Difference In Performance Improvement Research Articles

중·고등학교 여자축구 선수들의 팀요인 및 진로결정수준 차이 : 학교급 및 팀성적을 중심으로

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the differences in career decision-making and team factors (e.g., performance improvement, team achievement, and team satisfaction) among middle and high school female soccer players. It is also to discuss the requirements necessary for them to continue their athletic careers. The study aims to provide basic data for the development of youth women’s soccer too.<BR> Method: Four hundred and seventy-eight questionnaires collected from female secondary school soccer teams distributed across the country were used for statistical analysis. Two MANOVAs were used to answer the proposed research questions in the study.<BR> Results: The key findings are as follows. First, middle school female soccer players had higher performance improvement, team achievement, and team satisfaction than their high school counterparts. Second, there were significant differences in performance improvement, team achievement, team satisfaction, and career decision-making according to the team levels (e.g., upper, middle, and lower). The performance improvement, team satisfaction, and career decision-making were found to be higher in the upper teams than both the middle and lower teams, and team achievement was significantly higher in the order of upper, middle and lower levels respectively.<BR> Conclusion: The results that middle school players showed superior team factors compared to their high school counterparts seems to be related to high school players’ entering the next level (e.g., universities or professional teams). The players of the top-tier teams that secured a competitive advantage showed stronger career ability and higher team factors. This could be associated with the individual player’s desire to seek specialty and compensation.

Collective Communication Versus Small Group Communication – Gender Differences in Performance Improvement Under Uncertainty

A vast number of people can be reached via online platforms which in turn benefit from the intelligence of these collectives to solve a diverse set of problems, especially in situations where there is uncertainty. A crucial task for organizations is the selection of the optimal problem-solving design in small groups and collectives. This study aims to identify whether communication improves performance in situations of uncertainty. The main focus is the comparison of performance improvement through small group or collective communication by gender. Results, based on an experiment conducted on about 800 business students from a large Western European University, suggest that topic-specific knowledge has a positive impact on performance under uncertainty in the absence of communication. In addition, small group, as well as collective communication, has been found to improve performance. Finally, comparison of performance improvement showed that best communication type varies by gender. Gender-based differences in communication style, as well as topic-specific interest, determine what communication type is most suitable. These results complement existing research which investigated communication effects as well as the design of small group and collective problem solving. The role of gender, which has not been investigated previously, is also underscored by the results of this study. Furthermore, practical implications for choosing either collective or small group communication are outlined.

Does PBL improve student performance in a multidimensional way? A proposal for a moderated mediation model

ABSTRACT This article identifies the profiles of students whose performance is improved by the PBL method, and the influence of certain student-dependent factors that lead to improvement. Effects on performance vary from one student to another, so we distinguish between outcomes among low-performing, average-performing, and high-performing students. To explain the differences in performance improvement among these types of students, it is necessary to analyze factors that depend on students themselves. This article proposes a mediation/moderation model that reveals the influence of prior knowledge, prior motivation, and effort on the performance improvement that PBL brings about among the three types of students. Our findings show that PBL is especially effective among low-performing students as it results in substantial improvements in their performance levels, making them less dependent on prior knowledge, prior motivation, and the amount of effort made. Performance levels do not improve among high-performing students, for whom obtaining excellent results is observed to depend more on their prior cognitive baggage.

High-intensity Interval Training In The Heat: A "hotter" Alternative For Promoting Cardiovascular Health And Performance?

Chronic heat exposure during exercise, exercise heat acclimation (EHA), and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) both promote positive physiological and performance adaptations; however, it remains unknown if HIIT acts synergistically with EHA compounding the performance benefit of HIIT. PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of HIIT and EHA (HIIT+Heat) on cardiovascular function (CV), endurance running performance, and muscle function vs. HIIT alone. METHODS: Using a randomized controlled parallel-design, 10 young healthy males and females completed 6 sessions of HIIT (8 x 30s on, 90s off) performed either in the heat (HIIT+Heat, 30°C, 50% RH) or thermoneutral (HIIT, ~20°C, 15% RH) condition. Measures of cardiovascular and muscle function, running performance and economy were measured prior to, and >72hr post, training in a thermoneutral environment. A 5 km time-trial and graded treadmill protocol were conducted to assess for running performance and economy, while power and velocity during maximal vertical jump were used to assess muscle function. CV function was assessed via, heart rate (HR), HR variability (HRV; root mean square of successive differences; RMSSD, and standard deviation of N-N intervals; SDNN), central (cBP), peripheral blood pressure (pBP), and pulse wave velocity (PWV). RESULTS: No baseline differences were observed between groups. No differences in performance improvement (-4 ± 2 vs. -4 ± 4%∆ in 5km time) or running economy were observed between groups (p>0.05). Resting HR (-2 ± 3 vs. -2 ± 2 %∆) and HRV (SDNN 5 ±2 vs. 11 ±4%) were improved in both groups but were not different between conditions (HIIT vs. HIIT+Heat, p>0.05). However, cSBP (1 ± 2 vs. -7 ± 3 %∆), pSBP (-2 ± 2 vs. -8 ± 2%∆), and PWV (0 ± 1 vs. -6 ±3%∆) only decreased in the HIIT+Heat (HIIT vs. HIIT+heat, respectively, all p<0.05). Improvements in jump velocity (-3 ± 5 vs. 8 ± 5%∆) and power (-2 ± 5 vs. 9 ± 6%∆) tended be greater in HIIT+heat (p=0.08-0.10). CONCLUSION: Short term HIIT combined with heat stress did not improve running performance or economy more than HIIT alone, but did significantly improve blood pressure, vascular stiffness, and tended to improve muscle function in thermoneutral conditions. Further work exploring longer training and/or greater heat stress in larger populations, or those with vascular dysfunction, is warranted.

Utilizing Intraprocedural Interactive Video Capture With Google Glass for Immediate Postprocedural Resident Coaching

Video coaching has been found to be an effective teaching method because it incorporates many of the established principles of successful adult learning. The goal of our study was to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of using a point-of-view video camera (Google Glass) to improve the surgical skills education of orthopaedic surgery residents. Forty-two residents from 4 institutions participated in a partially blinded randomized control trial performing an intra-articular distal tibial fracture reduction task while wearing Google Glass to record the performance. Participants underwent a structured coaching session with 20 participants (intervention group) using the recorded video to augment this session, and 22 participants (control group) receiving verbal coaching alone. The task was repeated again immediately after the coaching session. Performance was scored using an Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills checklist, Global Rating Scale, fluoroscopic usage, and reduction quality. A semistructured interview was then performed to assess experience of participants. There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) seen in score improvement in the Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills checklist, Global Rating Scale, fluoroscopic usage, or reduction quality between the control and intervention groups. Thematic analysis of interview showed majority of participants found video coaching increased effectiveness in understanding of goals, developing techniques and strategies, and process of self-reflection. Their involvement was seen overall as a positive experience, with participants wanting to see more inclusion of video coaching within surgical education. No difference in performance improvement between the 2 groups was seen, but majority of participants found the video coaching sessions valuable and could have potential beneficial role in education.

Investigating the Impact of a Musical Intervention on Preschool Children's Executive Function.

The impact of music interventions on the cognitive skills of young children has become the focus of a growing number of research studies in recent years. This study investigated the effect of weekly musicianship training on the executive function abilities of 3-to-4-year-old children at a London, United Kingdom preschool, using a two-phase experimental design. In Phase 1, 14 children (Group A) took part in eight weekly musicianship classes, provided by a specialist music teacher, while 25 children (Groups B and C combined) engaged in nursery free play. Results of this Phase showed Group A to have improved on two measures relating to planning and inhibition skills. During Phase 2, Group A continued with music classes, while Group B began music classes for the first time and Group C took part in an art intervention. Repeated measures ANOVA found no significant difference in performance improvement between the three participant groups during phase 2; however, the performance difference between groups was nearing significance for the peg tapping task (p = 0.06). The findings from this study contribute to current debates about the potential cognitive benefit of musical interventions, including important issues regarding intervention duration, experimental design, target age groups, executive function testing, and task novelty.

Increasing motivation and engagement in neurosurgery for medical students through practical simulation-based learning.

BackgroundSimulation-based learning (SBL) is an essential adjunct to modern surgical education. Our study aimed to evaluate the educational benefit and motivational impact of a pilot practical neurosurgical module.Materials and methods38 clinical medical students from several EU Medical Schools attended an international surgical course focused on teaching and learning basic surgical skills. We designed a pilot neurosurgical workshop instructing students to insert an intracranial pressure bolt using an ex vivo pig model. Each delegate was assessed by two consultant neurosurgeons using a validated assessment tool. Structured questionnaires were distributed on completion of the module.ResultsDelegate performance increased (p < 0.001) with no difference in performance improvement across year of study (p = 0.676) or medical school (p = 0.647). All delegates perceived this workshop as a potential addition to their education (median 5/5, IQR = 0), and indicated that the course provided motivational value towards a neurosurgical career (median 4/5, IQR = 1), with no difference seen between year of study or medical school (p > 0.05).ConclusionOur pilot neurosurgical workshop demonstrated the educational value of practical SBL learning for motivating students towards a surgical career. Homogeneous views across year of study and medical school underline the value of developing a unified strategy to develop and standardise undergraduate surgical teaching with a practical focus.

The effect of metacognitive monitoring feedback on performance in a computer-based training simulation

This laboratory experiment was designed to study the effect of metacognitive monitoring feedback on performance in a computer-based training simulation. According to prior research on metacognition, the accurate checking of learning is a critical part of improving the quality of human performance. However, only rarely have researchers studied the learning effects of the accurate checking of retrospective confidence judgments (RCJs) during a computer-based military training simulation. In this study, we provided participants feedback screens after they had completed a warning task and identification task in a radar monitoring simulation. There were two groups in this experiment. One group (group A) viewed the feedback screens with the flight path of all target aircraft and the triangular graphs of both RCJ scores and human performance together. The other group (group B) only watched the feedback screens with the flight path of all target aircraft. There was no significant difference in performance improvement between groups A and B for the warning task (Day 1: group A – 0.347, group B – 0.305; Day 2: group A – 0.488, group B – 0.413). However, the identification task yielded a significant difference in performance improvement between these groups (Day 1: group A – 0.174, group B – 0.1555; Day 2: group A – 0.324, group B – 0.199). The results show that debiasing self-judgment of the identification task produces a positive training effect on learners. The findings of this study will be beneficial for designing an advanced instructional strategy in a simulation-based training environment.

Improving Physical Task Performance with Counterfactual and Prefactual Thinking.

Counterfactual thinking (reflecting on “what might have been”) has been shown to enhance future performance by translating information about past mistakes into plans for future action. Prefactual thinking (imagining “what might be if…”) may serve a greater preparative function than counterfactual thinking as it is future-orientated and focuses on more controllable features, thus providing a practical script to prime future behaviour. However, whether or not this difference in hypothetical thought content may translate into a difference in actual task performance has been largely unexamined. In Experiment 1 (n = 42), participants performed trials of a computer-simulated physical task, in between which they engaged in either task-related hypothetical thinking (counterfactual or prefactual) or an unrelated filler task (control). As hypothesised, prefactuals contained more controllable features than counterfactuals. Moreover, participants who engaged in either form of hypothetical thinking improved significantly in task performance over trials compared to participants in the control group. The difference in thought content between counterfactuals and prefactuals, however, did not yield a significant difference in performance improvement. Experiment 2 (n = 42) replicated these findings in a dynamic balance task environment. Together, these findings provide further evidence for the preparatory function of counterfactuals, and demonstrate that prefactuals share this same functional characteristic.

Effect of Pay-for-Performance Incentives on Quality of Care in Small Practices With Electronic Health Records

Most evaluations of pay-for-performance (P4P) incentives have focused on large-group practices. Thus, the effect of P4P in small practices, where many US residents receive care, is largely unknown. Furthermore, whether electronic health records (EHRs) with chronic disease management capabilities support small-practice response to P4P has not been studied. To assess the effect of P4P incentives on quality in EHR-enabled small practices in the context of an established quality improvement initiative. A cluster-randomized trial of small (<10 clinicians) primary care clinics in New York City from April 2009 through March 2010. A city program provided all participating clinics with the same EHR software with decision support and patient registry functionalities and quality improvement specialists offering technical assistance. Incentivized clinics were paid for each patient whose care met the performance criteria, but they received higher payments for patients with comorbidities, who had Medicaid insurance, or who were uninsured (maximum payments: $200/patient; $100,000/clinic). Quality reports were given quarterly to both the intervention and control groups. Comparison of differences in performance improvement, from the beginning to the end of the study, between control and intervention clinics for aspirin or antithrombotic prescription, blood pressure control, cholesterol control, and smoking cessation interventions. Mixed-effects logistic regression was used to account for clustering of patients within clinics, with a treatment by time interaction term assessing the statistical significance of the effect of the intervention. Participating clinics (n = 42 for each group) had similar baseline characteristics, with a mean of 4592 (median, 2500) patients at the intervention group clinics and 3042 (median, 2000) at the control group clinics. Intervention clinics had greater adjusted absolute improvement in rates of appropriate antithrombotic prescription (12.0% vs 6.1%, difference: 6.0% [95% CI, 2.2% to 9.7%], P = .001 for interaction term), blood pressure control (no comorbidities: 9.7% vs 4.3%, difference: 5.5% [95% CI, 1.6% to 9.3%], P = .01 for interaction term; with diabetes mellitus: 9.0% vs 1.2%, difference: 7.8% [95% CI, 3.2% to 12.4%], P = .007 for interaction term; with diabetes mellitus or ischemic vascular disease: 9.5% vs 1.7%, difference: 7.8% [95% CI, 3.0% to 12.6%], P = .01 for interaction term), and in smoking cessation interventions (12.4% vs 7.7%, difference: 4.7% [95% CI, -0.3% to 9.6%], P = .02 for interaction term). Intervention clinics performed better on all measures for Medicaid and uninsured patients except cholesterol control, but no differences were statistically significant. Among small EHR-enabled clinics, a P4P incentive program compared with usual care resulted in modest improvements in cardiovascular care processes and outcomes. Because most proposed P4P programs are intended to remain in place more than a year, further research is needed to determine whether this effect increases or decreases over time. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00884013.

Longitudinal analyses of Olympic athletics and swimming events find no gender gap in performance improvement

AbstractGender gaps in absolute performance at the Olympics are well-established, while gender differences in relative performance have not been considered. We analyzed time trends in male and female performance improvement for medal results in all individual athletics and swimming events in Olympic years with male and female competition. Performance improvement was defined as the percentage change in performance over the gold-medal result of the previous Olympic year. In mixed effects models that accounted for the effects of the order of finish, event, and year, we found a non-significant average difference in performance improvement of &lt;0.5% for events in running, jumping, throwing, and swimming. Since the mid-twentieth century, the record at the Summer Games shows that gains in the performance of female Olympic medalists have kept pace with men.

The effect of filmed versus personal after-event reviews on task performance: The mediating and moderating role of self-efficacy.

In the current study, we compared the effect of personal and filmed after-event reviews (AERs) on performance, and the role that self-efficacy plays in moderating and mediating the effects of these 2 types of AER on performance. The setting was one in which 49 men and 63 women participated twice in a simulated business decision-making task. In between, participants received a personal AER, watched a filmed AER, or had a break. We found that individuals who participated in an AER, whether personal or filmed, improved their performance significantly more than those who did not participate in a review. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in performance improvement between the personal and the filmed AER, which suggests that the 2 are quite similar in their effect. We also found that the differences in performance improvement between the personal AER group and the control group were somewhat greater than those found in the filmed AER group. Self-efficacy mediated the effect of AER on performance improvement in both types of AER. In addition, the effect of AER on performance improvement was moderated by initial self-efficacy in the personal but not in the filmed AER: The personal AER was more effective, the higher the initial self-efficacy.

Food for endurance - the evidence, with a focus on glycaemic index.

Abstract We reviewed the effects of glycaemic index (GI) of carbohydrates, consumed before exercise, on metabolism and performance. A carbohydrate with a high GI results in rapid absorption of glucose and a large and fast rise in blood insulin. A carbohydrate with a low GI results in a slower and smaller rise in blood glucose and insulin levels. Increased insulin levels inhibit fat oxidation and promote carbohydrate oxidation, which may result in faster glycogen depletion when high-GI carbohydrates are consumed before exercise. High-GI carbohydrates may also result in rebound hypoglycaemia, which would leave one with lower than normal blood glucose levels and hinder exercise performance. Most studies of low-versus high-GI carbohydrates consumed before exercise indicate that low-GI carbohydrates confer a better metabolic response (i.e. lower insulin release, increased fat oxidation and decreased glucose oxidation compared with high-GI carbohydrates). Despite this improved metabolic response, intake of low- and high-GI carbohydrates result in similar improvements in exercise performance. In the 20 studies we reviewed, low-GI carbohydrates were more beneficial for improvement in performance in seven studies, high-GI carbohydrates were more beneficial in one study, and there was no difference in performance improvement between carbohydrates of differing GI in 12 studies. We conclude that low-GI carbohydrates result in a more favourable metabolic response compared with high-GI carbohydrates when consumed before exercise, but this does not always result in a greater improvement in exercise performance.

Strength training effects of whole‐body vibration?

Whole-body vibration (WBV) has been suggested to have a beneficial effect on muscle strength. Manufacturers of vibration platforms promote WBV as an effective alternative or complement to resistance training. This study aimed to review systematically the current (August 2005) scientific support for effects of WBV on muscle strength and jump performance. MEDLINE and SPORT DISCUS were searched for the word vibration in combination with strength or training. Twelve articles were included in the final analysis. In four of the five studies that used an adequate design with a control group performing the same exercises as the WBV group, no difference in performance improvement was found between groups, suggesting no or only minor additional effects of WBV as such. Proposed neural mechanisms are discussed.

A comparison of adaptive procedures for rapid and reliable threshold assessment and training in naive listeners

In psychoacoustic studies there is often a need to assess performance indices quickly and reliably. The aim of this study was to establish a quick and reliable procedure for evaluating thresholds in backward masking and frequency discrimination tasks. Based on simulations, four procedures likely to produce the best results were selected, and data collected from 20 naive adult listeners on each. Each procedure used one of two adaptive methods (staircase or maximum-likelihood estimation, each targeting the 79% correct point on the psychometric function) and two response paradigms (3-interval, 2-alternative forced-choice AXB or 3-interval; 3-alternative forced-choice oddball). All procedures yielded statistically equivalent threshold estimates in both backward masking and frequency discrimination, with a trend to lower thresholds for oddball procedures in frequency discrimination. Oddball procedures were both more efficient and more reliable (test-retest) in backward masking, but all four procedures were equally efficient and reliable in frequency discrimination. Fitted psychometric functions yielded similar thresholds to averaging over reversals in staircase procedures. Learning was observed across threshold-assessment blocks and experimental sessions. In four additional groups, each of ten listeners, trained on the different procedures, no differences in performance improvement or rate of learning were observed, suggesting that learning is independent of procedure.

Reduced Functional Recovery by Delaying Motor Training After Spinal Cord Injury

The purpose of this study was to examine if a delay in rehabilitative motor training after spinal cord injury affects functional motor recovery. We studied a skilled motor task in which rats traversed a raised horizontal ladder and we quantified errors in accurate stepping, i.e., foot slips between rungs. After lesions to the dorsal quadrant of the thoracic (T8) spinal cord that aimed to unilaterally sever the corticospinal and rubrospinal tracts, rats were re-trained to walk across the ladder, either immediately after injury or after a 3-mo delay. Before training, the error rate in accurate stepping of the affected hindlimb was similar in the immediately (69.4 +/- 5.3%) and delay (62.7 +/- 4.1%; means +/- SE)-trained animals (not significantly different), suggesting that accurate stepping did not improve spontaneously if rats were not exposed to the ladder. After a 3-wk course of training (30 runs across the ladder per day, 5 day/wk), improvements in accurate stepping performance were greater if training was implemented immediately after injury. On average, immediately trained animals improved stepping performance by 61.5 +/- 28.2%, whereas the delay trained group improved by only 34.9 +/- 28.8% (significantly different). The degree of damage to the corticospinal and rubrospinal tracts was very similar in the two groups of animals, indicating that differences in lesion size did not contribute to the differences in performance improvement. Animals with large lesions to the corticospinal and rubrospinal tracts (>70%) displayed poor recovery from training (especially for delay-trained animals), suggesting that these two pathways were important in mediating improvements in accurate stepping. In addition, recovery of stepping-like reflexes appeared not to contribute to the recovery of accurate stepping given that the time course of reflex recovery was not related to the time course of recovery of accurate stepping. We conclude that training of a skilled motor task that relies on descending control is more beneficial when initiated immediately after a partial spinal cord injury.