Propensity For Reinvestment Research Articles

Reinvestment in one versus one in-field and shoot-out field hockey performance

The theory of reinvestment suggests that inappropriate use of attention to consciously engage in movements or decisions (movement specific reinvestment or decision specific reinvestment) can result in disrupted performance. We used moderation analysis to investigate the association between these forms of reinvestment and performance during one versus one in-field and shoot-out scenarios during field hockey. We expected that the propensity for reinvestment would be negatively associated with shoot-out performance but not in-field performance, because monitoring many other players during in-field play diverts attention away from conscious engagement in movements or decisions. No association was evident between decision specific reinvestment and in-field or shoot-out performance. However, a higher propensity for movement specific reinvestment (specifically, conscious motor processing) was negatively associated with shoot-out performance, but not in-field performance. We speculate that the necessity to shift between many non-static attentional demands during in-field situations may reduce capacity for movement specific reinvestment during performance.

Evaluation of Conscious Monitoring and Movement Control Efforts Among Dental Students.

Prior research has demonstrated that motor skill learning is often disrupted by self-focus and attempts to control movement. The propensity for reinvestment (i.e., self-focus and movement control) has been associated with poor motor skill learning in sport and surgery, but it has not yet been examined in dental education. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the propensity for disruptive reinvestment among dental students so as to optimize their learning needs. Volunteer dental students (210) completed three reinvestment surveys to investigate their self-reported propensity to engage in conscious self-monitoring and control of their movements and decisions. We used analysis of variance (ANOVA), with post-hoc analyses as appropriate, to assess the effect of various participant demographics on their reinvestment scores. Male participants had a lower mean reinvestment scale score than females (p < .05). Older participants were found to have a lower mean movement reinvestment score, compared to younger reinvesters (p < .05). On the other hand, younger reinvesters had a lower mean decision reinvestment score compared to the older age group (p < .05). When compared with participants in previous studies our participants obtained a significantly higher reinvestment score (p < .05). In conclusion, gender and age may be related to dental students' self-reported propensity to reinvest. Moreover, dental students were found to be more self-conscious when compared with individuals who perform gross motor skill tasks. These results provide insight into the acquisition of dental skills that may assist in designing pre-clinical training curriculum in dental education.

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.

Inhibitory control, conscious processing of movement and anxiety

It has been suggested that a high propensity for reinvestment (i.e., conscious processing of movements) can disrupt performance, but the mechanisms responsible are not well understood. The purpose of this study was to examine whether people with superior inhibition function (i.e., ability to suppress unwanted thoughts and behaviours) were better able to suppress conscious processing of their movements (i.e., reinvestment). Inhibition function was assessed using a Go/NoGo button-press task, and individual propensity for reinvestment was assessed using the Movement Specific Reinvestment Scale (MSRS) and the Decision-Specific Reinvestment Scale (DSRS). The results revealed positive associations between inhibition function and reinvestment propensity, with better inhibition function evident in people who displayed a higher propensity to reinvest (MSRS and DSRS). Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that trait anxiety moderated the relationship between inhibition and movement specific reinvestment, with higher MSRS scores associated with better inhibition function in people with low trait anxiety. This association was not significant among people with high trait anxiety. Possible explanations for these results are discussed.

The Role of Movement-Specific Reinvestment in Visuomotor Control of Walking by Older Adults.

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. 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. 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. 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.

Evidence for Skill Level Differences in the Thought Processes of Golfers During High and Low Pressure Situations.

Two studies examined differences in the cognition of golfers with differing levels of expertise in high and low pressure situations. In study 1, six high skill and six low skill golfers performed six holes of golf, while verbalizing their thoughts using Think Aloud (TA) protocol. Higher skilled golfers’ cognitive processes centered more on planning in comparison to lower skilled golfers. Study 2 investigated whether thought processes of golfers changed in response to competitive pressure. Eight high skill and eight moderate skilled golfers, completed a practice round and a competition round whilst verbalizing thoughts using TA. To create pressure in the competition condition, participants were instructed that monetary prizes would be awarded to the top three performers and scores of all golfers would be published in a league table in the club house. When performing under competitive pressure, it was found that higher skilled golfers were more likely to verbalize technical rules compared to practice conditions, especially during putting performance. This shift in cognition toward more technical aspects of motor performance was strongly related to scores on the Decision Specific Reinvestment Scale, suggesting individuals with a higher propensity for reinvestment show the largest changes in cognition under pressure. From a practical perspective, TA can aid a player, coach or sport psychologist by allowing thought processes to be identified and investigate a performer’s thoughts when faced with the pressure of a competition.

Investigating the Dutch Movement-Specific Reinvestment Scale in people with stroke

Objective: Reinvestment is a phenomenon in which conscious control of movements that are best controlled automatically disrupts performance. The propensity for reinvestment may therefore play an important role in the movement rehabilitation process. The Movement-Specific Reinvestment Scale measures an individual’s propensity for reinvestment. The aim of this study was to translate the scale for use with Dutch participants with stroke and to assess its reliability. Design: A test–retest design. Setting: In community after discharge from rehabilitation centre. Subjects: Forty-five people with stroke. Measures: Reliability of the translated scale was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Bland–Altman plot. Results: The ICC was 0.85 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.74–0.91). Limits of agreement ranged from −2.38 to 3.10. Conclusion: The Dutch Movement-Specific Reinvestment Scale appears to be a reliable tool with which to assess the propensity for movement-specific reinvestment by people with stroke.

Conscious monitoring and control (reinvestment) in surgical performance under pressure

BackgroundResearch 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.MethodsThirty-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).ResultsHigh 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.ConclusionTrained 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.

Clarifying Assumptions about Intraoperative Stress during Surgical Performance: More Than a Stab in the Dark: Reply

We thank Dr. Ali for his concise annotation of our efforts to validate a tool that evaluates mental workload in surgery [1, 2]. Unlike other safety critical domains, the field of surgery has been slow to acknowledge the impact of intraoperative stress on surgical performance, but recently a sea change has been triggered by authorities in the field of surgical education [3]. We agree with Ali that stress is not by default detrimental to performance. Our aim was to develop a diagnostic tool that identifies the factors that contribute to disrupted performance, should it occur. Indeed, studies of the effects of acute stress on operating performance have shown considerable variability, ranging from no effect to either facilitative or debilitative effects [3–5]. The Yerkes-Dodson law emerged from the earliest attempts to explain the relationship between physiological arousal and performance, but it has been criticized for treating stress as a unitary construct, influenced solely by physiological factors [6]. More recently, Catastrophe Theory has been invoked to model the relationship, using both physiological and psychological (cognitive anxiety) components of stress [7]. The model proposes that physiological arousal displays a mild inverted-U relationship with performance when cognitive anxiety is low, but that catastrophic declines in performance can occur if both physiological arousal and cognitive anxiety are high. Recent surgical literature has elucidated the complexity of stress as a construct and signaled the need for a multidimensional approach to the examination of stress in surgery [3]. The importance of investigating both subjective evaluations of stress and objective measures of performance under intraoperative conditions is evident when the workload measures from our study [2] are compared with the performance and stress measures that we used in a previous study [5]. In the previous study, we investigated laparoscopic peg transfer performance under time pressure, multitasking, and evaluation apprehension conditions using a multidimensional approach. That is, we included objective measures of motor performance (Imperial College Surgical Assessment Device; ICSAD) and both subjective (state anxiety) and objective (heart rate) measures of stress. Time pressure was perceived as most stressful, yet performance was maintained at baseline levels. In contrast, multitasking was not perceived as stressful, yet performance was disrupted [5]. Mental workload is an extremely useful construct when the intention is to examine the mechanisms underpinning such effects, as performance is governed by interacting demands of the task, circumstances in which the task is completed, and the skills, propensities, and perceptions of the individual performing that task [2]. Consequently, while multitasking was not perceived as stressful in our earlier study, it was rated subjectively as causing the highest task complexity, mental demands, and distraction on our SURG-TLX measure [2]. Based on these findings, it is not enough simply to reveal that a particular intraoperative condition caused a surgeon objectively to perform worse (as suggested by Ali); without clues to why performance was affected, prevention of potential catastrophes in the future is a “stab in the dark.” Ali makes a valid point that individuals react differently to stress. For example, a surgeon who feels that he or she has sufficient resources to meet the demands of a situation may view stress in a positive, “challenge” state, but a surgeon who feels dispossessed of the resources required to meet the demands of the situation may view stress in a negative, “threat” state [8]. We have previously shown that individual differences in trait anxiety [9] or the propensity for reinvestment [10, 11] have a significant influence on how efficiently an individual performs a motor task when under evaluative pressure, and recently we have begun to examine these questions in the surgical performance context.

THE ROLE OF REINVESTMENT IN WALKING AND FALLING IN COMMUNITY‐DWELLING OLDER ADULTS

THE ROLE OF REINVESTMENT IN WALKING AND FALLING IN COMMUNITY‐DWELLING OLDER ADULTS

Reinvestment and Movement Disruption Following Stroke

Background. Disruption of the automaticity of movement execution is commonly experienced by people with stroke and may result from the person consciously attempting to control the mechanics of his or her movements. This act of turning one's attention in toward the mechanics of an action is referred to as “reinvestment.” Objectives. This study aimed to explore the hypothesis that people with stroke have a greater propensity for reinvestment than the nondisabled population and to examine the relationship between reinvestment, functional impairment from stroke, and aspects of rehabilitation. Methods. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was used. A total of 148 people with stroke and 148 nondisabled adults completed the Movement Specific Reinvestment Scale. Correlational and multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between functional impairment and various potential predictors. Results. Compared with controls, people with stroke had a greater propensity for reinvestment. Conscious motor processing and time spent in rehabilitation were significant predictors of functional impairment following stroke. Conclusions. The association between functional impairment, propensity for reinvestment, and time spent in rehabilitation indicates that exclusive reliance on conscious motor processing strategies in the rehabilitation setting may be an impediment to regaining functional independence. There is a need to develop motor learning strategies for rehabilitation that restrain the propensity for reinvestment.

Duration of Parkinson Disease Is Associated With an Increased Propensity for “Reinvestment”

Background. As a consequence of difficulties in movement initiation and execution, people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) are typically encouraged to consciously monitor and control the mechanics of their actions. This is described as ‘reinvestment’ and has been shown to help mediate effective motor output. Paradoxically, in situations where people with PD are particularly motivated to move effectively, reinvestment may exacerbate existing movement deficits. Objective. To examine the propensity for reinvestment in a sample of people with PD. Methods. A volunteer sample of 55 people with PD was asked to complete a previously validated measure, the Reinvestment Scale. A sub-sample (and age matched controls) was asked to complete a recently developed, movement specific, version of the Scale. Data was collected on Mini Mental State Examination and the Hoehn & Yahr Scale. Participant demographics, including age of onset and duration of disease, were also collated. Results. Multiple regression analyses showed that duration of disease was associated with reinvestment score on both the Reinvestment Scale and the Movement Specific Reinvestment Scale. Conclusions. Participants appeared to become more aware of the mechanics of their actions over time. Possible explanations for this finding are discussed with reference to rehabilitation.