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International Journal of Rehabilitation Research (03425282)48(1)pp. 18-24
We investigated the potential to improve motor learning and performance in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) with OPTIMAL theory conditions. OPTIMAL theory predicts that three main factors [i.e. autonomy support (AS), enhanced expectancies (EE), and external focus (EF)] facilitate performance and learning. We examined whether the implementation of all three combined in a consecutive manner during practice would be beneficial for the motor learning and performance in a clinical population facing physical, cognitive, and emotional challenges. Thirty PwMS with mild-to-moderate disability (Expanded Disability Status Scale = 2.0-5.0) were randomly assigned to one of two groups (optimized and control) and practiced a novel motor-cognitive task involving rapid square-stepping to memorized patterns. Following a pretest (no group difference), optimized group participants practiced under each of three factors across practice phase (EE: feedback after good trials; AS: choice of mat color; and EF: external focus to the mat). Control group participants practiced under neutral conditions. The optimized group had significantly shorter movement times than the control group in the practice phase [174.7 (27.4) s vs. 236.8 (35.8) s, P < 0.0001], on the 24-h retention test [69.3 (9.3) s vs. 159.7 (15.5) s, P < 0.0001], and the 24-h transfer test [146.1 (14.9) s vs. 223.1 (38.9) s, P < 0.0001]. Thus, optimized practice combining AS, EF, and EE enhanced motor skill learning. Key factors in the OPTIMAL theory can be used to improve patients' motor learning. Further studies are warranted to extend these proof-of-concept observations for potential clinical applications. Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
Learning and Motivation (00239690)90
This study was designed to explore whether increasing learners’ expectancies through delivering relatively easy criteria for success could mitigate the negative effect of explicitly activating gender stereotypes on motor learning. Fifty-four female participants (Mage: 9.42 years, SD = 0.49) were recruited from an elementary school through convenience sampling. During the first stage (day 1), all participants completed three low-kick trials of a soccer skill that served as the pre-test. Based on their pre-test scores, children were then randomly allocated to one of three groups: stereotype threat with enhanced expectancies (ST/EE), stereotype threat (ST), and nullified stereotype threat (NST). Prior to the practice stage, participants in the ST/EE and ST groups received explicit instructions emphasizing the natural superiority of boys/men in soccer. During the practice stage, participants in the ST/EE group were given relatively easy success criteria. In the second stage (day 2), participants completed the retention phase as part of the learning assessment. The results revealed that, after controlling for the pre-test kicking scores, the NST and ST/EE groups exhibited similar levels of motor learning (p = 0.76). However, both the ST/EE group (p = 0.046) and the NST group (p = 0.007) outperformed the ST group. These findings suggest that enhancing children's expectancies can effectively counteract the adverse effects of gender-stereotypical threats on motor learning, providing valuable insights for educational interventions and practices. © 2025 Elsevier Inc.
Human Movement Science (01679457)101
While some studies suggest stereotype threat negatively affects motor performance and learning, further research is needed to better understand its effects and underlying mechanisms, which could lead to strategies for mitigating its impact. In experiment 1, we 1) investigated the effects of gender stereotype threat on learning of an aiming task among adolescent girls, 2) evaluated conscious processes and motivational processes to explore the variables that act as mediators in the context of stereotype threats on performance, and 3) conducted in-depth interviews to explore the participants' experiences, understandings, and opinions related to gender stereotype. Moving one step further, with respect to our findings in Exp 1, we tested whether attentional focus strategies could mitigate the negative effects of stereotype threat on the motor learning of adolescent girls (Exp 2). Our results revealed that implementing an external focus of attention can mitigate the detrimental effects of stereotype threat on motor performance and learning in adolescent girls. These findings hold significant implications for the acquisition of motor skills among adolescents, especially in stereotype-threat conditions. Coaches and teachers, particularly in activities such as throwing, can encourage adolescents to adopt an external focus of attention. © 2025
Journal of Motor Behavior (00222895)57(1)pp. 87-95
This research examined how changes in task constraints impacted the throwing patterns of children. The study involved 24 children, with an equal number of males and females, aged 5 and 6. The primary task constraints were the orientation of the target (horizontal or vertical hoops) and the size of the ball (diameters of 6 cm or 12 cm). We observed throwing patterns and analyzed kinematic changes in the preferred throws’ components. Initially, some children transitioned from using two hands to using one hand, and from underhand to overarm throws, particularly when using the larger balls. However, the preferred pattern for most children was one-hand overarm throwing. The kinematic analysis revealed that the participants adapted their throwing technique based on the size of the ball and the orientation of the hoop. The most significant adjustments occurred in the forearm component in response to changes in the target orientation. Notably, when aiming for a vertical hoop, distinct modifications were observed, including elevating the humerus and pulling the hand backward. These findings support the dynamical systems theory, which explains how movement patterns vary during motor development. The study also discussed the potential benefits of using constraints for skill acquisition in physical education settings. © 2024 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
Mousavi, Seyyed Mohammadreza,
Salehi, Hamid,
Mousavi, S.M.,
Salehi, H.,
Iwatsuki, T.,
Velayati, F.,
Deshayes, M. SEX ROLES (03600025)90(1)pp. 230-230
The original online version of this article was revised to add an important paragraph that was inadvertently removed from the original file, this paragraph described the scoring system of the task and inserted before figure 1. The paragraph is as follows: The participants were told to assume that the goalkeeper was standing in the middle of the goal and to get the highest score, they should try to kick in such a way that it hit as far away from the goalkeeper’s hands as possible. The participants were informed that the balls that hit area number 3 will be awarded 3 points, while those hitting one of the other areas (areas number 2, and 1) will be awarded 2 or 1 point(s), respectively. A shot that missed the goal would earn 0 points. This modified task closely resembles the shots taken by futsal players during a game, and the task was approved by three futsal coaches. The original article has been corrected. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
Mousavi, S.M.,
Salehi, H.,
Iwatsuki, T.,
Velayati, F.,
Deshayes, M. Sex Roles (03600025)89(3-4)pp. 174-185
The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effects of the relatively long induction of negative gender stereotypes on motor skill learning in young adolescent girls. Forty-six Iranian girls (Mage = 14.02 years old, SD = 0.80) were asked to practice a futsal kicking task (i.e., kicking a rolling ball toward a target) for 3 days with approximately 48 hours separating each session. Participants were randomly assigned to either a stereotype threat (ST) or nullified-stereotype threat (NS) group. Participants in the stereotype threat group randomly received related verbal, visual, and readable activation of gender stereotypes before each training session. The order of the manipulations (verbal induction on day 1 and so on) was randomly determined and this order was the same for all the participants. Two retention tests of 10 trials each, followed by two transfer tests, without feedback, were conducted 2 and 7 days later to assess the relatively permanent effects. Results showed that inducing negative stereotypes resulted in degraded kicking scores during the training sessions and degraded motor learning outlined by lower performance on the first and second retention and transfer tests. These findings provide the first evidence of the effect of relatively long induction of negative gender stereotypes on motor skill learning in adolescent girls. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
Journal of Intellectual Disabilities (17446295)26(1)pp. 185-194
The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of easy goals versus difficult goals on acquisition and retention of basketball free throws in children with intellectual disability. Twenty-one children with intellectual disability were randomly assigned to an easy goals or difficult goals group. The participants were required to improve their basketball free throws according to their own scores in the previous exercise session. More difficult goals were set for the difficult goals group than for the easy goals group. The groups exercised the task for nine sessions. Both groups performed pretest, acquisition, and retention tests. Results showed that participants with easy goals improved their performance while the participants with difficult goals failed to improve their performance. These findings indicate that providing children with intellectual disability with easy goals facilitates the process of sport skill learning. © The Author(s) 2020.
Journal of Motor Behavior (00222895)46(1)pp. 17-23
The authors main purpose was to determine whether learning of a real-world sport skill (basketball free throws) is specific to the sources of afferent visual information available during practice. Twenty-eight male high school students (inexperienced in the experimental task) were randomly assigned to a full vision or target only vision group. Participants trained under full vision or target only condition for 15 sessions. Following training, in immediate tests, they were examined under full vision and then under target only conditions. Ten days later, in delayed tests, they performed the task under full vision and then under target only conditions. Results showed both groups performed the task similarly across the experimental period. Interestingly, it was found that immediate and delayed retention performance is specific to the training visual context. The groups performances dropped significantly when we tested them at a visual condition that differed from what they had experienced while learning the task. Performance of the task seemed to have integrated with the visual information available during the task acquisition. These findings provide evidence for the specificity of practice hypothesis in the field of motor learning and control. © 2014 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.
