key locations on the monitor screen. The DL group had a normal, unrestricted view of the scene on the monitor screen. Both groups then took part in a nondelayed retention test (to assess learning) and a stress test (under social evaluative threat) with a normal view of the scene. Results: the STT was successful in guiding the GT group to adopt an expert-like gaze strategy (displaying more target-locking fixations). Adopting expert gaze strategies led to an improvement in performance for the GT group, which outperformed the DL group in both retention and stress tests (faster completion time and fewer errors). Conclusion: the STT is a practical and cost-effective training interface that automatically promotes an optimal gaze strategy. Trainees who are trained to adopt the efficient target-locking gaze strategy of experts gain a performance advantage over trainees left to discover their own strategies for task completion. © 2012 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.
Abstract.
Vine SJ, Masters RSW, McGrath JS, Bright E, Wilson MR (2012). Cheating experience: Guiding novices to adopt the gaze strategies of experts expedites the learning of technical laparoscopic skills.
Surgery,
152(1), 32-40.
Abstract:
Cheating experience: Guiding novices to adopt the gaze strategies of experts expedites the learning of technical laparoscopic skills.
BACKGROUND: Previous research has demonstrated that trainees can be taught (via explicit verbal instruction) to adopt the gaze strategies of expert laparoscopic surgeons. The current study examined a software template designed to guide trainees to adopt expert gaze control strategies passively, without being provided with explicit instructions. METHODS: We examined 27 novices (who had no laparoscopic training) performing 50 learning trials of a laparoscopic training task in either a discovery-learning (DL) group or a gaze-training (GT) group while wearing an eye tracker to assess gaze control. The GT group performed trials using a surgery-training template (STT); software that is designed to guide expert-like gaze strategies by highlighting the key locations on the monitor screen. The DL group had a normal, unrestricted view of the scene on the monitor screen. Both groups then took part in a nondelayed retention test (to assess learning) and a stress test (under social evaluative threat) with a normal view of the scene. RESULTS: the STT was successful in guiding the GT group to adopt an expert-like gaze strategy (displaying more target-locking fixations). Adopting expert gaze strategies led to an improvement in performance for the GT group, which outperformed the DL group in both retention and stress tests (faster completion time and fewer errors). CONCLUSION: the STT is a practical and cost-effective training interface that automatically promotes an optimal gaze strategy. Trainees who are trained to adopt the efficient target-locking gaze strategy of experts gain a performance advantage over trainees left to discover their own strategies for task completion.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Bright EA, Vine SJ, Wilson MR, McGrath JS (2012). Differences in the visuomotor control of experts and novices performing a virtual reality TURP.
Author URL.
Dutton T, Vine S, McGrath J, Bright E, Wilson M (2012). EXAMINING THE VISUAL CONTROL STRATEGIES OF EXPERTS AND NOVICES TO ESTABLISH THE VALIDITY OF a NOVEL TURP SIMULATOR.
Author URL.
Bright E, Vine S, Wilson MR, Masters RSW, McGrath JS (2012). Face validity, construct validity and training benefits of a virtual reality turp simulator.
International Journal of Surgery,
10(3), 163-166.
Abstract:
Face validity, construct validity and training benefits of a virtual reality turp simulator
Objective: to assess face validity, construct validity and the training benefits of a virtual reality TURP simulator. Method: 11 novices (no TURP experience) and 7 experts (>200 TURP's) completed a virtual reality median lobe prostate resection task on the TURPsim™ (Simbionix USA Corp. Cleveland, OH). Performance indicators (percentage of prostate resected (PR), percentage of capsular resection (CR) and time diathermy loop active without tissue contact (TAWC) were recorded via the TURPsim™ and compared between novices and experts to assess construct validity. Verbal comments provided by experts following task completion were used to assess face validity. Repeated attempts of the task by the novices were analysed to assess the training benefits of the TURPsim™. Results: Experts resected a significantly greater percentage of prostate per minute (p < 0.01) and had significantly less active diathermy time without tissue contact (p < 0.01) than novices. After practice, novices were able to perform the simulation more effectively, with significant improvement in all measured parameters. Improvement in performance was noted in novices following repetitive training, as evidenced by improved TAWC scores that were not significantly different from the expert group (p = 0.18). Conclusions: This study has established face and construct validity for the TURPsim™. The potential benefit in using this tool to train novices has also been demonstrated. © 2012 Surgical Associates Ltd.
Abstract.
Bright E, Vine S, Wilson MR, Masters RSW, McGrath JS (2012). Face validity, construct validity and training benefits of a virtual reality turp simulator. International Journal of Surgery
Bright E, Vine S, Wilson MR, Masters RSW, McGrath JS (2012). Face validity, construct validity and training benefits of a virtual reality turp simulator. International Journal of Surgery, 10(3), 163-166.
Vine S, Dutton T, Wilson M, Bright E, McGrath J (2012). LEARNING EFFECTS USING a TURP SIMULATOR: ASSESSING CHANGES IN VISUAL CONTROL AND PERFORMANCE.
Author URL.
Wilson MR, Cooke AM, Vine SJ, Moore LJ, Ring CM (2012). New advances in the quiet eye phenomenon from research in neuroscience, centre of pressure (COP), and surgery-Quiet eye, quiet head, quiet hand, or quiet heart: the four horsemen of human motor performance?.
JOURNAL OF SPORT & EXERCISE PSYCHOLOGY,
34, S37-S38.
Author URL.
Moore LJ, Vine SJ, Cooke A, Ring C, Wilson MR (2012). Quiet eye training expedites motor learning and aids performance under heightened anxiety: the roles of response programming and external attention.
Psychophysiology,
49(7), 1005-1015.
Abstract:
Quiet eye training expedites motor learning and aids performance under heightened anxiety: the roles of response programming and external attention.
Quiet eye training expedites skill learning and facilitates anxiety-resistant performance. Changes in response programming and external focus of attention may explain such benefits. We examined the effects of quiet eye training on golf-putting performance, quiet eye duration, kinematics (clubhead acceleration), and physiological (heart rate, muscle activity) responses. Forty participants were assigned to a quiet eye or technical trained group and completed 420 baseline, training, retention, and pressure putts. The quiet eye group performed more accurately and displayed more effective gaze control, lower clubhead acceleration, greater heart rate deceleration, and reduced muscle activity than the technical trained group during retention and pressure tests. Thus, quiet eye training was linked to indirect measures of improved response programming and an external focus. Mediation analyses partially endorsed a response programming explanation.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Moore LJ, Vine SJ, Cooke AM, Ring C, Wilson MR (2012). Quiet eye training expedites motor learning and aids performance under pressure: the roles of response programming and external attention.
Psychophysiology: an international journal,
49, 1005-1015.
Abstract:
Quiet eye training expedites motor learning and aids performance under pressure: the roles of response programming and external attention.
Quiet eye training expedites skill learning and facilitates anxiety-resistant performance. Changes in response program- ming and external focus of attention may explain such benefits. We examined the effects of quiet eye training on golf-putting performance, quiet eye duration, kinematics (clubhead acceleration), and physiological (heart rate, muscle activity) responses. Forty participants were assigned to a quiet eye or technical trained group and completed 420 baseline, training, retention, and pressure putts. The quiet eye group performed more accurately and displayed more effective gaze control, less clubhead acceleration, greater heart rate deceleration, and reduced muscle activity than the technical trained group during retention and pressure tests. Thus, quiet eye training was linked to indirect measures of improved response programming and an external focus. Mediation analyses partially endorsed a response programming explanation.
Abstract.
Vine SJ, Moore LJ, Wilson MR (2012). Quiet eye training: the acquisition, refinement and resilient performance of targeting skills.
European Journal of Sports SciencesAbstract:
Quiet eye training: the acquisition, refinement and resilient performance of targeting skills.
How we learn and refine motor skills in the most effective manner and how we prevent performance breakdown in pressurised or demanding circumstances are among the most important questions within the sport psychology and skill
acquisition literature. The quiet eye (QE) has emerged as a characteristic of highly skilled perceptual and motor performance in visually guided motor tasks. Defined as the final fixation that occurs prior to a critical movement, over 70
articles have been published in the last 15 years probing the role that the QE plays in. underpinning skilled performance.
The aim of this review is to integrate research findings from studies examining the QE as a measure of visuomotor control in the specific domain of targeting skills; motor skills requiring an object to be propelled to a distant target. Previous reviews have focused primarily on the differences in QE between highly skilled performers and their less skilled counterparts. The current review aims to discuss contemporary findings relating to 1. The benefits of QE training for the acquisition and refinement of targeting skills; 2. The effects of anxiety upon the QE and subsequent targeting skill performance and 3. The benefits of QE training in supporting resilient performance under elevated anxiety. Finally, potential processes through which QE training proffers this advantage, including improved attentional control, response
programming and external focus, will be discussed and directions for future research proposed.
Abstract.
Moore LJ, Vine SJ, Wilson MR, Freeman P (2012). The effect of challenge and threat states on performance: an examination of potential mechanisms.
Psychophysiology,
49(10), 1417-1425.
Abstract:
The effect of challenge and threat states on performance: an examination of potential mechanisms
Challenge and threat states predict future performance; however, no research has examined their immediate effect on motor task performance. The present study examined the effect of challenge and threat states on golf putting performance and several possible mechanisms. One hundred twenty-seven participants were assigned to a challenge or threat group and performed six putts during which emotions, gaze, putting kinematics, muscle activity, and performance were recorded. Challenge and threat states were successively manipulated via task instructions. The challenge group performed more accurately, reported more favorable emotions, and displayed more effective gaze, putting kinematics, and muscle activity than the threat group. Multiple putting kinematic variables mediated the relationship between group and performance, suggesting that challenge and threat states impact performance at a predominately kinematic level. © 2012 Society for Psychophysiological Research.
Abstract.
Moore LJ, Vine SJ, Wilson MR, Freeman P (2012). The effect of challenge and threat states on performance: an examination of potential mechanisms.
Psychophysiology,
49(10), 1417-1425.
Abstract:
The effect of challenge and threat states on performance: an examination of potential mechanisms.
Challenge and threat states predict future performance; however, no research has examined their immediate effect on motor task performance. The present study examined the effect of challenge and threat states on golf putting performance and several possible mechanisms. One hundred twenty-seven participants were assigned to a challenge or threat group and performed six putts during which emotions, gaze, putting kinematics, muscle activity, and performance were recorded. Challenge and threat states were successively manipulated via task instructions. The challenge group performed more accurately, reported more favorable emotions, and displayed more effective gaze, putting kinematics, and muscle activity than the threat group. Multiple putting kinematic variables mediated the relationship between group and performance, suggesting that challenge and threat states impact performance at a predominately kinematic level.
Abstract.
Author URL.
2011
McGrath JS, Moore L, Wilson MR, Freeman P, Vine S (2011). 'Challenge' and 'threat' states in surgery: implications for surgical performance and training.
BJU Int,
108(6), 795-796.
Author URL.
Wilson MR, Vine SJ, Bright E, Masters RSW, Defriend D, McGrath JS (2011). Gaze training enhances laparoscopic technical skill acquisition and multi-tasking performance: a randomized, controlled study.
Surg Endosc,
25(12), 3731-3739.
Abstract:
Gaze training enhances laparoscopic technical skill acquisition and multi-tasking performance: a randomized, controlled study.
BACKGROUND: the operating room environment is replete with stressors and distractions that increase the attention demands of what are already complex psychomotor procedures. Contemporary research in other fields (e.g. sport) has revealed that gaze training interventions may support the development of robust movement skills. This current study was designed to examine the utility of gaze training for technical laparoscopic skills and to test performance under multitasking conditions. METHODS: Thirty medical trainees with no laparoscopic experience were divided randomly into one of three treatment groups: gaze trained (GAZE), movement trained (MOVE), and discovery learning/control (DISCOVERY). Participants were fitted with a Mobile Eye gaze registration system, which measures eye-line of gaze at 25 Hz. Training consisted of ten repetitions of the "eye-hand coordination" task from the LAP Mentor VR laparoscopic surgical simulator while receiving instruction and video feedback (specific to each treatment condition). After training, all participants completed a control test (designed to assess learning) and a multitasking transfer test, in which they completed the procedure while performing a concurrent tone counting task. RESULTS: Not only did the GAZE group learn more quickly than the MOVE and DISCOVERY groups (faster completion times in the control test), but the performance difference was even more pronounced when multitasking. Differences in gaze control (target locking fixations), rather than tool movement measures (tool path length), underpinned this performance advantage for GAZE training. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that although the GAZE intervention focused on training gaze behavior only, there were indirect benefits for movement behaviors and performance efficiency. Additionally, focusing on a single external target when learning, rather than on complex movement patterns, may have freed-up attentional resources that could be applied to concurrent cognitive tasks.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Wilson MR, McGrath JS, Vine SJ, Brewer J, Defriend D, Masters RSW (2011). Perceptual impairment and psychomotor control in virtual laparoscopic surgery.
Surg Endosc,
25(7), 2268-2274.
Abstract:
Perceptual impairment and psychomotor control in virtual laparoscopic surgery.
BACKGROUND: it is recognised that one of the major difficulties in performing laparoscopic surgery is the translation of two-dimensional video image information to a three-dimensional working area. However, research has tended to ignore the gaze and eye-hand coordination strategies employed by laparoscopic surgeons as they attempt to overcome these perceptual constraints. This study sought to examine if measures related to tool movements, gaze strategy, and eye-hand coordination (the quiet eye) differentiate between experienced and novice operators performing a two-handed manoeuvres task on a virtual reality laparoscopic surgical simulator (LAP Mentor™). METHODS: Twenty-five right-handed surgeons were categorised as being either experienced (having led more than 60 laparoscopic procedures) or novice (having performed fewer than 10 procedures) operators. The 10 experienced and 15 novice surgeons completed the "two-hand manoeuvres" task from the LAP Mentor basic skills learning environment while wearing a gaze registration system. Performance, movement, gaze, and eye-hand coordination parameters were recorded and compared between groups. RESULTS: the experienced surgeons completed the task significantly more quickly than the novices, used significantly fewer movements, and displayed shorter tool paths. Gaze analyses revealed that experienced surgeons spent significantly more time fixating the target locations than novices, who split their time between focusing on the targets and tracking the tools. A more detailed analysis of a difficult subcomponent of the task revealed that experienced operators used a significantly longer aiming fixation (the quiet eye period) to guide precision grasping movements and hence needed fewer grasp attempts. CONCLUSION: the findings of the study provide further support for the utility of examining strategic gaze behaviour and eye-hand coordination measures to help further our understanding of how experienced surgeons attempt to overcome the perceptual difficulties inherent in the laparoscopic environment.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Vine SJ, Moore LJ, Wilson MR (2011). Quiet eye training facilitates competitive putting performance in elite golfers.
Front Psychol,
2Abstract:
Quiet eye training facilitates competitive putting performance in elite golfers.
The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a brief quiet eye (QE) training intervention aimed at optimizing visuomotor control and putting performance of elite golfers under pressure, and in real competition. Twenty-two elite golfers (mean handicap 2.7) recorded putting statistics over 10 rounds of competitive golf before attending training individually. Having been randomly assigned to either a QE training or Control group, participants were fitted with an Applied Science Laboratories Mobile Eye tracker and performed 20 baseline (pre-test) putts from 10 ft. Training consisted of video feedback of their gaze behavior while they completed 20 putts; however the QE-trained group received additional instructions related to maintaining a longer QE period. Participants then recorded their putting statistics over a further 10 competitive rounds and re-visited the laboratory for retention and pressure tests of their visuomotor control and putting performance. Overall, the results were supportive of the efficacy of the QE training intervention. QE duration predicted 43% of the variance in putting performance, underlying its critical role in the visuomotor control of putting. The QE-trained group maintained their optimal QE under pressure conditions, whereas the Control group experienced reductions in QE when anxious, with subsequent effects on performance. Although their performance was similar in the pre-test, the QE-trained group holed more putts and left the ball closer to the hole on missed putts than their Control group counterparts in the pressure test. Importantly, these advantages transferred to the golf course, where QE-trained golfers made 1.9 fewer putts per round, compared to pre-training, whereas the Control group showed no change in their putting statistics. These results reveal that QE training, incorporated into a pre-shot routine, is an effective intervention to help golfers maintain control when anxious.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Vine SJ, Wilson MR (2011). The influence of quiet eye training and pressure on attention and visuo-motor control.
Acta Psychol (Amst),
136(3), 340-346.
Abstract:
The influence of quiet eye training and pressure on attention and visuo-motor control.
The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy of an intervention designed to train effective visual attentional control (quiet eye-training) for a far aiming skill, and determine whether such training protected against attentional disruptions associated with performing under pressure. Sixteen novice participants wore a mobile eye-tracker to assess their visual attentional control (quiet eye) during the completion of 520 basketball free throws carried out over 8 days. They first performed 40 pre-test free throws and were randomly allocated into a quiet eye (QE) training or Control group (technical instruction only). Participants then performed 360 free throws during a training period and a further 120 test free throws under conditions designed to manipulate the level of anxiety experienced. The QE trained group maintained more effective visual attentional control and performed significantly better in the pressure test compared to the Control group, providing support for the efficacy of attentional training for visuo-motor skills.
Abstract.
Author URL.
2010
Wilson M, McGrath J, Vine S, Brewer J, Defriend D, Masters R (2010). Psychomotor control in a virtual laparoscopic surgery training environment: gaze control parameters differentiate novices from experts.
Surg Endosc,
24(10), 2458-2464.
Abstract:
Psychomotor control in a virtual laparoscopic surgery training environment: gaze control parameters differentiate novices from experts.
BACKGROUND: Surgical simulation is increasingly used to facilitate the adoption of technical skills during surgical training. This study sought to determine if gaze control parameters could differentiate between the visual control of experienced and novice operators performing an eye-hand coordination task on a virtual reality laparoscopic surgical simulator (LAP Mentor™). Typically adopted hand movement metrics reflect only one half of the eye-hand coordination relationship; therefore, little is known about how hand movements are guided and controlled by vision. METHODS: a total of 14 right-handed surgeons were categorised as being either experienced (having led more than 70 laparoscopic procedures) or novice (having performed fewer than 10 procedures) operators. The eight experienced and six novice surgeons completed the eye-hand coordination task from the LAP Mentor basic skills package while wearing a gaze registration system. A variety of performance, movement, and gaze parameters were recorded and compared between groups. RESULTS: the experienced surgeons completed the task significantly more quickly than the novices, but only the economy of movement of the left tool differentiated skill level from the LAP Mentor parameters. Gaze analyses revealed that experienced surgeons spent significantly more time fixating the target locations than novices, who split their time between focusing on the targets and tracking the tools. CONCLUSION: the findings of the study provide support for the utility of assessing strategic gaze behaviour to better understand the way in which surgeons utilise visual information to plan and control tool movements in a virtual reality laparoscopic environment. It is hoped that by better understanding the limitations of the psychomotor system, effective gaze training programs may be developed.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Vine SJ, Wilson MR (2010). Quiet eye training: Effects on learning and performance under pressure.
Journal of Applied Sport Psychology,
22(4), 361-376.
Abstract:
Quiet eye training: Effects on learning and performance under pressure
The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy of quiet eye (QE) training in optimizing the learning and performance under pressure of novices in a putting task. Fourteen participants performed 40 pre-test putts and were randomly allocated into a QE training or control group. They then performed 320 acquisition phase putts and a further 120 test putts in a retention-transfer (pressure)-retention design. The QE-trained group maintained more effective attentional control and performed significantly better in the pressure test compared to the control group. Furthermore, longer QE periods were associated with better performance across all test putts. © Association for Applied Sport Psychology.
Abstract.
McGrath J, Wilson M, Vine S, DeFriend D (2010). The use of gaze analysis to understand the visuomotor control of novice and expert laparoscopic surgeons performing simulated tasks.
Author URL.
2009
Wilson MR, Wood G, Vine SJ (2009). Anxiety, Attentional Control, and Performance Impairment in Penalty Kicks.
J Sport Exerc Psy,
31(6), 761-775.
Abstract:
Anxiety, Attentional Control, and Performance Impairment in Penalty Kicks
The current study sought to test the predictions of attentional control theory (ACT) in a sporting environment. Fourteen experienced footballers took penalty kicks under low- and high-threat counterbalanced conditions while wearing a gaze registration system. Fixations to target locations (goalkeeper and goal area) were determined using frame-by-frame analysis. When anxious, footballers made faster first fixations and fixated for significantly longer toward the goalkeeper. This disruption in gaze behavior brought about significant reductions in shooting accuracy, with shots becoming significantly centralized and within the goalkeeper’s reach. These findings support the predictions of ACT, as anxious participants were more likely to focus on the “threatening” goalkeeper, owing to an increased influence of the stimulus-driven attentional control system.
Abstract.
Wilson MR, Vine SJ (2009). Performing under pressure: Attentional control and the suppression of vision in basketball free-throw shooting. In Chang CH (Ed)
Handbook of Sport Psychology, Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science, 277-296.
Abstract:
Performing under pressure: Attentional control and the suppression of vision in basketball free-throw shooting.
Abstract.
Wilson MR, Vine SJ, Wood G (2009). The influence of anxiety on visual attentional control in basketball free throw shooting.
J Sport Exerc Psychol,
31(2), 152-168.
Abstract:
The influence of anxiety on visual attentional control in basketball free throw shooting.
The aim of this study was to test the predictions of attentional control theory using the quiet eye period as an objective measure of attentional control. Ten basketball players took free throws in two counterbalanced experimental conditions designed to manipulate the anxiety they experienced. Point of gaze was measured using an ASL Mobile Eye tracker and fixations including the quiet eye were determined using frame-by-frame analysis. The manipulation of anxiety resulted in significant reductions in the duration of the quiet eye period and free throw success rate, thus supporting the predictions of attentional control theory. Anxiety impaired goal-directed attentional control (quiet eye period) at the expense of stimulus-driven control (more fixations of shorter duration to various targets). The findings suggest that attentional control theory may be a useful theoretical framework for examining the relationship between anxiety and performance in visuomotor sport skills.
Abstract.
Author URL.
