Publications by year
In Press
Swainston S, Wilson M, Jones M (In Press). "It's all about opportunity": from professional contract to first team regular. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology
Harris D, Arthur T, Kearse J, Olonilua M, Hassan EK, de Burgh T, Wilson M, Vine SJ (In Press). 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, Vine SJ (In Press). 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, 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, Allen K, Vine SJ, Wilson M (In Press). 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.
Harris D, Arthur T, Broadbent D, Wilson M, Vine SJ, Runswick O (In Press). 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.
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.
Arthur T, Harris D, Buckingham G, Brosnan M, Wilson M, Williams G, Vine SJ (In Press). 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.
Harris D, Wilson M, Jones MI, de Burgh T, Mundy D, Arthur T, Olonilua M, Vine SJ (In Press). 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, 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
Słowiński PM, Grindley B, Muncie H, Harris D, Vine SJ, Wilson M (In Press). 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.
Harris D, Wilson M, Vine SJ (In Press). 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<.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.
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
Harris D, Wilson M, Holmes T, de Burgh T, Vine SJ (In Press). 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.
Thomas GL, Wilson MR (In Press). Introducing children to rugby: Elite coaches’ perspectives on positive player development.
Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise & HealthAbstract:
Introducing children to rugby: Elite coaches’ perspectives on positive player development.
The overall aim of the study was to identify what elite coaches believed were the key components for organized rugby union participation during childhood (7 to 11 years old). Nine elite male rugby union coaches participated in individual semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke 2006) identified the importance of an age-appropriate competitive games pathway, where more specialized skills were built sequentially on top of the foundations of basic evasion, handling and tackling skills. The findings were generally supportive of the principles of the developmental model of sports participation (DMSP; Côté 1999). In particular, elite coaches identified that an emphasis on less structured games (deliberate play) and early diversification (sampling) were beneficial for player development in the mini rugby years (under 12). However, contrary to a strict interpretation of the DMSP, the coaches also identified that appropriate adult involvement and organized competition could be beneficial to development in these sampling years.
Abstract.
Arthur T, Brosnan M, Harris D, Buckingham G, Wilson M, Williams G, Vine SJ (In Press). 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.
Harris D, Vine SJ, Wilson M (In Press). 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.
Harris D, Vine SJ, Eysenck M, Wilson M (In Press). 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.
Harris D, Arthur T, Vine SJ, liu J, Rahman HRA, Han F, Wilson M (In Press). 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.
Arthur T, Vine SJ, Buckingham G, Brosnan M, Wilson M, Harris D (In Press). 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 (In Press). 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, Hardcastle K, Wilson M, Vine SJ (In Press). 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 D, Wilson M, Vine SJ (In Press). 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.
Harris D, Arthur T, Vine SJ, Rahman HRA, Han F, liu J, Wilson M (In Press). 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, Wilson M, Vine SJ (In Press). 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.
Harris D, Vine SJ, Wilson M, Arthur T (In Press). 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.
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
Harris D, Buckingham G, Wilson M, Vine SJ (In Press). 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.
Maslivec A, Fielding A, Wilson M, Norris M, Young W (In Press). ‘Recoupling’ the attentional and motor control of preparatory postural adjustments to overcome Freezing of Gait in Parkinson’s.
Abstract:
‘Recoupling’ the attentional and motor control of preparatory postural adjustments to overcome Freezing of Gait in Parkinson’s
Abstract
. Objectives
This study examined if people with Parkinson’s and freezing of gait pathology (FoG) could be trained to increase preparatory weight-shift amplitude, and facilitate step initiation during FoG.
Methods
Thirty-five people with Parkinson’s and FoG attempted to initiate forward stepping either during a FoG event (n=17, FoG-F) or following a voluntary stop (n=18, FoG-NF) in a Baseline condition and two conditions where an increased weight-shift amplitude was trained via: i) Explicit verbal instruction, and ii) Implicit movement analogies.
Results
At Baseline , weight-shift amplitudes were smaller during: i) unsuccessful, compared to successful step initiations (FoG-F group), and ii) successful step initiations in the FoG-F group compared to FoG-NF. Both Verbal and Analogy training resulted in significant increases in weight-shift amplitude in both groups, and a corresponding pronounced reduction in unsuccessful attempts to initiate stepping (FoG-F group).
Conclusions
Hypometric preparatory weight-shifting is associated with failure to initiate forward stepping in people with Parkinson’s and FoG. However, impaired weight-shift characteristics are modifiable through conscious strategies. This current study provides a novel and critical evaluation of preparatory weight-shift amplitudes during FoG events. The intervention described represents an attractive ‘rescue’ strategy and should be further scrutinised regarding limitations posed by physical and cognitive deficits.
Abstract.
Maslivec A, Fielding A, Wilson M, Norris M, Young W (In Press). ‘Recoupling’ the attentional and motor control of preparatory postural adjustments to overcome Freezing of Gait in Parkinson’s.
Abstract:
‘Recoupling’ the attentional and motor control of preparatory postural adjustments to overcome Freezing of Gait in Parkinson’s
Abstract
. Objectives
This study examined if people with Parkinson’s and freezing of gait pathology (FoG) could be trained to increase preparatory weight-shift amplitude, and facilitate step initiation during FoG.
Methods
Thirty-five people with Parkinson’s and FoG attempted to initiate forward stepping either during a FoG event (n = 17, FoG-F) or following a voluntary stop (n = 18, FoG-NF) in a Baseline condition and two conditions where an increased weight-shift amplitude was trained via: i) Explicit verbal instruction, and ii) Implicit movement analogies.
Results
at Baseline, weight-shift amplitudes were smaller during: i) unsuccessful, compared to successful step initiations (FoG-F group), and ii) successful step initiations in the FoG-F group compared to FoG-NF. Both Verbal and Analogy training resulted in significant increases in weight-shift amplitude in both groups, and a corresponding pronounced reduction in unsuccessful attempts to initiate stepping (FoG-F group).
Conclusions
Hypometric preparatory weight-shifting is associated with failure to initiate forward stepping in people with Parkinson’s and FoG. However, impaired weight-shift characteristics are modifiable through conscious strategies. This current study provides a novel and critical evaluation of preparatory weight-shift amplitudes during FoG events. The intervention described represents an attractive ‘rescue’ strategy and should be further scrutinised regarding limitations posed by physical and cognitive deficits.
Abstract.
Maslivec A, Fielding A, Wilson M, Norris M, Young W (In Press). ‘Recoupling’ the attentional and motor control of preparatory postural adjustments to overcome Freezing of Gait in Parkinson’s.
Abstract:
‘Recoupling’ the attentional and motor control of preparatory postural adjustments to overcome Freezing of Gait in Parkinson’s
Abstract
. Objectives: This study examined if people with Parkinson’s and freezing of gait pathology (FoG) could be trained to increase preparatory weight-shift amplitude, and facilitate step initiation during FoG. Methods: Thirty-five people with Parkinson’s and FoG attempted to initiate forward walking from a stationary position caused by a freeze (n=17, FoG-F) or voluntarily stop (n=18, FoG-NF) in a Baseline condition and two conditions where an increased weight-shift amplitude was trained via: i) explicit verbal instruction, and ii) implicit movement analogies. Results: at Baseline, weight-shift amplitudes were smaller during: i) unsuccessful, compared to successful step initiations (FoG-F group), and ii) successful step initiations in the FoG-F group compared to FoG-NF. Both Verbal and Analogy training resulted in significant increases in weight-shift amplitude in both groups, and a corresponding pronounced reduction in unsuccessful attempts to initiate stepping (FoG-F group). Conclusions: Hypometric preparatory weight-shifting is associated with failure to initiate forward stepping in people with Parkinson’s and FoG. However, impaired weight-shift characteristics are modifiable through conscious strategies. This current study provides a novel and critical evaluation of preparatory weight-shift amplitudes during FoG events. The intervention described represents an attractive ‘rescue’ strategy and should be further scrutinised regarding limitations posed by physical and cognitive deficits.
Abstract.
2023
Kelly AL, Williams CA, Jackson DT, Turnnidge J, Reeves MJ, Dugdale JH, Wilson MR (2023). Exploring the role of socioeconomic status and psychological characteristics on talent development in an English soccer academy.
Sci Med FootbAbstract:
Exploring the role of socioeconomic status and psychological characteristics on talent development in an English soccer academy.
Social factors and psychological characteristics can influence participation and development in talent pathways. However, the interaction between these two factors is relatively unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the implications of socioeconomic status and psychological characteristics in English academy soccer players (n=58; aged 11 to 16 years). To assess socioeconomic status, participants' home postcodes were coded according to each individual's social classification and credit rating, applying the UK General Registrar Classification system and CameoTM geodemographic database, respectively. Participants also completed the six factor Psychological Characteristics for Developing Excellence Questionnaire (PCDEQ). A classification of 'higher-potentials' (n=19) and 'lower-potentials' (n=19) were applied through coach potential rankings. Data were standardised using z-scores to eliminate age bias and data were analysed using independent sample t-tests. Results showed that higher-potentials derived from families with significantly lower social classifications (p=0.014) and reported higher levels for PCDEQ Factor 3 (coping with performance and developmental pressures) (p=0.007) compared to lower-potentials. This study can be used to support the impetus for researchers and practitioners to consider the role of social factors and psychological characteristics when developing sporting talent. For example, facilitating player-centred development within an academy and, where necessary, providing individuals with additional support.
Abstract.
Author URL.
2022
Williams C, Kelly A, Cook R, Jimenez Saiz SL, Wilson M (2022). A Multidisciplinary Investigation into the Talent Development Processes at an English Football Academy: a Machine Learning Approach.
Sports,
10Abstract:
A Multidisciplinary Investigation into the Talent Development Processes at an English Football Academy: a Machine Learning Approach
The talent development processes in youth football are both complex and multidimensional.
The purpose of this two-fold study was to apply a multidisciplinary, machine learning approach
to examine: (a) the developmental characteristics of under-9 to under-16 academy players (n = 98;
Study 1), and (b) the characteristics of selected and deselected under-18 academy players (n = 18;
Study 2). A combined total of 53 factors cumulated from eight data collection methods across two
seasons were analysed. A cross-validated Lasso regression was implemented, using the glmnet
package in R, to analyse the factors that contributed to: (a) player review ratings (Study 1), and
(b) achieving a professional contract (Study 2). Results showed non-zero coefficients for improvement
in subjective performance in 15 out of the 53 analysed features, with key findings revealing advanced
percentage of predicted adult height (0.196), greater lob pass (0.160) and average dribble completion
percentage (0.124), more total match-play hours (0.145), and an older relative age (BQ1 vs. BQ2:
0.133; BQ1 vs. BQ4: 0.060) were the most important features that contributed towards player
review ratings. Moreover, PCDEQ Factor 3 and an ability to organise and engage in quality practice
(PCDEQ Factor 4) were important contributing factors towards achieving a professional contract.
Overall, it appears the key factors associated with positive developmental outcomes are not always
technical and tactical in nature, where coaches often have their expertise. Indeed, the relative
importance of these factors is likely to change over time, and with age, although psychological
attributes appear to be key to reaching potential across the academy journey. The methodological
techniques used here also serve as an impetus for researchers to adopt a machine learning approach
when analysing multidimensional databases.
Abstract.
Slowinski P (2022). Assessment of cognitive biases in Augmented Reality: Beyond eye tracking (dataset).
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 S (2022). Investigating how Explicit Contextual Cues Affect Predictive Sensorimotor Control in Autistic Adults.
J Autism Dev DisordAbstract:
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.
Parakkal Unni M (2022). Mathematical modelling and Data Analysis for Parkinson’s Disease Gait.
Abstract:
Mathematical modelling and Data Analysis for Parkinson’s Disease Gait
Freezing is an involuntary stopping of gait observed in late-stage Parkinson’s disease
(PD) patients. It is a highly debilitating symptom lacking a clear understanding of its
causes and is challenging to predict. This thesis addresses (1) machine-learning-based
prediction of freezing for better management of the disease and (2) neuromechanical
modelling to explain the underpinnings of the symptom.
A data-driven approach is proposed in chapter 4 for predicting freezing events
using a machine learning approach, specifically Random Forrest (RF), Neural Network
(NN), and Naive Bayes (NB). Data sampled using a force platform were used for this
purpose. This data was collected from PD subjects as they stepped in place until they
had at least one freezing episode. The F1 scores of the machine learning algorithms
were computed for different windowing parameters. These parameters represent the
input data length (IL) and how early the freezing event is predicted (GL). The IL that
maximised the F1 score is approximately equal to 1.13 s, indicating the physiological
changes leading to a freeze take effect at least one step before the freezing incident.
The prediction deteriorated as one tried to predict it early, evidenced by a negative
correlation between GL and F1 scores. Our algorithm has the potential to support
the development of devices to detect and then potentially prevent freezing events in
people with Parkinson’s, which might occur if left uncorrected.
As the second contribution, mathematical models of PD-Gait are developed
with varying complexity and generality to explain the observed gait characteristics
of PD. The first mathematical model described in chapter 5 consists of the stance
leg modelled as a simple inverted pendulum acted upon by the ankle-push off forces
from the trailing leg and pathological forces by the plantar-flexors of the stance
leg. Freezing and irregular walking are demonstrated in a biped model as well as the inverted pendulum model. The inverted pendulum model is further studied
semi-analytically to show the presence of horseshoe and chaos to explain the cause
of variability in PD-Gait. The model reveals that these opposing forces generated by
the plantar flexors can induce freezing and variability. The model also explains gait
abnormalities such as reduction in step length close to a freeze and irregular walking
patterns. However, the model proposed in chapter 5 does not explicitly address the
effect of central pattern generators (CPG), feedback from the limbs, and the transition
to walking from FoG observed in PD-Gait. Therefore, a generalisation of the model
is developed in chapter 6 by coupling the hybrid mechanical model with a model of
CPG and event dependent feedback. The model demonstrates gait characteristics
relevant to PD, such as freezing, high variability and stable gait. The model’s ability
to capture the PD-related characteristics across a wide parameter range showed its
robustness. Moreover, the effect of augmented feedback on the model is studied to
understand different FoG management methods, such as sensory and auditory cues.
While this model explains variability, freezing, the effect of feedback, and transitions
from freezing to walking, there is further scope to generalise this model, considering
that phase coordination is affected in PD-Gait. This generalisation requirement is
addressed in chapter 7. Here, a set of maps are derived, combining both the neural
and mechanical aspects of the PD-Gait. Phase reset curves (PRC) that correspond
to the oscillators are used to abstract the neuronal dynamics, and a simple inverted
pendulum model is used to describe the motion. Gait variability, freezing, the effect
of PPN stimulation in PD-Gait are explained using this model. The model is also
extensible to be used with different PRCs. To summarise, the thesis has potential
implications in FoG management using sensory cues, and it takes a step forward
in explaining the underpinnings of PD-Gait characteristics such as freezing and
variability.
Abstract.
Ellmers T, Wilson M, Norris M, Young W (2022). Protective or harmful? a qualitative exploration of older people’s perceptions of worries about falling. Age and Ageing
Ellmers TJ, Wilson MR, Kal EC, Young WR (2022). Standing up to threats: Translating the two-system model of fear to balance control in older adults. Experimental Gerontology, 158, 111647-111647.
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.
2021
Harris DJ, Allen KL, Vine SJ, Wilson MR (2021). A systematic review and meta-analysis of the relationship between flow states and performance.
International Review of Sport and Exercise PsychologyAbstract:
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.
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.
Roberts JW, Lawrence GP, Welsh TN, Wilson MR (2021). Does high state anxiety exacerbate distractor interference?.
Hum Mov Sci,
76Abstract:
Does high state anxiety exacerbate distractor interference?
Attentional Control Theory states that anxiety can cause attention to be allocated to irrelevant sources of information by hindering the ability to control attention and focus on the information that matters. In a separate line of inquiry, action-centred views of attention state that non-target distractors involuntarily activate response codes that may cause interference with target-directed movements (distractor interference effect). Due to the proposed negative effects of anxiety on attentional control, we examined whether anxiety could also modulate distractor interference. Participants executed target-directed aiming movements to one of three targets with the potential of a distractor being presented at near or far locations. Distractors were presented at different times with respect to the target presentation in order to explore the excitatory (0, -100 ms) and inhibitory (-850 ms) processing of the distractor. As a broad indication of the effect of anxiety, the analysis of no distractor trials indicated a lower proportion of time and displacement to reach peak velocity under high compared to low anxiety conditions. Meanwhile, the typical excitatory influence of the distractors located near, compared to far, at a short distractor-onset asynchrony was found in movement time and overall response time. However, this distractor excitation was even greater under high compared to low anxiety in the reaction time component of the response. These findings broadly implicate the attentional control perspective, but they further indicate an influence of anxiety on the excitation rather than inhibition of responses.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Cooper KB, Wilson MR, Jones MI (2021). Fast talkers? Investigating the influence of self-talk on mental toughness and finish times in 800-meter runners.
Journal of Applied Sport Psychology,
33(5), 491-509.
Abstract:
Fast talkers? Investigating the influence of self-talk on mental toughness and finish times in 800-meter runners
The purpose of this study was to explore whether a personalized self-talk intervention influenced mental toughness, rating of perceived exertion, sense of the urge to slow down, perceived performance and finish times in a series of 800-meter run time trials. While mental toughness has been associated with improved endurance performance, the effect of changing an individual’s momentary self-talk on mental toughness and finish time has not yet been examined. This single-subject, multiple baseline design case study incorporated three participants who each ran a series of 11 − 13 maximum effort 800-meter time trials on the track, separated by a minimum of two days, across ten weeks. Following an initial series of four to six baseline sessions, they were each then provided a personalized self-talk intervention before running the seven additional sessions. Visual analysis (including review of non-overlapping data points between baseline, intervention, and follow-up sessions) demonstrated the personalized self-talk intervention positively influenced mental toughness and finish times across all three participants but did not consistently affect the rating of perceived exertion, urge to slow down or perceived performance. Additional insights were identified through the integration of social validation interviews informally after each run session and then formally after the intervention. These insights included identifying a new baseline of effort accompanied by different levels of mental toughness and an intrigue on the part of participants about the notable improvement in outcomes in spite of previously perceived “all-out” effort. Lay Summary: Mental toughness variability and 800 meter finish times were both positively influenced by a personalized self-talk intervention in runners. In addition, as mental toughness increased, 800 meter finish times improved.
Abstract.
Williams CA, Wilson MR (2021). Foreword.
Xu S, Sun G, Wilson MR (2021). Neurophysiological evidence of how quiet eye supports motor performance.
Cogn Process,
22(4), 641-648.
Abstract:
Neurophysiological evidence of how quiet eye supports motor performance.
Prolonged quiet eye (QE) duration is associated with greater performance in various types of targeting and interceptive tasks. However, the mechanism by which QE affects performance remains debatable. This study aimed to test the validity of the pre-programming and online control hypotheses using electromyography (EMG), electrooculography (EOG) and electroencephalography (EEG) during a golf putting task. Twenty-one college students were recruited for this study. Each participant performed 100 golf putting trials during which the putting performance, EMG, EOG, and EEG signals were recorded. The QE duration including the pre- and post-movement initiation components, and movement-related cortical potentials (MRCPs) were analyzed off-line. We found that successful putts were associated with longer QEtotal (the total QE duration from QE onset to QE offset), QEpre (QE occurring before movement initiation), and QEpost (QE occurring after movement initiation) durations than failed putts. Greater cortical activation in the MRCPs was observed within the prefrontal, premotor, and parietal cortices during successful putts compared with failed putts. These findings suggest that QE serves both pre-programming and online control roles in supporting golf putting performance.
Abstract.
Author URL.
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.
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
Cooper KB, Wilson MR, Jones MI (2020). A 3000-mile tour of mental toughness: an autoethnographic exploration of mental toughness intra-individual variability in endurance sport.
International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology,
18(5), 607-621.
Abstract:
A 3000-mile tour of mental toughness: an autoethnographic exploration of mental toughness intra-individual variability in endurance sport
Mental toughness has garnered considerable attention over the past two decades because of the perception that this psychological construct influences an athlete’s ability to strive, thrive, and survive in sport. However, few researchers have explored the lived experiences of mental toughness within endurance sport. Analysis of lived experiences could help reveal how an athlete demonstrates (or does not demonstrate) mental toughness in real-world settings and provide insights for researchers, coaches and athletes in the future. The current autoethnographic approach offers an alternative perspective to supplement the existing mental toughness literature, and provides the most appropriate format to analyze the within-person mental toughness element at the core of this research study. The study recounts and analyses the personal experience of mental toughness across a trilogy of cycling, triathlon, and running endurance events by a single athlete over a 5-month period. The main findings focus on the variability of perceived mental toughness at different stages of competition and training and identify potential factors driving the notable fluctuation in levels of mental toughness. Factors identified as increasing this within-person mental toughness included anger, love, competition, encouragement and the recognition of a last chance to achieve meaningful goals. These findings are expected to support future research into within-person mental toughness and the practical application across a broader spectrum of settings.
Abstract.
Kelly A, Wilson MR, Jackson DT, Goldman DE, Turnnidge J, Côté J, Williams CA (2020). A multidisciplinary investigation into “playing-up” in academy football according to age phase. Journal of Sports Sciences, 39(8), 854-864.
Parakkal Unni M, Menon PP, Wilson MR, Tsaneva-Atanasova K (2020). Ankle Push-off Based Mathematical Model for Freezing of Gait in Parkinson’s Disease. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 8, 1197-1197.
Parakkal Unni M, Menon PP, Livi L, Wilson MR, Young WR, Bronte-Stewart HM, Tsaneva-Atanasova K (2020). Data-Driven Prediction of Freezing of Gait Events from Stepping Data.
Frontiers in Medical Technology,
2, 581264-581264.
Abstract:
Data-Driven Prediction of Freezing of Gait Events from Stepping Data
Freezing of gait (FoG) is typically a symptom of advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD) that negatively influences the quality of life and is often resistant to pharmacological interventions. Novel treatment options that make use of auditory or sensory cues might be optimized by prediction of freezing events. These predictions might help to trigger external sensory cues—shown to improve walking performance—when behavior is changed in a manner indicative of an impending freeze (i.e. when the user needs it the most), rather than delivering cue information continuously. A data-driven approach is proposed for predicting freezing events using Random Forrest (RF), Neural Network (NN), and Naive Bayes (NB) classifiers. Vertical forces, sampled at 100 Hz from a force platform were collected from 9 PD subjects as they stepped in place until they at least had one freezing episode or for 90 s. The F1 scores of RF/NN/NB algorithms were computed for different IL (input to the machine learning algorithm), and GL (how early the freezing event is predicted). A significant negative correlation between the F1 scores and GL, highlighting the difficulty of early detection is found. The IL that maximized the F1 score is approximately equal to 1.13 s. This indicates that the physiological (and therefore neurological) changes leading to freezing take effect at-least one step before the freezing incident. Our algorithm has the potential to support the development of devices to detect and then potentially prevent freezing events in people with Parkinson’s which might occur if left uncorrected.
Abstract.
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.
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.
Swainston SC, Wilson MR, Jones MI (2020). Player Experience During the Junior to Senior Transition in Professional Football: a Longitudinal Case Study.
Front Psychol,
11Abstract:
Player Experience During the Junior to Senior Transition in Professional Football: a Longitudinal Case Study.
The purpose of this study was to explore the evolving perspectives of young players experiences going through the junior to senior transition in professional football. A primary objective was to adopt novel methods - weekly video diaries - to allow participants to control and report their own narratives as the transition unfolded over 40 weeks. Semi structured interviews, held at four time points, allowed the lead researcher to probe further on themes that were developing. Six participants from the academy volunteered to take part, but only the three who earned professional contracts completed the study. The primary themes in the academy were the pressure experienced waiting for the contract decision, and then preparation for senior football and the first team environment once contracts were awarded. Adaptation to senior football included not only increased physical and mental demands but also those related to the different style of play, the pressure to win, and how these both impacted decision-making. The football club set up two pathways to support this adaptation, loan moves and time with the U23's. In the following season, the move to the senior squad was characterized by a lack of opportunity to play for the first team, resulting in additional loan moves. These moves, and the associated perceived lack of support structures, led to the participants experiencing issues with their club identity, their motivation and their confidence. Internal (mindset) and external (social support) coping strategies were developed over the study's duration. Concluding comments from participants were related to greater acceptance of the need to be patient, perhaps reflecting on the club's reputation of giving young players a sound football education. These phases of the transition came with ups and downs for each participant illuminating key elements of the adaptation to senior competition, barriers to transition without early success, and social aspects of the transition. Enhanced detail to these key areas poses important questions for future research and applied practice.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Kelly AL, Wilson MR, Jackson DT, Turnnidge J, Williams CA (2020). Speed of Thought and Speed of Feet: Examining Perceptual-Cognitive Expertise and Physical Performance in an English Football Academy.
Journal of Science in Sport and Exercise,
3(1), 88-97.
Abstract:
Speed of Thought and Speed of Feet: Examining Perceptual-Cognitive Expertise and Physical Performance in an English Football Academy
AbstractThe world’s greatest professional football players are able to execute effective tactical decisions as well as fulfil various physical demands. However, the degree to which both are associated with greater potential in a football academy is unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate decision-making skill and physical performance as contributing factors to coach potential rankings in an English football academy. Ninety-eight outfield academy players (Foundation Development Phase [FDP] under-9 to under-11 n = 40; Youth Development Phase [YDP] under-12 to under-16 n = 58) participated in the study. They engaged in 45 film-based simulations at two occlusion phases (e.g. the visual display is cut-off at a precise time during an action), firstly “during” and secondly “post” execution, to examine decision-making skill. Participants also completed four fitness tests to examine physical performance. A classification of “higher-potentials” (top third) and “lower-potentials” (bottom third) were applied through coach rankings. Independent t-tests compared the decision-making and physical performance tests. Higher-potentials made significantly more accurate decisions within the “post” phase within the FDP (P < 0.05) and the “during” phase within the YDP (P < 0.05). Additionally, higher-potentials were significantly faster for the 0–30 m sprint in both the FDP and YDP (P < 0.05), with higher-potentials within the YDP also significantly faster in the 0–10 m sprint (P < 0.05) and jumped significantly higher in the countermovement jump (P < 0.05). These findings indicated that greater football potential may be associated with superior perceptual-cognitive expertise and quicker sprint ability in both academy age phases, with a greater discriminatory function within the older cohort.
Abstract.
Kelly A, Wilson MR, Jackson DT, Williams CA (2020). Technical testing and match analysis statistics as part of the talent development process in an English football academy. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 20(6), 1035-1051.
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
Uiga L, Capio CM, Ryu D, Young WR, Wilson MR, Wong TWL, Tse ACY, Masters RSW (2020). The Role of Movement-Specific Reinvestment in Visuomotor Control of Walking by Older Adults.
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci,
75(2), 282-292.
Abstract:
The Role of Movement-Specific Reinvestment in Visuomotor Control of Walking by Older Adults.
OBJECTIVES: the aim of this study was to examine the association between conscious monitoring and control of movements (i.e. movement-specific reinvestment) and visuomotor control during walking by older adults. METHOD: the Movement-Specific Reinvestment Scale (MSRS) was administered to 92 community-dwelling older adults, aged 65-81 years, who were required to walk along a 4.8-m walkway and step on the middle of a target as accurately as possible. Participants' movement kinematics and gaze behavior were measured during approach to the target and when stepping on it. RESULTS: High scores on the MSRS were associated with prolonged stance and double support times during approach to the stepping target, and less accurate foot placement when stepping on the target. No associations between MSRS and gaze behavior were observed. DISCUSSION: Older adults with a high propensity for movement-specific reinvestment seem to need more time to "plan" future stepping movements, yet show worse stepping accuracy than older adults with a low propensity for movement-specific reinvestment. Future research should examine whether older adults with a higher propensity for reinvestment are more likely to display movement errors that lead to falling.
Abstract.
Author URL.
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.
Cooper KB, Wilson MR, Jones MI (2020). The impact of sleep on mental toughness: Evidence from observational and N-of-1 manipulation studies in athletes.
Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology,
9(3), 308-321.
Abstract:
The impact of sleep on mental toughness: Evidence from observational and N-of-1 manipulation studies in athletes
The purpose of this study was to explore the direction and magnitude of the relationship between sleep and mental toughness and examine the effect of time in bed extension and restriction on mental toughness. Study 1 was an observational study examining the relationship between sleep quality and duration (hours) and mental toughness in 181 participants. Winsorized correlations revealed both longer sleep duration (ρω =.176 [.033.316], p =.016) and higher quality (ρω =.412 [.270.541], p ≤.001) were associated with increased mental toughness. Follow-up regression analyses revealed sleep quality (b = 0.177, [0.117, 0,238], p ≤.001), but not sleep duration (b = 0.450, [-0.3254, 1.22], p =.256), predicted mental toughness score. In Study 2, we utilized a longitudinal N-of-1 influenced methodology with 6 participants to further examine whether manipulated time in bed (i.e. sleep duration) influenced mental toughness. Participants recorded sleep quality, duration, and mental toughness over 5 weekdays during 2 separate 2-week periods of baseline (normal sleeping pattern) followed by manipulated time in bed (counterbalanced 9 hr or 5 hr). Visual analyses (including determination of nonoverlapping data points between baseline and intervention weeks) revealed reduced time in bed negatively impacted the mental toughness of 4 of the participants. Social validation interviews were conducted to further explore participants' perceptions of the sleep manipulation. A cumulative effect of reduced sleep on mental toughness was noted by specific individuals. In addition, participants identified potential buoys of mental toughness in the absence of sleep.
Abstract.
Uiga L, Poolton JM, Capio CM, Wilson MR, Ryu D, Masters RSW (2020). The role of conscious processing of movements during balance by young and older adults.
Hum Mov Sci,
70Abstract:
The role of conscious processing of movements during balance by young and older adults.
We examined the effect of verbalization of a phylogenetic motor skill, balance, in older and young adults with a low or a high propensity for conscious verbal engagement in their movements (reinvestment). Seventy-seven older adults and 53 young adults were categorized as high or low reinvestors, using the Movement Specific Reinvestment Scale, which assesses propensity for conscious processing of movements. Participants performed a pre- and post-test balance task that required quiet standing on a force-measuring plate. Prior to the post-test, participants described their pre-test balancing performance (verbalization) or listed animals (non-verbalization). Only young adults were affected by verbalization, with participants with a high propensity for reinvestment displaying increased medial-lateral entropy and participants with a low propensity for reinvestment displaying increased area of sway and medial-lateral sway variability following the intervention. The possible explanations for these results are discussed.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Maslivec A, Fielding A, Wilson M, Norris M, Young W (2020). ‘Recoupling’ the attentional and motor control of preparatory postural adjustments to overcome Freezing of Gait in Parkinson’s. Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, 17
2019
Kelly AL, Wilson MR, Gough LA, Knapman H, Morgan P, Cole M, Jackson DT, Williams CA (2019). A longitudinal investigation into the relative age effect in an English professional football club: exploring the ‘underdog hypothesis’. Science and Medicine in Football, 4(2), 111-118.
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.
Cooper KB, Wilson M, Jones MI (2019). An Exploratory Case Study of Mental Toughness Variability and Potential Influencers over 30 Days.
Sports (Basel),
7(7).
Abstract:
An Exploratory Case Study of Mental Toughness Variability and Potential Influencers over 30 Days.
The purpose of this study was to explore whether mental toughness varies across a 30-day training block and whether such variability is associated with specific antecedents. This exploratory case study research investigated mental toughness variability using the Mental Toughness Index (MTI) with thirteen elite master runners across a series of self-selected training sessions, followed by interviews and follow-up questionnaires, to identify primary influencers of variability. There were significant differences in the MTI scores between baseline (before the training period), and the minimum and the maximum reported score over five self-selected training sessions (p's < 0.004). The proceeding follow-up interviews and questionnaires then provided insights into factors influencing this intra-individual variability. These higher-level themes included foundational wellbeing, specific preparation, and actions utilized in the moment. This study is the first to demonstrate within-person MTI variability across specific training sessions and provides initial insights for both athletes and practitioners into potential influencers of mental toughness.
Abstract.
Author URL.
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.
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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.
Saunders A (2019). Does mental toughness moderate the relationship between pain intensity and working memory?.
Abstract:
Does mental toughness moderate the relationship between pain intensity and working memory?
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether mental toughness can moderate the relationship between pain and attention. Two studies were conducted with the second addressing methodological issues encountered in the first. The studies consisted of a within-subjects design and involved the completion of a 2-back task in a ‘Pain’ condition and a ‘No Pain’ condition. The pain manipulation was a cold pressor machine circulating water at 12oC ± 1oC, which participants held their hand in for 2 minutes whilst completing the 2-back task in the ‘Pain’ condition. Independent variables were mental toughness and pain intensity ratings, and the dependent variable were 2-back performance scores in each condition. Results did not support the hypotheses: performance on the 2-back task was not worse in the ‘Pain’ condition compared with the ‘No Pain’ condition; performance on the 2-back task did not decline as pain increased and mental toughness did not moderate the relationship between pain and attention (performance on the 2-back task). Potential reasons for the lack of supportive findings are discussed.
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.
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.
Cooper B (2019). The Variability and Optimization of Mental Toughness.
Abstract:
The Variability and Optimization of Mental Toughness
This thesis examined within-person variability and potential optimizers of mental toughness through a literature review and four central studies, three of which have been published and a fourth currently under review. Study I focused on within-person mental toughness and potential optimizers in a single elite Masters athlete across a series of endurance events (3,000 mile Race Across America, Hawaii Ironman Triathlon World Championship qualifier and a sub-3 hour marathon) over a five month period and beginning six weeks after a bike wreck resulted in eight fractures and an increased emphasis on the mental aspects of the events. Notable variability and potential optimizers were both identified via an autoethnographic approach. The second study expanded upon the first by investigating the presence of within-person variability and potential optimizers in a group of 13 elite Masters athletes. In addition to the larger group of participants, Study II also identified within-person mental toughness variability, utilizing the Mental Toughness Index (Gucciardi, 2015) to specifically track the potential variability over a 30-day period. The exploratory case study design also included collection of qualitative data regarding the potential optimizers and lead to the development of three primary higher order themes of mental toughness optimizers: Thrive, Prepare and Activate. Study III examined the influence of sleep on mental toughness, a potential optimizer identified previously within the Thrive and Prepare higher order themes. Within-person variability in mental toughness was again demonstrated and while sleep was not shown to be related to mental toughness in all participants as hypothesized, it was an influencer of mental toughness in the majority of participants. In addition, Study III provided insights into additional buoys of mental toughness utilized by participants when sleep was limited. Study IV then investigated whether self-talk (identified previously as a potential optimizer under the Prepare and Activate themes) influenced mental toughness and performance. The influence of self-talk on mental toughness and performance was demonstrated. The thesis concludes with a discussion about the findings, their implications for additional settings and applications, and future research opportunities.
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.
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Author URL.
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
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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.
Roberts JW, Wilson MR, Skultety JK, Lyons JL (2018). Examining the effect of state anxiety on compensatory and strategic adjustments in the planning of goal-directed aiming.
Acta Psychol (Amst),
185, 33-40.
Abstract:
Examining the effect of state anxiety on compensatory and strategic adjustments in the planning of goal-directed aiming.
The anxiety-perceptual-motor performance relationship may be enriched by investigations involving discrete manual responses due to the definitive demarcation of planning and control processes, which comprise the early and late portions of movement, respectively. To further examine the explanatory power of self-focus and distraction theories, we explored the potential of anxiety causing changes to movement planning that accommodate for anticipated negative effects in online control. As a result, we posed two hypotheses where anxiety causes performers to initially undershoot the target and enable more time to use visual feedback ("play-it-safe"), or fire a ballistic reach to cover a greater distance without later undertaking online control ("go-for-it"). Participants were tasked with an upper-limb movement to a single target under counter-balanced instructions to execute fast and accurate responses (low/normal anxiety) with non-contingent negative performance feedback (high anxiety). The results indicated that the previously identified negative impact of anxiety in online control was replicated. While anxiety caused a longer displacement to reach peak velocity and greater tendency to overshoot the target, there appeared to be no shift in the attempts to utilise online visual feedback. Thus, the tendency to initially overshoot may manifest from an inefficient auxiliary procedure that manages to uphold overall movement time and response accuracy.
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Author URL.
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.
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.
Uiga L, Capio CM, Ryu D, Wilson MR, Masters RSW (2018). The role of conscious control in maintaining stable posture.
Hum Mov Sci,
57, 442-450.
Abstract:
The role of conscious control in maintaining stable posture.
This study aimed to examine the relationship between conscious control of movements, as defined by the Theory of Reinvestment (Masters & Maxwell, 2008; Masters, Polman, & Hammond, 1993), and both traditional and complexity-based COP measures. Fifty-three young adults (mean age=20.93±2.53years), 39 older adults with a history of falling (mean age=69.23±3.84years) and 39 older adults without a history of falling (mean age=69.00±3.72years) were asked to perform quiet standing balance in single- and dual-task conditions. The results showed that higher scores on the Movement Specific Reinvestment Scale (MSRS; Masters, Eves, & Maxwell, 2005; Masters & Maxwell, 2008), a psychometric measure of the propensity for conscious involvement in movement, were associated with larger sway amplitude and a more constrained (less complex) mode of balancing in the medial-lateral direction for young adults only. Scores on MSRS explained approximately 10% of total variation in the medial-lateral sway measures. This association was not apparent under dual-task conditions, during which a secondary task was used to limit the amount of cognitive resources available for conscious processing. No relationship between postural control and score on the MSRS was found for either older adult fallers or non-fallers. Possible explanations for these results are discussed.
Abstract.
Author URL.
2017
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.
Ducrocq E, Wilson M, Smith TJ, Derakshan N (2017). Adaptive working memory training reduces the negative impact of anxiety on competitive motor performance.
Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology,
39(6), 412-422.
Abstract:
Adaptive working memory training reduces the negative impact of anxiety on competitive motor performance
Optimum levels of attentional control are essential to prevent athletes from experiencing performance breakdowns under pressure. The current study explored whether training attentional control using the adaptive dual n-back paradigm, designed to directly target processing efficiency of the main executive functions of working memory (WM), would result in transferrable effects on sports performance outcomes. A total of 30 tennis players were allocated to an adaptive WM training or active control group and underwent 10 days of training. Measures ofWMcapacity as well as performance and objective gaze indices of attentional control in a tennis volley task were assessed in low- and high-pressure posttraining conditions. Results revealed significant benefits of training on WM capacity, quiet eye offset, and tennis performance in the high-pressure condition. Our results confirm and extend previous findings supporting the transfer of cognitive training benefits to objective measures of sports performance under pressure.
Abstract.
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.
Jones MI, Wilson MR (2017). Great British medalists: a commentary based on a developmental systems theory perspective.
,
232, 175-179.
Abstract:
Great British medalists: a commentary based on a developmental systems theory perspective
In their target article, Hardy and colleagues outline some psychosocial factors that were proposed to underpin the development of serial sporting champions. In this commentary, we suggest that the psychodynamic compensatory mechanisms model described by Hardy et al. is limited by its failure to consider the role of the broader developmental systems in which an individual exists (including funding structure, community, culture, and historical niche). We suggest that any workable talent development model needs to consider the bidirectional relationships between individuals and their contexts, and as such, should be guided by a more dynamic, developmental systems theory approach.
Abstract.
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.
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.
Groome D, Eysenck MW, Baker K, Bull R, Edgar G, Edgar H, Heathcote D, Kemp R, Law R, Loveday C, et al (2016).
An introduction to: Applied cognitive psychology.Abstract:
An introduction to: Applied cognitive psychology
Abstract.
Jie LJ, Goodwin V, Kleynen M, Braun S, Nunns M, Wilson MR (2016). Analogy learning in Parkinson’s; as easy as a walk on the beach: a proof-of-concept study.
International Journal of Therapy and RehabilitationAbstract:
Analogy learning in Parkinson’s; as easy as a walk on the beach: a proof-of-concept study
Background/Aims: Analogy learning is a motor learning strategy that uses biomechanical metaphors to chunk together explicit rules of a to-be-learned motor skill. This proof-of-concept study aims to establish the feasibility and potential benefits of analogy learning in enhancing stride length regulation in people with Parkinson’s.
Methods: Walking performance of thirteen individuals with Parkinson’s was analysed using a Codamotion analysis system. An analogy instruction; “following footprints in the sand” was practiced over 8 walking trials. Single- and dual- (motor and cognitive) task conditions were measured before training, immediately after training and 4-weeks post training. Finally, an evaluation form was completed to examine the interventions feasibility.
Findings: Data from 12 individuals (6 females and 6 males, mean age 70, Hoehn and Yahr I-III) were analysed, one person withdrew due to back problems. In the single task condition, statistically and clinically relevant improvements were obtained. A positive trend towards reducing dual task costs after the intervention was demonstrated, supporting the relatively implicit nature of the analogy. Participants reported that the analogy was simple to use and became easier over time.
Conclusions: Analogy learning is a feasible and potentially implicit (i.e. reduced working memory demands) intervention to facilitate walking performance in people with Parkinson’s.
Abstract.
Thomas GL, Coles T, Wilson MR (2016). Exploring mini rugby union coaches’ perceptions of competitive activities. Sports Coaching Review, 6(1), 94-107.
Roberts MJ, Gale TCE, McGrath JS, Wilson MR (2016). Rising to the challenge: acute stress appraisals and selection centre performance in applicants to postgraduate specialty training in anaesthesia.
Advances in Health Sciences Education,
21(2), 323-339.
Abstract:
Rising to the challenge: acute stress appraisals and selection centre performance in applicants to postgraduate specialty training in anaesthesia
The ability to work under pressure is a vital non-technical skill for doctors working in acute medical specialties. Individuals who evaluate potentially stressful situations as challenging rather than threatening may perform better under pressure and be more resilient to stress and burnout. Training programme recruitment processes provide an important opportunity to examine applicants’ reactions to acute stress. In the context of multi-station selection centres for recruitment to anaesthesia training programmes, we investigated the factors influencing candidates’ pre-station challenge/threat evaluations and the extent to which their evaluations predicted subsequent station performance. Candidates evaluated the perceived stress of upcoming stations using a measure of challenge/threat evaluation—the cognitive appraisal ratio (CAR)—and consented to release their demographic details and station scores. Using regression analyses we determined which candidate and station factors predicted variation in the CAR and whether, after accounting for these factors, the CAR predicted candidate performance in the station. The CAR was affected by the nature of the station and candidate gender, but not age, ethnicity, country of training or clinical experience. Candidates perceived stations involving work related tasks as more threatening. After controlling for candidates’ demographic and professional profiles, the CAR significantly predicted station performance: ‘challenge’ evaluations were associated with better performance, though the effect was weak. Our selection centre model can help recruit prospective anaesthetists who are able to rise to the challenge of performing in stressful situations but results do not support the direct use of challenge/threat data for recruitment decisions.
Abstract.
Eysenck MW, Wilson MR (2016). Sporting performance, pressure and cognition: Introducing Attentional Control Theory: Sport. In Groome D, Eysenck MW (Eds.)
An Introduction to Applied Cognitive Psychology, Abingdon: Psychology Press, 329-350.
Abstract:
Sporting performance, pressure and cognition: Introducing Attentional Control Theory: Sport
Abstract.
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, Hartley G, Furley PA, Wilson MR (2016). Working Memory Capacity, Visual Attention and Hazard Perception in Driving.
Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition,
5(4), 454-462.
Abstract:
Working Memory Capacity, Visual Attention and Hazard Perception in Driving
In two experiments we explored the influence of individual differences in working memory capacity (WMC) on hazard perception performance in a simulated driving task. In Experiment 1, we examined the relationship between WMC and hazard perception performance under control and dual task conditions, and self-reported driving behavior. Results revealed significant relationships between WMC, hazard perception performance and self-reported driving behavior. Participants lower in WMC performed poorer in dual task conditions and reported more instances of inattention when driving. In Experiment 2, we explored the gaze behavior of low and high WMC individuals whilst completing the hazard perception test under control and dual task conditions. Results revealed that low-WMC individuals had poorer hazard perception performance under dual task conditions and these performance decrements were mirrored in reductions in mean fixation durations on the hazard. Interestingly, pupillary dilation appears to discriminate between low- and high-WMC individuals and might be a useful index of attention for future research.
Abstract.
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 MR, Causer J, Vickers JN (2015). AIMING FOR EXCELLENCE: the quiet eye as a characteristic of expertise. In (Ed)
Routledge Handbook of Sport Expertise, 22-37.
Abstract:
AIMING FOR EXCELLENCE: the quiet eye as a characteristic of expertise
Abstract.
Uiga L, Cheng KC, Wilson MR, Masters RSW, Capio CM (2015). Acquiring visual information for locomotion by older adults: a systematic review.
Ageing Res Rev,
20, 24-34.
Abstract:
Acquiring visual information for locomotion by older adults: a systematic review.
Developments in technology have facilitated quantitative examination of gaze behavior in relation to locomotion. The objective of this systematic review is to provide a critical evaluation of available evidence and to explore the role of gaze behavior among older adults during different forms of locomotion. Database searches were conducted to identify research papers that met the inclusion criteria of (1) study variables that included direct measurement of gaze and at least one form of locomotion, (2) participants who were older adults aged 60 years and above, and (3) reporting original research. Twenty-five papers related to walking on a straight path and turning (n=4), stair navigation (n=3), target negotiation and obstacle circumvention (n=13) and perturbation-evoked sudden loss of balance (n=5) were identified for the final quality assessment. The reviewed articles were found to have acceptable quality, with scores ranging from 47.06% to 94.12%. Overall, the current literature suggests that differences in gaze behavior during locomotion appear to change in late adulthood, especially with respect to transfer of gaze to and from a target, saccade-step latency, fixation durations on targets and viewing patterns. These changes appear to be particularly pronounced for older adults with high risk of falling and impaired executive functioning.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Malhotra N, Poolton JM, Wilson MR, Omuro S, Masters RSW (2015). Dimensions of movement specific reinvestment in practice of a golf putting task.
Psychology of Sport and Exercise,
18, 1-8.
Abstract:
Dimensions of movement specific reinvestment in practice of a golf putting task
Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the role of the two dimensions of movement specific reinvestment (conscious motor processing and movement self-consciousness) in performance of a complex task early and later in practice. Furthermore, the study also examined the underlying kinematic mechanisms by which conscious motor processing and movement self-consciousness influence performance in practice. Methods: Trait measures of conscious motor processing and movement self-consciousness were obtained from participants using the Movement Specific Reinvestment Scale. Participants (n=30) with no prior golf putting experience practiced 300 golf putts over the course of two days. Putting proficiency (number of putts holed) and variability of movement kinematics (SD impact velocity and SD putter face angle at impact) were assessed early and later in practice. Results: Movement self-consciousness positively influenced putting proficiency early and later in practice by reducing variability of impact velocity and putter face angle at impact. Conscious motor processing positively influenced putting proficiency early in practice by reducing variability of impact velocity and putter face angle at impact. Later in practice, conscious motor processing was not associated with putting proficiency. Conclusion: the findings suggest that higher propensity for movement self-consciousness potentially influences performance early and later in practice by reducing variability of impact velocity and putter face angle at impact. A higher propensity for conscious motor processing benefits performance in a similar manner as movement self-consciousness early in practice but it does not seem to influence performance later in practice. The findings of the current study suggest that movement self-consciousness and conscious motor processing differentially influence performance at different stages in practice of a complex motor skill, suggesting that they might depict different types of conscious processing.
Abstract.
Malhotra N, Poolton JM, Wilson MR, Uiga L, Masters RSW (2015). Examining movement-specific reinvestment and performance in demanding contexts.
Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology,
37(3), 327-338.
Abstract:
Examining movement-specific reinvestment and performance in demanding contexts
Two experiments examined the roles of the dimensions of movement-specific reinvestment (movement selfconsciousness and conscious motor processing) on performance under demanding conditions. In Experiment 1, novice golfers practiced a golf putting task and were tested under low- and high-anxiety conditions. Conscious motor processing was not associated with putting proficiency or movement variability; however, movement self-consciousness was positively associated with putting proficiency and appeared to be negatively associated with variability of impact velocity in low-anxiety conditions, but not in high-anxiety conditions. Increased anxiety and effort possibly left few attention resources for movement self-consciousness under high anxiety. In Experiment 2, participants performed a quiet standing task in single- and dual-task conditions. Movement self-consciousness was positively associated with performance when attention demands were low (single task) but not when attention demands were high (dual task). The findings provide insight into the differential influence of the two dimensions of movement-specific reinvestment under demanding conditions.
Abstract.
Malhotra N, Poolton JM, Wilson MR, Leung G, Zhu F, Fan JKM, Masters RSW (2015). Exploring personality dimensions that influence practice and performance of a simulated laparoscopic task in the objective structured clinical examination.
Journal of Surgical Education,
72(4), 662-669.
Abstract:
Exploring personality dimensions that influence practice and performance of a simulated laparoscopic task in the objective structured clinical examination
Background Surgical educators have encouraged the investigation of individual differences in aptitude and personality in surgical performance. An individual personality difference that has been shown to influence laparoscopic performance under time pressure is movement specific reinvestment. Movement specific reinvestment has 2 dimensions, movement self-consciousness (MS-C) (i.e. the propensity to consciously monitor movements) and conscious motor processing (CMP) (i.e. the propensity to consciously control movements), which have been shown to differentially influence laparoscopic performance in practice but have yet to be investigated in the context of psychological stress (e.g. the objective structured clinical examination [OSCE]). Objective This study investigated the role of individual differences in propensity for MS-C and CMP in practice of a fundamental laparoscopic skill and in laparoscopic performance during the OSCE. Furthermore, this study examined whether individual differences during practice of a fundamental laparoscopic skill were predictive of laparoscopic performance during the OSCE. Methods Overall, 77 final-year undergraduate medical students completed the movement specific reinvestment scale, an assessment tool that quantifies the propensity for MS-C and CMP. Participants were trained to proficiency on a fundamental laparoscopic skill. The number of trials to reach proficiency was measured, and completion times were recorded during early practice, later practice, and the OSCE. Results There was a trend for CMP to be negatively associated with the number of trials to reach proficiency (p = 0.064). A higher propensity for CMP was associated with fewer trials to reach proficiency (β = -0.70, p = 0.023). CMP and MS-C did not significantly predict completion times in the OSCE (p > 0.05). Completion times in early practice (β = 0.05, p = 0.016) and later practice (β = 0.47, p < 0.001) and number of trials to reach proficiency (β = 0.23, p = 0.003) significantly predicted completion times in the OSCE. Conclusion it appears that a higher propensity for CMP predicts faster rates of learning of a fundamental laparoscopic skill. Furthermore, laparoscopic performance during practice is indicative of laparoscopic performance in the challenging conditions of the OSCE. The lack of association between the 2 dimensions of movement specific reinvestment and performance during the OSCE is explained using the theory of reinvestment as a framework. Overall, consideration of personality differences and individual differences in ability during practice could help inform the development of individualized surgical training programs.
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.
Uiga L, Capio CM, Wong TWL, Wilson MR, Masters RSW (2015). Movement specific reinvestment and allocation of attention by older adults during walking.
Cogn Process,
16 Suppl 1, 421-424.
Abstract:
Movement specific reinvestment and allocation of attention by older adults during walking.
Older repeat fallers have previously been shown to have a higher propensity to consciously monitor and control their movements (i.e. reinvestment) than non-fallers, yet to direct their attention equally between their limb movements and the external environment during locomotion (Wong et al. in J Am Geriatr Soc 57: 920-922, 2009). Whether increased attention to their movements is a result of falling or originates from a prior inclination to reinvest remains unclear. In order to better understand the interaction between reinvestment and attention during locomotion, this study examined the allocation of attention by older adults who had not fallen but displayed a high or low inclination for reinvestment. Twenty-eight low and twenty-eight high reinvestors were required to perform 30 walking trials. Their allocation of attention during walking was evaluated by asking tone-related attentional focus questions shortly after finishing each walking trial. High reinvestors were found to be more aware of their limb movements and less aware of the external environment. Low reinvestors, on the contrary, were more aware of the surrounding environment and less aware of their movement mechanics. Given that focusing internally to body movements has been proposed to utilise working memory capacity, the ability of high reinvestors to pick up all the environmental information necessary for successful locomotion might be compromised and requires further examination.
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Author URL.
Kleynen M, Braun SM, Rasquin SMC, Bleijlevens MHC, Lexis MAS, Halfens J, Wilson MR, Masters RSW, Beurskens AJ (2015). Multidisciplinary Views on Applying Explicit and Implicit Motor Learning in Practice: an International Survey.
PLoS One,
10(8).
Abstract:
Multidisciplinary Views on Applying Explicit and Implicit Motor Learning in Practice: an International Survey.
BACKGROUND: a variety of options and techniques for causing implicit and explicit motor learning have been described in the literature. The aim of the current paper was to provide clearer guidance for practitioners on how to apply motor learning in practice by exploring experts' opinions and experiences, using the distinction between implicit and explicit motor learning as a conceptual departure point. METHODS: a survey was designed to collect and aggregate informed opinions and experiences from 40 international respondents who had demonstrable expertise related to motor learning in practice and/or research. The survey was administered through an online survey tool and addressed potential options and learning strategies for applying implicit and explicit motor learning. Responses were analysed in terms of consensus (≥ 70%) and trends (≥ 50%). A summary figure was developed to illustrate a taxonomy of the different learning strategies and options indicated by the experts in the survey. RESULTS: Answers of experts were widely distributed. No consensus was found regarding the application of implicit and explicit motor learning. Some trends were identified: Explicit motor learning can be promoted by using instructions and various types of feedback, but when promoting implicit motor learning, instructions and feedback should be restricted. Further, for implicit motor learning, an external focus of attention should be considered, as well as practicing the entire skill. Experts agreed on three factors that influence motor learning choices: the learner's abilities, the type of task, and the stage of motor learning (94.5%; n = 34/36). Most experts agreed with the summary figure (64.7%; n = 22/34). CONCLUSION: the results provide an overview of possible ways to cause implicit or explicit motor learning, signposting examples from practice and factors that influence day-to-day motor learning decisions.
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Author URL.
Wood G, Jordet G, Wilson MR (2015). On winning the “lottery”: psychological preparation for football penalty shoot-outs.
Journal of Sports Sciences,
33(17), 1758-1765.
Abstract:
On winning the “lottery”: psychological preparation for football penalty shoot-outs
Abstract: the outcome of penalty shoot-outs is often referred to as a “lottery”, suggesting that luck, rather than the skill level of the player, predetermines outcome success. Throughout this article, we hope to show why such attitudes towards physical and psychological preparation can increase anxiety, diminish perceptions of control and negatively affect the behaviour and subsequent performance of penalty takers. From the synthesis of this evidence, we provide task-specific recommendations that are structured around the dynamic nature of emotions that players are likely to experience during each phase of the shoot-out and which can be implemented or adapted to suit the individual needs of the player. These recommendations are designed to provide a framework to help applied professionals to optimise the psychological preparation for this scenario with the overall aim of helping players to (re)gain control of this situation.
Abstract.
Thomas GL, Wilson MR (2015). Playing by the rules: a developmentally appropriate introduction to rugby union.
International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching,
10(2-3), 413-423.
Abstract:
Playing by the rules: a developmentally appropriate introduction to rugby union
The current study examined the effect of rules changes on game behaviours and opinions of under-nine rugby union players. Eighty-nine games were filmed in five counties in England; two governed by the then current rules and three governed by new pilot rules. The pilot rules were designed to create a less structured game; reducing numbers on the pitch and limiting set pieces and specialised skills. Games played under the pilot rules had 25% more ball-in-play time; 55% more runs with the ball; more than twice as many successful passes; and nearly twice as many tries scored (ps
Abstract.
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.
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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, 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.
Roy S, Hammond J, Panish J, Shnoda P, Savidge S, Wilson M (2015). Time Savings and Surgery Task Load Reduction in Open Intraperitoneal Onlay Mesh Fixation Procedure.
ScientificWorldJournal,
2015Abstract:
Time Savings and Surgery Task Load Reduction in Open Intraperitoneal Onlay Mesh Fixation Procedure.
BACKGROUND: This study assessed the reduction in surgeon stress associated with savings in procedure time for mechanical fixation of an intraperitoneal onlay mesh (IPOM) compared to a traditional suture fixation in open ventral hernia repair. STUDY DESIGN: Nine general surgeons performed 36 open IPOM fixation procedures in porcine model. Each surgeon conducted two mechanical (using ETHICON SECURESTRAP ™ Open) and two suture fixation procedures. Fixation time was measured using a stopwatch, and related surgeon stress was assessed using the validated SURG-TLX questionnaire. T-tests were used to compare between-group differences, and a two-sided 95% confidence interval for the difference in stress levels was established using nonparametric methodology. RESULTS: the mechanical fixation group demonstrated an 89.1% mean reduction in fixation time, as compared to the suture group (p < 0.00001). Surgeon stress scores measured using SURG-TLX were 55.5% lower in the mechanical compared to the suture fixation group (p < 0.001). Scores in five of the six sources of stress were significantly lower for mechanical fixation. CONCLUSIONS: Mechanical fixation with ETHICON SECURESTRAP ™ Open demonstrated a significant reduction in fixation time and surgeon stress, which may translate into improved operating efficiency, improved performance, improved surgeon quality of life, and reduced overall costs of the procedure.
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Author URL.
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.
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Author URL.
Malhotra N, Poolton JM, Wilson MR, Fan JKM, Masters RSW (2014). Conscious motor processing and movement self-consciousness: two dimensions of personality that influence laparoscopic training.
J Surg Educ,
71(6), 798-804.
Abstract:
Conscious motor processing and movement self-consciousness: two dimensions of personality that influence laparoscopic training.
BACKGROUND: Identifying personality factors that account for individual differences in surgical training and performance has practical implications for surgical education. Movement-specific reinvestment is a potentially relevant personality factor that has a moderating effect on laparoscopic performance under time pressure. Movement-specific reinvestment has 2 dimensions, which represent an individual's propensity to consciously control movements (conscious motor processing) or to consciously monitor their 'style' of movement (movement self-consciousness). OBJECTIVE: This study aimed at investigating the moderating effects of the 2 dimensions of movement-specific reinvestment in the learning and updating (cross-handed technique) of laparoscopic skills. METHODS: Medical students completed the Movement-Specific Reinvestment Scale, a psychometric assessment tool that evaluates the conscious motor processing and movement self-consciousness dimensions of movement-specific reinvestment. They were then trained to a criterion level of proficiency on a fundamental laparoscopic skills task and were tested on a novel cross-handed technique. Completion times were recorded for early-learning, late-learning, and cross-handed trials. RESULTS: Propensity for movement self-consciousness but not conscious motor processing was a significant predictor of task completion times both early (p = 0.036) and late (p = 0.002) in learning, but completion times during the cross-handed trials were predicted by the propensity for conscious motor processing (p = 0.04) rather than movement self-consciousness (p = 0.21). CONCLUSION: Higher propensity for movement self-consciousness is associated with slower performance times on novel and well-practiced laparoscopic tasks. For complex surgical techniques, however, conscious motor processing plays a more influential role in performance than movement self-consciousness. The findings imply that these 2 dimensions of movement-specific reinvestment have a differential influence in the learning and updating of laparoscopic skills.
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.
Wood G, Batt J, Appelboam A, Harris A, Wilson MR (2014). Exploring the impact of expertise, clinical history, and visual search on electrocardiogram interpretation.
Med Decis Making,
34(1), 75-83.
Abstract:
Exploring the impact of expertise, clinical history, and visual search on electrocardiogram interpretation.
BACKGROUND: the primary aim of this study is to understand more about the perceptual-cognitive mechanisms underpinning the expert advantage in electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation. While research has examined visual search processes in other aspects of medical decision making (e.g. radiology), this is the first study to apply the paradigm to ECG interpretation. The secondary aim is to explore the role that clinical history plays in influencing visual search behavior and diagnostic decision making. While clinical history may aid diagnostic decision making, it may also bias the visual search process. METHODS: Ten final-year medical students and 10 consultant emergency medics were presented with 16 ECG traces (8 with clinical history that was not manipulated independently of case) while wearing eye tracking equipment. The ECGs represented common abnormalities encountered in emergency departments and were among those taught to final-year medical students. Participants were asked to make a diagnosis on each presented trace and report their level of diagnostic confidence. RESULTS: Experts made significantly faster, more accurate, and more confident diagnoses, and this advantage was underpinned by differences in visual search behavior. Specifically, experts were significantly quicker at locating the leads of critical importance. Contrary to our hypothesis, clinical history had no significant effect on the readers' ability to detect the abnormality or make an accurate diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Accurate ECG interpretation appears dependent on the perceptual skill of pattern recognition and specifically the time to fixate the critical lead(s). Therefore, there is potential clinical utility in developing perceptual training programs to train novices to detect abnormalities more effectively.
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Author URL.
Kleynen M, Wilson MR, Jie L-J, te Lintel Hekkert F, Goodwin VA, Braun SM (2014). Exploring the utility of analogies in motor learning after stroke: a feasibility study.
Int J Rehabil Res,
37(3), 277-280.
Abstract:
Exploring the utility of analogies in motor learning after stroke: a feasibility study.
Individuals who have experienced a stroke need to (re)learn motor skills. Analogy learning has been shown to facilitate motor learning in sports and may also be an attractive alternative to traditional approaches in therapy. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and utility of analogies to improve the walking performance in long-term stroke survivors. Three men aged 76, 87 and 70 years who were 6, 1 and 3 years poststroke, respectively, presented with different walking deficits. An analogy, targeted at improving the walking performance was designed with the help of each participant. During a 3-week intervention period, the analogy was practiced once weekly under supervision and daily at home. To assess feasibility, a structured interview was conducted at the end of the intervention period. To assess utility, walking performance was assessed using the 10-Metre Walking Test. All three participants were supportive of the feasibility and benefits of analogy learning. Two of the participants had a meaningful improvement on the 10-Metre Walking Test (0.1 and 0.3 m/s). The third participant did not improve most likely because of medication issues during the week of the retest. Developing analogies in therapy is a creative and challenging process, as analogies must not only guide the correct movement pattern, but also be meaningful to the individual. However, as participants were supportive of the use of analogies, and positive trends were seen in walking speed it seems worthwhile to pursue the use of analogies in future research.
Abstract.
Author URL.
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.
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
Kleynen M, Braun SM, Bleijlevens MH, Lexis MA, Rasquin SM, Halfens J, Wilson MR, Beurskens AJ, Masters RSW (2014). Using a Delphi technique to seek consensus regarding definitions, descriptions and classification of terms related to implicit and explicit forms of motor learning.
PLoS One,
9(6).
Abstract:
Using a Delphi technique to seek consensus regarding definitions, descriptions and classification of terms related to implicit and explicit forms of motor learning.
BACKGROUND: Motor learning is central to domains such as sports and rehabilitation; however, often terminologies are insufficiently uniform to allow effective sharing of experience or translation of knowledge. A study using a Delphi technique was conducted to ascertain level of agreement between experts from different motor learning domains (i.e. therapists, coaches, researchers) with respect to definitions and descriptions of a fundamental conceptual distinction within motor learning, namely implicit and explicit motor learning. METHODS: a Delphi technique was embedded in multiple rounds of a survey designed to collect and aggregate informed opinions of 49 international respondents with expertise related to motor learning. The survey was administered via an online survey program and accompanied by feedback after each round. Consensus was considered to be reached if ≥70% of the experts agreed on a topic. RESULTS: Consensus was reached with respect to definitions of implicit and explicit motor learning, and seven common primary intervention strategies were identified in the context of implicit and explicit motor learning. Consensus was not reached with respect to whether the strategies promote implicit or explicit forms of learning. DISCUSSION: the definitions and descriptions agreed upon may aid translation and transfer of knowledge between domains in the field of motor learning. Empirical and clinical research is required to confirm the accuracy of the definitions and to explore the feasibility of the strategies that were identified in research, everyday practice and education.
Abstract.
Author URL.
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
Malhotra N, Poolton JM, Wilson MR, Masters RSW (2013). An implicit bias in error management. Annals of Surgery
Moore LJ, Wilson MR, Vine SJ, Coussens AH, Freeman P (2013). Champ or Chump?: Challenge and Threat States During Pressurized Competition.
JOURNAL OF SPORT & EXERCISE PSYCHOLOGY,
35(6), 551-562.
Author URL.
Vine SJ, Freeman P, Moore LJ, Chandra-Ramanan R, 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.
J Exp Psychol Appl,
19(3), 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 (a) the influence of challenge and threat evaluations on learned motor performance under pressure and (b) the attentional processes by which this effect occurs. In the present study 52 novices performed a motor task (laparoscopic surgery), for which optimal visual attentional control has been established. Participants performed a Baseline trial (when the task was novel) and were then trained to proficiency before performing under pressurized conditions designed to increase anxiety (Pressure). At Baseline, regression analyses were performed to examine the relationship between challenge/threat evaluations and the outcome variables (performance, cardiovascular response, and visual attention). At Pressure, hierarchical regression analyses (controlling for the degree of learning) were performed to examine the relationship between challenge/threat evaluations and the outcome variables. At both Baseline and Pressure tests evaluating the task as more of a challenge was associated with more effective attentional control and superior performance. In the Baseline test, evaluating the task as more of a challenge was associated with differential cardiovascular responses. Although there is some support for an attentional explanation of differential performance effects, additional analyses did not reveal mediators of the relationship between challenge/threat evaluations and motor performance. The findings have implications for the training and performance of motor skills in pressurized environments (e.g. surgery, sport, aviation).
Abstract.
Author URL.
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.
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 C, Wilson MR (2013). Quiet eye training: a means to implicit motor learning.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPORT PSYCHOLOGY,
44(4), 367-386.
Author URL.
Kleynen M, Bleijlevens MHC, Beurskens AJHM, Rasquin SM, Halfens J, Wilson MR, Masters RSW, Lexis MA, Braun SM (2013). Terminology, taxonomy and facilitation of motor learning in clinical practice: Design of a Delphi study.
Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR): Research Protocols,
2(1).
Abstract:
Terminology, taxonomy and facilitation of motor learning in clinical practice: Design of a Delphi study.
Background: Facilitating motor learning in patients during clinical practice is complex, especially in people with cognitive
impairments. General principles of motor learning are available for therapists to use in their practice. However, the translation
of evidence from the different fields of motor learning for use in clinical practice is problematic due to lack of uniformity in
definition and taxonomy of terms related to motor learning.
Objective: the objective of this paper was to describe the design of a Delphi technique to reach consensus on definitions,
descriptions, and taxonomy used within motor learning and to explore experts’ opinions and experiences on the application of
motor learning in practice.
Methods: a heterogeneous sample of at least 30 international experts on motor learning will be recruited. Their opinions
regarding several central topics on motor learning using a Delphi technique will be collected in 3 sequential rounds. The
questionnaires in the 3 rounds will be developed based on the literature and answers of experts from earlier rounds. Consensus
will be reached when at least 70% of the experts agree on a certain topic. Free text comments and answers from open questions
on opinions and experiences will be described and clustered into themes.
Results: This study is currently ongoing. It is financially supported by Stichting Alliantie Innovatie (Innovation Alliance
Foundation), RAAK-international (Registration number: 2011-3-33int).
Conclusions: the results of this study will enable us to summarize and categorize expert knowledge and experiences in a format
that should be more accessible for therapists to use in support of their clinical practice. Unresolved aspects will direct future
research.
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.
Wood G, Knapp KM, Rock B, Cousens C, Roobottom C, Wilson MR (2013). Visual expertise in detecting and diagnosing skeletal fractures.
Skeletal Radiology,
42(2), 165-172.
Abstract:
Visual expertise in detecting and diagnosing skeletal fractures
Objective: Failure to identify fractures is the most common error in accident and emergency departments. Therefore, the current research aimed to understand more about the processes underlying perceptual expertise when interpreting skeletal radiographs. Materials and methods: Thirty participants, consisting of ten novices, ten intermediates, and ten experts were presented with ten clinical cases of normal and abnormal skeletal radiographs of varying difficulty (obvious or subtle) while wearing eye tracking equipment. Results: Experts were significantly more accurate, more confident, and faster in their diagnoses than intermediates or novices and this performance advantage was more pronounced for the subtle cases. Experts were also faster to fixate the site of the fracture and spent more relative time fixating the fracture than intermediates or novices and this was again most pronounced for subtle cases. Finally, a multiple linear regression analysis found that time to fixate the fracture was inversely related to diagnostic accuracy and explained 34 % of the variance in this variable. Conclusions: the results suggest that the performance advantage of expert radiologists is underpinned by superior pattern recognition skills, as evidenced by a quicker time to first fixate the pathology, and less time spent searching the image. © 2012 ISS.
Abstract.
Wood G, Knapp KM, Rock B, Cousens C, Roobottom C, Wilson MR (2013). Visual expertise in detecting and diagnosing skeletal fractures.
Skeletal Radiol,
42(2), 165-172.
Abstract:
Visual expertise in detecting and diagnosing skeletal fractures.
OBJECTIVE: Failure to identify fractures is the most common error in accident and emergency departments. Therefore, the current research aimed to understand more about the processes underlying perceptual expertise when interpreting skeletal radiographs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty participants, consisting of ten novices, ten intermediates, and ten experts were presented with ten clinical cases of normal and abnormal skeletal radiographs of varying difficulty (obvious or subtle) while wearing eye tracking equipment. RESULTS: Experts were significantly more accurate, more confident, and faster in their diagnoses than intermediates or novices and this performance advantage was more pronounced for the subtle cases. Experts were also faster to fixate the site of the fracture and spent more relative time fixating the fracture than intermediates or novices and this was again most pronounced for subtle cases. Finally, a multiple linear regression analysis found that time to fixate the fracture was inversely related to diagnostic accuracy and explained 34 % of the variance in this variable. CONCLUSIONS: the results suggest that the performance advantage of expert radiologists is underpinned by superior pattern recognition skills, as evidenced by a quicker time to first fixate the pathology, and less time spent searching the image.
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
Wilson MR (2012). Anxiety: Attention, the brain, the body and performance. In Murphy S (Ed)
Handbook of Sport and Performance Psychology, New York: Oxford University Press, 173-190.
Abstract:
Anxiety: Attention, the brain, the body and performance
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 (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.
Wilson M, Malhotra N, Poolton J, Masters R (2012). Clarifying Assumptions about Intraoperative Stress during Surgical Performance: More Than a Stab in the Dark: Reply. World J Surg, 36(2), 481-482.
Malhotra N, Poolton JM, Wilson MR, Ngo K, Masters RSW (2012). Conscious monitoring and control (reinvestment) in surgical performance under pressure.
Surgical Endoscopy,
26(9), 2423-2429.
Abstract:
Conscious monitoring and control (reinvestment) in surgical performance under pressure
Background: Research on intraoperative stressors has focused on external factors without considering individual differences in the ability to cope with stress. One individual difference that is implicated in adverse effects of stress on performance is reinvestment, the propensity for conscious monitoring and control of movements. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of reinvestment on laparoscopic performance under time pressure. Methods: Thirty-one medical students (surgery rotation) were divided into high- and low-reinvestment groups. Participants were first trained to proficiency on a peg transfer task and then tested on the same task in a control and time pressure condition. Outcome measures included generic performance and process measures. Stress levels were assessed using heart rate and the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Results: High and low reinvestors demonstrated increased anxiety levels from control to time pressure conditions as indicated by their STAI scores, although no differences in heart rate were found. Low reinvestors performed significantly faster when under time pressure, whereas high reinvestors showed no change in performance times. Low reinvestors tended to display greater performance efficiency (shorter path lengths, fewer hand movements) than high reinvestors. Conclusion: Trained medical students with a high individual propensity to consciously monitor and control their movements (high reinvestors) displayed less capability (than low reinvestors) to meet the demands imposed by time pressure during a laparoscopic task. The finding implies that the propensity for reinvestment may have a moderating effect on laparoscopic performance under time pressure. © 2012 the Author(s).
Abstract.
Malhotra N, Poolton JM, Wilson MR, Ngo K, Masters RSW (2012). Conscious monitoring and control (reinvestment) in surgical performance under pressure.
Surg Endosc,
26(9), 2423-2429.
Abstract:
Conscious monitoring and control (reinvestment) in surgical performance under pressure.
BACKGROUND: Research on intraoperative stressors has focused on external factors without considering individual differences in the ability to cope with stress. One individual difference that is implicated in adverse effects of stress on performance is "reinvestment," the propensity for conscious monitoring and control of movements. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of reinvestment on laparoscopic performance under time pressure. METHODS: Thirty-one medical students (surgery rotation) were divided into high- and low-reinvestment groups. Participants were first trained to proficiency on a peg transfer task and then tested on the same task in a control and time pressure condition. Outcome measures included generic performance and process measures. Stress levels were assessed using heart rate and the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). RESULTS: High and low reinvestors demonstrated increased anxiety levels from control to time pressure conditions as indicated by their STAI scores, although no differences in heart rate were found. Low reinvestors performed significantly faster when under time pressure, whereas high reinvestors showed no change in performance times. Low reinvestors tended to display greater performance efficiency (shorter path lengths, fewer hand movements) than high reinvestors. CONCLUSION: Trained medical students with a high individual propensity to consciously monitor and control their movements (high reinvestors) displayed less capability (than low reinvestors) to meet the demands imposed by time pressure during a laparoscopic task. The finding implies that the propensity for reinvestment may have a moderating effect on laparoscopic performance under time pressure.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Malhotra N, Poolton JM, Wilson MR, Masters RSW (2012). Cutting Errors in Surgery: Experience Limits Underestimation Bias in a Simulated Surgical Environment. Journal of Surgical Education, 69(4), 473-476.
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.
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.
Wood G, Wilson MR (2012). Quiet-eye training, perceived control and performing under pressure.
Psychology of Sport and Exercise,
13(6), 721-728.
Abstract:
Quiet-eye training, perceived control and performing under pressure
Objectives: While previous studies have explored how quiet-eye (QE) training optimizes objective (visual attention) control in aiming tasks, this study examined whether QE training influences perceived (psychological) control and how changes in control beliefs correspond to changes in anxiety, visual attention and performance under pressure. Methods: Two groups of ten experienced soccer penalty takers followed either a QE training program or a practice program where penalty kicks were practiced with no instruction. Measurements of anxiety, gaze, performance and perceived control were recorded over baseline, retention and a competitive, 'shoot-out' transfer condition. Results: Not only did the QE training optimize aiming behavior and performance, but these changes in visual attention were mirrored in changes in control beliefs. QE participants significantly reduced their perceptions of outcome uncertainty (contingency) and increased their perceptions of shooting ability (competence) and ability to score and cope with the pressure (control), compared to practice participants. Furthermore, there was an overall and significant relationship between high perceptions of control beliefs and aiming behavior. Specifically, those participants with high control beliefs were more likely to aim optimally and further from the goalkeeper, whereas participants with low control beliefs experienced suboptimal and more centralized aiming behavior. Conclusion: These findings are the first to highlight the relationship between control beliefs, anxiety and attentional control in sport and offer further explanations regarding the benefits of QE training for performance under pressure. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.
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, Richards H (2011). 23 Putting it together skills for pressure performance. In (Ed) Performance Psychology, 337-360.
Poolton JM, Wilson MR, Malhotra N, Ngo K, Masters RSW (2011). A comparison of evaluation, time pressure, and multitasking as stressors of psychomotor operative performance.
Surgery,
149(6), 776-782.
Abstract:
A comparison of evaluation, time pressure, and multitasking as stressors of psychomotor operative performance.
BACKGROUND: There is gathering interest in determining the typical sources of stress for an operating surgeon and the effect that stressors might have on operative performance. Much of the research in this field, however, has failed to measure stress levels and performance concurrently or has not acknowledged the differential impact of potential stressors. Our aim was to examine empirically the influence of different sources of stress on trained laparoscopic performance. METHODS: a total of 30 medical students were trained to proficiency on the validated Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery peg transfer task, and then were tested under 4 counterbalanced test conditions: control, evaluation threat, multitasking, and time pressure. Performance was assessed via completion time and a process measure reflecting the efficiency of movement (ie, path length). Stress levels in each test condition were measured using a multidimensional approach that included the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the subject's heart rate while performing a task. RESULTS: the time pressure condition caused the only significant increase in stress levels but did not influence completion time or the path length of movement. Only the multitasking condition significantly increased completion time and path length, despite there being no significant increase in stress levels. Overall, the STAI and heart rate measures were not correlated strongly. CONCLUSION: Recommended measures of stress levels do not necessarily reflect the demands of an operative task, highlighting the need to understand better the mechanisms that influence performance in surgery. This understanding will help inform the development of training programs that encourage the complete transfer of skills from simulators to the operating room.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Wilson MR, Poolton JM, Malhotra N, Ngo K, Bright E, Masters RSW (2011). Development and validation of a surgical workload measure: the surgery task load index (SURG-TLX).
World J Surg,
35(9), 1961-1969.
Abstract:
Development and validation of a surgical workload measure: the surgery task load index (SURG-TLX).
BACKGROUND: the purpose of the present study was to develop and validate a multidimensional, surgery-specific workload measure (the SURG-TLX), and to determine its utility in providing diagnostic information about the impact of various sources of stress on the perceived demands of trained surgical operators. As a wide range of stressors have been identified for surgeons in the operating room, the current approach of considering stress as a unidimensional construct may not only limit the degree to which underlying mechanisms may be understood but also the degree to which training interventions may be successfully matched to particular sources of stress. METHODS: the dimensions of the SURG-TLX were based on two current multidimensional workload measures and developed via focus group discussion. The six dimensions were defined as mental demands, physical demands, temporal demands, task complexity, situational stress, and distractions. Thirty novices were trained on the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) peg transfer task and then completed the task under various conditions designed to manipulate the degree and source of stress experienced: task novelty, physical fatigue, time pressure, evaluation apprehension, multitasking, and distraction. RESULTS: the results were supportive of the discriminant sensitivity of the SURG-TLX to different sources of stress. The sub-factors loaded on the relevant stressors as hypothesized, although the evaluation pressure manipulation was not strong enough to cause a significant rise in situational stress. CONCLUSIONS: the present study provides support for the validity of the SURG-TLX instrument and also highlights the importance of considering how different stressors may load surgeons. Implications for categorizing the difficulty of certain procedures, the implementation of new technology in the operating room (man-machine interface issues), and the targeting of stress training strategies to the sources of demand are discussed. Modifications to the scale to enhance clinical utility are also suggested.
Abstract.
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.
Zhu FF, Poolton JM, Wilson MR, Hu Y, Maxwell JP, Masters RSW (2011). Implicit motor learning promotes neural efficiency during laparoscopy.
Surg Endosc,
25(9), 2950-2955.
Abstract:
Implicit motor learning promotes neural efficiency during laparoscopy.
BACKGROUND: an understanding of differences in expert and novice neural behavior can inform surgical skills training. Outside the surgical domain, electroencephalographic (EEG) coherence analyses have shown that during motor performance, experts display less coactivation between the verbal-analytic and motor planning regions than their less skilled counterparts. Reduced involvement of verbal-analytic processes suggests greater neural efficiency. The authors tested the utility of an implicit motor learning intervention specifically devised to promote neural efficiency by reducing verbal-analytic involvement in laparoscopic performance. METHODS: in this study, 18 novices practiced a movement pattern on a laparoscopic trainer with either conscious awareness of the movement pattern (explicit motor learning) or suppressed awareness of the movement pattern (implicit motor learning). In a retention test, movement accuracy was compared between the conditions, and coactivation (EEG coherence) was assessed between the motor planning (Fz) region and both the verbal-analytic (T3) and the visuospatial (T4) cortical regions (T3-Fz and T4-Fz, respectively). RESULTS: Movement accuracy in the conditions was not different in a retention test (P = 0.231). Findings showed that the EEG coherence scores for the T3-Fz regions were lower for the implicit learners than for the explicit learners (P = 0.027), but no differences were apparent for the T4-Fz regions (P = 0.882). CONCLUSIONS: Implicit motor learning reduced EEG coactivation between verbal-analytic and motor planning regions, suggesting that verbal-analytic processes were less involved in laparoscopic performance. The findings imply that training techniques that discourage nonessential coactivation during motor performance may provide surgeons with more neural resources with which to manage other aspects of surgery.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Zhu FF, Poolton JM, Wilson MR, Maxwell JP, Masters RSW (2011). Neural co-activation as a yardstick of implicit motor learning and the propensity for conscious control of movement.
Biol Psychol,
87(1), 66-73.
Abstract:
Neural co-activation as a yardstick of implicit motor learning and the propensity for conscious control of movement.
Two studies examined EEG co-activation (coherence) between the verbal-analytical (T3) and motor planning (Fz) regions during a golf putting task. In Study 1, participants with a strong propensity to consciously monitor and control their movements, determined psychometrically by high scores on a movement specific Reinvestment Scale, displayed more alpha2 T3-Fz co-activation than participants with a weak propensity. In Study 2, participants who practiced a golf putting task implicitly (via an errorless learning protocol) displayed less alpha2 T3-Fz co-activation than those who practiced explicitly (by errorful learning). In addition, explicit but not implicit motor learners displayed more T3-Fz co-activation during golf putting under pressure, implying that verbal-analytical processing of putting movements increased under pressure. These findings provide neuropsychological evidence that supports claims that implicit motor learning can be used to limit movement specific reinvestment.
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.
Wood G, Wilson MR (2011). Quiet-eye training for soccer penalty kicks.
Cogn Process,
12(3), 257-266.
Abstract:
Quiet-eye training for soccer penalty kicks.
Anxiety has been shown to disrupt visual attention, visuomotor control and subsequent shot location in soccer penalty kicks. However, optimal visual attention has been trained in other far aiming skills, improving performance and resistance to pressure. We therefore asked a team of ten university soccer players to follow a quiet eye (QE; Vickers 1996) training program, designed to align gaze with aiming intention to optimal scoring zones, over a 7-week period. Performance and gaze parameters were compared to a placebo group (ten players) who received no instruction, but practiced the same number of penalty kicks over the same time frame. Results from a retention test indicated that the QE-trained group had more effective visual attentional control, were significantly more accurate, and had 50% fewer shots saved by the goalkeeper than the placebo group. Both groups then competed in a penalty shootout to explore the influence of anxiety on attentional control and shooting accuracy. Under the pressure of the shootout, the QE-trained group failed to maintain their accuracy advantage, despite maintaining more distal aiming fixations of longer duration. The results therefore provide only partial support for the effectiveness of brief QE training interventions for experienced performers.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Wilson M, Byrne C, Eston R (2011).
Recommendations for Developing the Game of Rugby Union (U7 – U18). Rugby Football Development Ltd, Rugby Football Union. http://www.rfu.com/ManagingRugby/ShapingTheGame.aspx, Rugby Football Union.
Abstract:
Recommendations for Developing the Game of Rugby Union (U7 – U18)
Abstract.
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
Wood G, Wilson MR (2010). A moving goalkeeper distracts penalty takers and impairs shooting accuracy.
J Sports Sci,
28(9), 937-946.
Abstract:
A moving goalkeeper distracts penalty takers and impairs shooting accuracy.
When facing penalty kicks in football (soccer), goalkeepers frequently incorporate strategies that are designed to distract the kicker. However, no direct empirical evidence exists to ascertain what effect such visual distractions have on the attentional control, and performance, of footballers. Eighteen experienced footballers took five penalty kicks under counterbalanced conditions of threat (low vs. high) and goalkeeper movement (stationary vs. waving arms) while wearing eye-tracking equipment. Results suggested that participants were more distracted by a moving goalkeeper than a stationary one and struggled to disengage from a moving goalkeeper under situations of high threat. Significantly, more penalties were saved on trials when the goalkeeper was moving and shots were also generally hit closer to the goalkeeper (centrally) on these trials. The results provide partial support for the predictions of attentional control theory and implications for kickers and goalkeepers are discussed.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Wilson M, Coleman M, McGrath J (2010). Developing basic hand-eye coordination skills for laparoscopic surgery using gaze training.
BJU Int,
105(10), 1356-1358.
Author URL.
Wood G, Wilson MR (2010). Gaze behaviour and shooting strategies in football penalty kicks: Implications of a 'keeper-dependent approach.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPORT PSYCHOLOGY,
41(3), 293-312.
Author URL.
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.
Wilson MR, Richards H (2010). Putting it together: skills for pressure performance. In Collins D, Button A, Richards H (Eds.) Performance psychology, Edinburgh, UK: Elsevier, 333-356.
Vine SJ, Wilson MR (2010). Quiet Eye Training: Effects on Learning and Performance Under Pressure.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED SPORT PSYCHOLOGY,
22(4), 361-376.
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.
Knapp KM, Wilson MR, Wood G, Rock B, Cousens C (2010). Visual search strategies while interpreting skeletal radiographs in experienced versus novice readers.
Abstract:
Visual search strategies while interpreting skeletal radiographs in experienced versus novice readers
Visual search strategies while interpreting skeletal radiographs in experienced versus novice readers. British Journal of Radiology (Congress Series: Proceedings of the UK Radiological Congress) 2010:65
Abstract.
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.
JOURNAL OF SPORT & EXERCISE PSYCHOLOGY,
31(2), 152-168.
Author URL.
Wilson MR, Pearcy RC (2009). Visuomotor control of straight and breaking golf putts.
Percept Mot Skills,
109(2), 555-562.
Abstract:
Visuomotor control of straight and breaking golf putts.
This study assessed golfers' gaze behavior in both the preparation (line reading) and execution (ball striking) of putts with different break characteristics. Six golfers completed 25 3-m putts on five different slopes (flat, 0.9 degrees and 1.8 degrees left-to-right, 0.9 degrees and 1.8 degrees right-to-left), while their gaze behavior was analyzed using an Applied Science Laboratories Mobile Eye gaze-registration system. Frame-by-frame analyses of 136 putts were performed to assess the number and duration of fixations made during the preparation and execution phases of the putts. Putting performance was significantly poorer for the most severe break (1.8 degrees) than for other conditions. The only gaze variable to distinguish between successful and unsuccessful putting outcome was the quiet eye period (the final fixation prior to the initiation of the putter movement). Specifically, participants had significantly longer quiet eye periods on successful than on unsuccessful putts.
Abstract.
Author URL.
2008
Marple-Horvat DE, Cooper HL, Gilbey SL, Watson JC, Mehta N, Kaur-Mann D, Wilson M, Keil D (2008). Alcohol badly affects eye movements linked to steering, providing for automatic in-car detection of drink driving.
Neuropsychopharmacology,
33(4), 849-858.
Abstract:
Alcohol badly affects eye movements linked to steering, providing for automatic in-car detection of drink driving.
Driving is a classic example of visually guided behavior in which the eyes move before some other action. When approaching a bend in the road, a driver looks across to the inside of the curve before turning the steering wheel. Eye and steering movements are tightly linked, with the eyes leading, which allows the parts of the brain that move the eyes to assist the parts of the brain that control the hands on the wheel. We show here that this optimal relationship deteriorates with levels of breath alcohol well within the current UK legal limit for driving. The eyes move later, and coordination reduces. These changes lead to bad performance and can be detected by an automated in-car system, which warns the driver is no longer fit to drive.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Wilson M, Chattington M, Marple-Horvat DE (2008). Eye movements drive steering: reduced eye movement distribution impairs steering and driving performance.
J Mot Behav,
40(3), 190-202.
Abstract:
Eye movements drive steering: reduced eye movement distribution impairs steering and driving performance.
On a winding open road, a driver consistently looks to the inside of each bend before turning the steering wheel. When researchers disrupt this coordination by instructing drivers not to move their eyes, drivers' performance is impaired and their completion time during racing increases. The present authors examined whether changing internal states in a way that also restricts eye movements reduces coordination and affects performance. Participants (N = 24) completed a simulated rally stage under manipulation of their anxiety state through ego threat. Performance decreased under pressure, and the decrement was associated with a narrowing of the range of eye movements and a reduced correlation of eye movements with steering. The authors discuss the possibility that the deterioration in performance is a cost of maintaining steering when eye-movement driving input to the steering controller is reduced.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Wilson M (2008). From processing efficiency to attentional control: a mechanistic account of the anxiety-performance relationship.
Int Review Sport Exerc Psychol,
1(2), 184-201.
Abstract:
From processing efficiency to attentional control: a mechanistic account of the anxiety-performance relationship.
The aim of this paper is to outline the development of Eysenck and Calvo’s (1992) processing efficiency theory (PET) and to summarise research testing its predictions in the sporting domain. PET provides a mechanistic explanation for how anxiety may influence performance through its impact on attentional resources. The central tenet of PET is that as well as pre-empting resources in working memory, increased anxiety provides a motivational function, leading to the allocation of additional effort to attempt to maintain task performance. Research in sport settings has been supportive of the predictions of PET, adopting a range of measures of processing efficiency; including self-reported effort, secondary task performance and psychophysiological indices. Furthermore, cognitive sport psychologists have recently examined direct influences of anxiety on the efficiency of information processing via gaze behaviour analyses. These findings are particularly relevant in the light of a recent update and development of PET; attentional control theory (ACT; Eysenck, Derakshan, Santos, & Calvo, 2007). ACT purports that anxiety reduces attentional control by increasing the influence of the stimulus-driven attentional system at the cost of goal directed control. It is evident that ACT may provide a useful framework for examining the relationship between anxiety, attention and performance in sport skills.
Abstract.
Behan M, Wilson M (2008). State anxiety and visual attention: the role of the quiet eye period in aiming to a far target.
J Sports Sci,
26(2), 207-215.
Abstract:
State anxiety and visual attention: the role of the quiet eye period in aiming to a far target.
In this study, we examined how individuals controlled their gaze behaviour during execution of a far aiming task and whether the functional relationship between perception and action was disrupted by increased anxiety. Twenty participants were trained on a simulated archery task, using a joystick to aim and shoot arrows at the target, and then competed in two counterbalanced experimental conditions designed to manipulate the anxiety they experienced. The specific gaze behaviour measured was the duration of the quiet eye period. As predicted, accuracy was affected by the duration of the quiet eye period, with longer quiet eye periods being associated with better performance. The manipulation of anxiety resulted in reductions in the duration of quiet eye. Our results show that the quiet eye period is sensitive to increases in anxiety and may be a useful index of the efficiency of visual orientation in aiming tasks.
Abstract.
Author URL.
2007
Wilson M, Chattington M, Marple-Horvat DE, Smith NC (2007). A comparison of self-focus versus attentional explanations of choking.
J Sport Exerc Psychol,
29(4), 439-456.
Abstract:
A comparison of self-focus versus attentional explanations of choking.
This study examined attentional processes underlying skilled motor performance in threatening situations. Twenty-four trained participants performed a simulated rally driving task under conditions designed either to direct the focus of attention toward the explicit monitoring of driving or a distracting secondary task. Performance (lap time) was compared with a "driving only" control condition. Each condition was completed under nonevaluative and evaluative instructional sets designed to manipulate anxiety. Mental effort was indexed by self-report and dual-task performance measures. The results showed little change in performance in the high-threat explicit monitoring task condition, compared with either the low-threat or the high-threat distraction conditions. Mental effort increased, however, in all high- as opposed to low-threat conditions. Performance effectiveness was therefore maintained under threat although this was at the expense of reduced processing efficiency. The results provide stronger support for the predictions of processing efficiency theory than self-focus theories of choking.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Wilson M, Smith NC (2007). A test of the predictions of processing efficiency theory during elite team competition using the Thought Occurrence Questionnaire for Sport.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPORT PSYCHOLOGY,
38(3), 245-262.
Author URL.
Wilson M, Stephenson S, Chattington M, Marple-Horvat DE (2007). Eye movements coordinated with steering benefit performance even when vision is denied.
Exp Brain Res,
176(3), 397-412.
Abstract:
Eye movements coordinated with steering benefit performance even when vision is denied.
When driving along a winding road, eye movements and steering are tightly linked. When approaching a bend, the driver looks across to the inside kerb (the tangent point) some time before turning the steering wheel. All drivers we have tested show this optimal coordination, without which driving is impaired. An intriguing question is how much of the benefit for steering arises just from moving the eyes in this coordinated way (ahead of steering and in the same direction), and how much from the visual information that the eyes move to acquire, in this instance the foveated tangent point. This can be answered by dissociating the two, by reducing visibility of the road ahead (and crucially of the tangent point) to a level at which drivers might or might not choose to move their eyes but, if they do, will not gain the information they seek. Twenty subjects repeatedly drove a simulated stage of the World Rally Championship. With full visibility, they exhibited the usual coordination of eye movements and steering. Subsequently, visibility was reduced on the left hand side. Drivers who persisted in making eye movements coordinated with steering to the left, despite the fact that they could no longer see the tangent point on that side, performed better than drivers who under the identical conditions did not look to the left. This confirms that the making of coordinated eye movements itself benefits steering, even when the eye movements do not yield the visual information sought.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Chattington M, Wilson M, Ashford D, Marple-Horvat DE (2007). Eye-steering coordination in natural driving.
Exp Brain Res,
180(1), 1-14.
Abstract:
Eye-steering coordination in natural driving.
When driving along a winding road, eye movements and steering are tightly linked; the driver looks across to the inside kerb of an approaching bend some time before turning the steering wheel. With the eyes leading, the oculomotor controller assists the neural centres controlling steering; prevention of any eye movements correlated with steering impairs driving, so the coordination is crucial for safety. A key question is therefore what are the limits of acceptable variation in timing and degree of coordination. Over a period of continuous driving on the open road, how much does the relative timing and degree of coordination between eye and steering movements vary? a related question is how brief a period of driving will suffice to measure these coordination parameters. Drivers' eye movements and steering were measured over different time periods ranging from 15 s to 6 min epochs of natural driving along a winding country road to establish the variability in coordination and the minimum time period required to characterise it. We show here that brief periods of driving, 30 s or less, are inadequate for describing eye-steering coordination. But a minute of driving yields an accurate description much of the time; and 2 min is sufficient both to accurately describe this relationship and to show that it is highly consistent for a given individual, and for different people driving the same route.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Wilson M, Smith NC, Holmes PS (2007). The role of effort in influencing the effect of anxiety on performance: testing the conflicting predictions of processing efficiency theory and the conscious processing hypothesis.
Br J Psychol,
98(Pt 3), 411-428.
Abstract:
The role of effort in influencing the effect of anxiety on performance: testing the conflicting predictions of processing efficiency theory and the conscious processing hypothesis.
The aim of this study was to test the conflicting predictions of processing efficiency theory (PET) and the conscious processing hypothesis (CPH) regarding effort's role in influencing the effects of anxiety on a golf putting task. Mid-handicap golfers made a series of putts to target holes under two counterbalanced conditions designed to manipulate the level of anxiety experienced. The effort exerted on each putting task was assessed though self-report, psychophysiological (heart rate variability) and behavioural (pre-putt time and glances at the target) measures. Performance was assessed by putting error. Results were generally more supportive of the predictions of PET rather than the CPH as performance was maintained for some performers despite increased state anxiety and a reduction in processing efficiency. The findings of this study support previous research suggesting that both theories offer useful theoretical frameworks for examining the relationship between anxiety and performance in sport.
Abstract.
Author URL.
2006
Wilson M, Smith NC, Chattington M, Ford M, Marple-Horvat DE (2006). The role of effort in moderating the anxiety-performance relationship: Testing the prediction of processing efficiency theory in simulated rally driving.
J Sports Sci,
24(11), 1223-1233.
Abstract:
The role of effort in moderating the anxiety-performance relationship: Testing the prediction of processing efficiency theory in simulated rally driving.
We tested some of the key predictions of processing efficiency theory using a simulated rally driving task. Two groups of participants were classified as either dispositionally high or low anxious based on trait anxiety scores and trained on a simulated driving task. Participants then raced individually on two similar courses under counterbalanced experimental conditions designed to manipulate the level of anxiety experienced. The effort exerted on the driving tasks was assessed though self-report (RSME), psychophysiological measures (pupil dilation) and visual gaze data. Efficiency was measured in terms of efficiency of visual processing (search rate) and driving control (variability of wheel and accelerator pedal) indices. Driving performance was measured as the time taken to complete the course. As predicted, increased anxiety had a negative effect on processing efficiency as indexed by the self-report, pupillary response and variability of gaze data. Predicted differences due to dispositional levels of anxiety were also found in the driving control and effort data. Although both groups of drivers performed worse under the threatening condition, the performance of the high trait anxious individuals was affected to a greater extent by the anxiety manipulation than the performance of the low trait anxious drivers. The findings suggest that processing efficiency theory holds promise as a theoretical framework for examining the relationship between anxiety and performance in sport.
Abstract.
Author URL.
2005
Marple-Horvat DE, Chattington M, Anglesea M, Ashford DG, Wilson M, Keil D (2005). Prevention of coordinated eye movements and steering impairs driving performance.
EXPERIMENTAL BRAIN RESEARCH,
163(4), 411-420.
Author URL.
