Psychomotor Tasks Research Articles

Capuchin and rhesus monkeys show sunk cost effects in a psychomotor task

Human decision-making is often swayed by irrecoverable investments even though it should only be based on future—and not past—costs and benefits. Although this sunk cost effect is widely documented and can lead to devastating losses, the underlying psychological mechanisms are unclear. To tease apart possible explanations through a comparative approach, we assessed capuchin and rhesus monkeys’ susceptibility to sunk costs in a psychomotor task. Monkeys needed to track a moving target with a joystick-controlled cursor for variable durations. They could stop at any time, ending the trial without reward. To minimize the work required for a reward, monkeys should have always persisted for at least 1 s, but should have abandoned the trial if that did not yield a reward. Capuchin monkeys and especially rhesus macaques persisted to trial completion even when it was suboptimal, and were more likely to complete the trial the longer they had already tracked the target. These effects were less pronounced, although still present, when the change in expected tracking duration was signalled visually. These results show that sunk cost effects can arise in the absence of human-unique factors and may emerge, in part, because persisting can resolve uncertainty.

Acute administration of oxycodone, alcohol, and their combination on simulated driving-preliminary outcomes in healthy adults.

Epidemiological data indicate that drivers testing positive for an opioid drug are twice as likely to cause a fatal car crash; however, there are limited controlled data available. The primary aim of this study was to assess the effects of a therapeutic dose range of oxycodone alone and in combination with alcohol on simulated driving performance. Healthy participants (n = 10) completed this within-subject, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized outpatient study. Six 7-h sessions were completed during which oxycodone (0, 5, 10 mg, p.o.) was administered 30 min before alcohol (0, 0.8 g/kg (15% less for women), p.o.) for a total of 6 test conditions. Driving assessments and participant-, observer-rated, psychomotor and physiological measures were collected in regular intervals before and after drug administration. Oxycodone alone (5, 10 mg) did not produce any changes in driving outcomes or psychomotor task performance, relative to placebo (p > 0.05); however, 10 mg oxycodone produced increases in an array of subjective ratings, including sedation and impairment (p < 0.05). Alcohol alone produced driving impairment (e.g., decreased lateral control) (p < 0.05); however, oxycodone did not potentiate alcohol-related driving or subjective effects. These preliminary data suggest that acute doses of oxycodone (5, 10 mg) do not significantly impair acuity on laboratory-based simulated driving models; however, 10 mg oxycodone produced increases in self-reported outcomes that are not compatible with safe driving behavior (e.g., sedation, impairment). Additional controlled research is needed to determine how opioid misuse (higher doses; parenteral routes of administration) impacts driving risk.

Yoga Practice Improves Physical Fitness and Psychomotor Coordination in Older Adults

Background. There is evidence that yoga practice can improve cardiovascular endurance, and that physically fit individuals have better psychomotor functioning, however, to the best of our knowledge, no information is available regarding yoga effects in population aged 60 years and older. The aim of the study was to test the hypothesis that 10 weeks of yoga practice would improvephysical fitness and psychomotor coordination in older adults.Methods. Thirty-three older adults aged 66.9 ± 6.0 years were randomly assigned to the control group and the experimental group, which had 90-min yoga practice twice a week, for 10 weeks. Attendance and adherence ratios, and changes in cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, grip strength, and psychomotor coordination were assessed. Results. Attendance of the experimental group subjects in yoga practice was 96.4 ± 4.1%. Yoga practice increased (p &lt; 0.05) hand grip strength, flexibility in hips, thighs and spine, and decreased (p &lt; 0.05) the distance from target in the psychomotor task, whereas no changes in peak oxygen consumption were observed.Conclusion. Nevertheless, regular 10-week yoga practice had no effect on cardiovascular endurance, but it produced beneficial changes in muscular strength, flexibility and psychomotor coordination for older adults.Keywords: aging, cardiovascular endurance, strength, flexibility, exercise.

Development of Cognitive and Psychomotor Task for EEG Application with Matlab-based GUI

Conventionally, the evaluation of cognitive and psychomotor ability performance is typically based on self-writing reports. However, such assessment was unable to measure the actual performance during the task execution. Furthermore, the performance results perceived by the instructor is mainly subjective. For an alternative solution, a new approach is proposed to acquire brainwave signals (i.e. electroencephalogram (EEG)) during task performance. The application of EEG offers a promising approach in evaluating skill abilities at physiological level. Hence, a task related to the assessed skill needs to properly design to ensure the induced EEG signal is reliable for performance evaluation. With the aid of Graphical User Interface (GUI), the time frame of each response can be capture and recorded. Therefore, this paper presents the development of task assessment in evaluating the performance of cognitive and psychomotor abilities based on EEG signal.

Exercise-Induced Elevated BDNF Level Does Not Prevent Cognitive Impairment Due to Acute Exposure to Moderate Hypoxia in Well-Trained Athletes.

Exposure to acute hypoxia causes a detrimental effect on the brain which is also manifested by a decrease in the ability to perform psychomotor tasks. Conversely, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), whose levels are elevated in response to exercise, is a well-known factor in improving cognitive function. Therefore, the aim of our study was to investigate whether the exercise under hypoxic conditions affects psychomotor performance. For this purpose, 11 healthy young athletes performed a graded cycloergometer exercise test to volitional exhaustion under normoxia and acute mild hypoxia (FiO2 = 14.7%). Before, immediately after exercise and after a period of recovery, choice reaction time (CRT) and number of correct reactions (NCR) in relation to changes in serum BDNF were examined. Additionally, other selected factors which may modify BDNF production, i.e., cortisol (C), nitrite, catecholamines (adrenalin-A, noradrenaline-NA, dopamine-DA, serotonin-5-HT) and endothelin-1 (ET-1), were also measured. Exercise in hypoxic conditions extended CRT by 13.8% (p < 0.01) and decreased NCR (by 11.5%) compared to rest (p < 0.05). During maximal workload, NCR was lower by 9% in hypoxia compared to normoxia (p < 0.05). BDNF increased immediately after exercise in normoxia (by 29.3%; p < 0.01), as well as in hypoxia (by 50.0%; p < 0.001). There were no differences in BDNF between normoxia and hypoxia. Considering the fact that similar levels of BDNF were seen in both conditions but cognitive performance was suppressed in hypoxia, acute elevation of BDNF did not compensate for hypoxia-induced cognition impairment. Moreover, neither potentially negative effects of C nor positive effects of A, DA and NO on the brain were observed in our study.

Impact of Personal Protective Equipment on the Performance of Emergency Pediatric Procedures by Prehospital Providers.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is worn by prehospital providers (PHPs) for protection from hazardous exposures. Evidence regarding the ability of PHPs to perform resuscitation procedures has been described in adult but not pediatric models. This study examined the effects of PPE on the ability of PHPs to perform resuscitation procedures on pediatric patients. This prospective study was conducted at a US simulation center. Paramedics wore normal attire at the baseline session and donned full Level B PPE for the second session. During each session, they performed timed sets of psychomotor tasks simulating clinical care of a critically ill pediatric patient. The difference in time to completion between baseline and PPE sessions per task was examined using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. A total of 50 paramedics completed both sessions. Median times for task completion at the PPE sessions increased significantly from baseline for several procedures: tracheal intubation (+4.5 s; P = 0.01), automated external defibrillator (AED) placement (+9.5 s; P = 0.01), intraosseous line insertion (+7 s; P < 0.0001), tourniquet (+8.5 s; P < 0.0001), intramuscular injection (+21-23 s, P < 0.0001), and pulse oximetry (+4 s; P < 0.0001). There was no significant increase in completion time for bag-mask ventilation or autoinjector use. PPE did not have a significant impact on PHPs performing critical tasks while caring for a pediatric patient with a highly infectious or chemical exposure. This information may guide PHPs faced with the situation of resuscitating children while wearing Level B PPE.

Is a difficult task literally heavy?

Abstract The conceptualization of abstract concepts is very often metaphorical, meaning that we think and talk about abstract concepts in terms of other, usually more concrete experiences. Recent research suggests that many abstract concepts are linked to bodily sensations. In two experiments, we tested a hypothesis about weight as an embodiment of difficulty. We hypothesized that participants wearing a heavy backpack would judge a psychomotor task to be more difficult than participants wearing an empty backpack. We also hypothesized that manipulation of psychomotor task difficulty would affect judgement of backpack heaviness. In line with our hypothesis, the results demonstrated that participants wearing a heavy backpack judged the task to be more difficult. The results of Experiment 2 demonstrated that, regardless of task difficulty, there was no difference in weight judgement when backpack weight was estimated on a 7-point scale. However, we found a difference in the judgement of backpack weight when participants were asked to express it in kilograms, where weight was judged to be lower by participants doing the easy task than by those doing the difficult task.

Inflammatory markers are associated with psychomotor slowing in patients with schizophrenia compared to healthy controls

Patients with schizophrenia exhibit psychomotor deficits that are associated with poor functional outcomes. One pathway that may be associated with psychomotor slowing is inflammation. Inflammatory markers have been shown to be elevated in patients with schizophrenia and are associated with psychomotor deficits in both animal and human studies. Forty-three patients with schizophrenia and 29 healthy controls were recruited and underwent a battery of psychomotor tasks. The following immune measures in peripheral blood were assayed: IL-6, IL-1 beta, IL-10, TNF, MCP-1, IL-6sr, IL-1RA, and TNFR2. Generalized linear models were used to determine which immune markers, in addition to their interaction with diagnosis, were associated with performance on the psychomotor tasks. As expected, patients with schizophrenia demonstrated slower performance compared with healthy controls on the finger tapping test (FTT, tested on dominant and non-dominant hands), trail making test (TMT), and symbol coding test (SC). Interactive effects with diagnosis were found for TNF, IL-10, IL-6sr, and TNFR2 for the FTT (dominant), IL-10 and IL-6sr for FTT (non-dominant), TNF and IL-10 for TMT and TNF, IL-10, IL-6sr, TNFR2, and IL-1RA for SC. The results of this study provide evidence that peripheral inflammatory markers contribute to psychomotor slowing in patients with schizophrenia. These data are consistent with a growing literature, demonstrating that inflammation may target the basal ganglia to contribute to psychomotor deficits as is seen in other psychiatric disorders such as depression. These data also indicate that psychomotor speed may be a relevant construct to target in studies of the immune system in schizophrenia.

Establishing validity of the fundamentals of spinal surgery (FOSS) simulator as a teaching tool for orthopedic and neurosurgical trainees

BACKGROUND CONTEXTPedicle screw placement is a demanding surgical skill as a spine surgeon can face challenges including variations in pedicle morphology and spinal deformities. Available CT simulators for spine pedicle placement can be very costly and hands-on cadaver courses are limited by specimen availability and are not readily accessible. PURPOSETo conduct validation of a simulated training device for essential spine surgery skills. DESIGNCross-sectional, empirical study of physician performance on a surgical simulator model. SAMPLESpine attending physicians and residents from four different academic institutions across the United States. OUTCOME MEASURESPerformance metrics on two surgical simulator tasks. METHODSAfter IRB approval, an inexpensive ($30) simulator was developed to test two main psychomotor tasks (1) creation of the pedicle screw path with a standard gearshift probe without cortical breaks and (2) the ability to palpate for the presence or absence of cortical breaches as well as determine the location of wall defects. Orthopedic and neurosurgery residents (N=72) as well as spine attending surgeons (N=26) participated from four different institutions. To test construct validity, performance metrics were compared between participants of different training status through one-way analysis of variance and linear regression analysis, with significance set at p<.05. RESULTSSpine attending surgeons consistently scored higher than the residents, in the screw trajectory task with triangular base (p=.0027) and defect probing task (p=.0035). In defect probing, performance improved with linear trend by number of residency training years with approaching significance (p=.0721). In that task, independent of institutional affiliation, PGY-2 residents correctly identified an average of 1.25±0.43 fewer locations compared with attending physicians (p=.0049). More than 80% of the spine attendings reported they would use the simulator for training purposes. CONCLUSIONSThis low-cost fundamentals of spine surgery simulator detected differences in performances between spine attending surgeons and surgical residents. Programs should consider implementing a simulator such as fundamentals of spine surgery to assess and develop pedicle screw placement ability outside of the operating room.

Correlation of EEG biomarkers of cannabis with measured driving impairment

Objective: The objective of this study was to use electroencephalogram (EEG) biomarkers derived from a short, easily administered neurocognitive testbed to determine acute cannabis intoxication and its effect on driving performance in a driving simulator.Methods: The data analyzed were from a study examining the relationship between psychomotor task performance, EEG data, and driving performance in a simulator. EEG data were collected using a STAT® X-24 EEG Wireless Sensor Headset, which was worn during the psychomotor and driving tasks. Driving data were collected for segments of consistent driving environments, including urban driving, urban curves, interstate, interstate curves, dark rural, and rural straightaways. Dependent measures included measures of lateral and longitudinal vehicle control.Results: There was a significant relationship between impaired driving performance as indicated by increased standard deviation of lane position and EEG power in slow theta band (3–5 Hz) in parietal and occipital areas.Conclusions: These results, combined with our prior reported results, suggest that EEG and electrocardiogram (ECG) acquired concurrent with neuropsychological tests hold potential to provide a highly sensitive, specific, and dose-dependent profile of cannabis intoxication and level of impairment.

Variational Principle of Least Psychomotor Action: Modelling Effects on Action from Disturbances in Psychomotor Work Involving Human, Cyborg, and Robot Workers.

Optimal psychomotor work can be expressed in terms of the principle of least psychomotor action (PLPA). Modelling psychomotor action encompasses modelling workers, work, and interactions between them that involve different types of situated entropy. Modelling of psychomotor workers encompasses three types of workers: human, cyborg, and robot. The type of worker and the type of work interact to affect positioning actions, performing actions, and perfecting actions undertaken in psychomotor tasks. There are often disturbances in psychomotor work, for example due to weather conditions, which have a determining influence on what work can be undertaken with least psychomotor action by different types of workers. In this paper, findings are reported from a study focused on the modelling disturbances in psychomotor work. Five contributions are provided. First, a heuristic framework for modelling disturbances and their effects is provided. In addition to PLPA and situated entropy, this framework encompasses Markov processes, the theory of perturbations, and calculus of variations. Second, formulae and ratios are provided for heuristic modelling of effects on internal action (Sint) from disturbances to psychomotor work. Third, formulae and ratios are provided for heuristic modelling of effects on external action (Se). Fourth, examples are provided of heuristic modelling of disturbances in psychomotor work. Fifth, formulae and examples show how task complexity can be modelled heuristically in terms of microstates across the cyber domain and the physical domain of cyber-physical systems. Overall, the study reported in this paper addresses variational aspects of PLPA.

Computer Simulation and Maxillary All-on-Four Surgery.

Maxillary all-on-four implant reconstruction requires training beyond normal dental implant training. It conjoins technical surgical acumen, anatomic and complex spatial relationship understanding, thorough awareness of dental prosthodontic principles, and excellent patient management skills. Acquisition of appropriate training to the level of competence in an era of greater patient expectations and increased vigilance for patient safety and overall quality of care is limited. Repeated purposeful practice in performing complex psychomotor tasks is of paramount importance in achieving competence. Surgical simulation may assist surgical learners to acquire familiarity with relevant anatomic variations, instrumentation, surgical techniques, and management of intraoperative and postoperative complications.

Development of a structured virtual reality curriculum for laparoscopic appendicectomy

BackgroundLaparoscopic appendicectomy (LA) is a common surgical emergency procedure mainly performed by trainees. The aim was to develop a step-wise structured virtual reality (VR) curriculum for LA to allow junior surgeons to hone their skills in a safe and controlled environment. MethodsA prospective randomized study was designed using a high-fidelity VR simulator. Thirty-five novices and 25 experts participated in the assessment and their performances were compared to assess construct validity. Learning curve analysis was performed. ResultsFive of the psychomotor tasks and all appendicectomy tasks showed construct validity. Learning was demonstrated in the majority of construct-valid tasks. A novel goal-directed VR curriculum for LA was constructed. ConclusionsA step-wise structured VR curriculum for LA is proposed with a framework which includes computer generated metrics and supports deliberate practice, spacing intervals, human instruction/feedback and assessment. Future study should test the feasibility of its implementation and transferability of acquired skill.

Team performance in space crews: Houston, we have a teamwork problem

Space crews venturing beyond low Earth orbit will experience unprecedented levels of autonomy and unpredictable challenges. Mission success will require effective teamwork. How do teamwork capabilities change over time in isolation and confinement? To explore this question, 4, 4-member crews who participated in the 30-day campaign of the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA)'s Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) were observed. Crews endured isolation, confinement, and communication delays. Teamwork capabilities were observed along four critical dimensions: generate (creativity tasks), choose (intellective tasks), negotiate (cognitive conflict tasks), and execute (psychomotor tasks). A battery of team task was administered requiring the crew to generate, to choose, and to negotiate. Execute performance was assessed using NASA's multi-mission space exploration vehicle (MMSEV) task. Team task batteries were performed on Mission Days 11, 16, and 30. Execute performance was assessed on 18 of 30 days. Findings show behavioral team performance (cognitive conflict and psychomotor tasks) increases over time, whereas conceptual team performance (creativity and intellective tasks) declines. Implications of these results were considered for future research and the design of countermeasures that support crew functioning.

Effect of exposure time to smartphone apps on passing decision-making in male soccer athletes

BackgroundSoccer is a dynamic sport of high unpredictability that requires appropriate decision making for success, but intervening factors such as exposure time to smartphone applications can lead to a decline in cognitive performance and consequently in psychomotor tasks. PurposeThe objective of this study was to analyze the effect of exposure time to smartphone applications on the passing decision-making performance in professional soccer athletes. MethodThe participants were 20 soccer athletes aged 18–35 years (M = 24.7 ± 3.6). This study was a controlled and randomized experimental within-subject investigation, consisting of four visits with a 1-week interval. Male soccer athletes participated in four randomized conditions throughout the four visits: control (CON), 15-min smartphone (15SMA), 30-min smartphone (30SMA), and 45-min smartphone (45SMA). The Stroop Task assessed the level of induced mental fatigue before and after each experimental condition. Then, the athletes played a simulated soccer game. The game was filmed for further analysis of passing decision-making performance. ResultsA condition effect (p < .001) was identified for passing decision-making performance, with impairment in 30SMA (p = .01, h2 = 0.6) and 45SMA (p = .01, h2 = 0.6) conditions. ConclusionWe conclude that at least 30 min of smartphone application exposure caused mental fatigue, which impaired passing decision-making performance in male soccer athletes.

Feasibility of a New Wearable Device to Estimate Acute Stress in Novices During High-fidelity Surgical Simulation.

Stress associated with learning of a psychomotor task can influence the trainees learning ability. Surgical simulation is a validated training milieu designed to replicate real-life situations, prevent biases and provide objective metrics. However, the complexity of stress mechanisms and the absence of a reliable detection method make stress estimation difficult to quantify and to interpret. a) To assess the feasibility of a new watch-sized device to noninvasively measure stress parameters in novices during a simulation task and b) to compare its derived cardiac stress parameters to those of an ambulatory Holter monitor. Twenty-one novices were trained on a basic skills module. During base line, exercise, and recovery phases, all subjects wore a wearable device and data regarding blood volume pressure, heart rate, inter beat interval, electrodermal activity, and skin temperature were recorded. Additionally, Holter Monitoring was used to concomitantly capture heart rate, R-R intervals and heart rate variability. Before and after each experiment, all subjects completed the short, six-item STAI scale. Data analysis showed: a) when compared to STAI, electrodermal activity exhibited the best correlation, sensitivity and specificity and b) the device derived cardiac parameters highly correlated with the reciprocal Holter values during all experiment phases. This wearable device is an easy to use and well accepted by the participants noninvasive tool, which can provide accurate stress estimation in our simulation setting. Additionally, it can replicate Holter derived stress related heart parameters, thus eliminating the need to wear a rather cumbersome device.

Psychomotor recovery of dexmedetomidine compared with propofol after sedation during spinal anesthesia: A randomized control trial.

Background and Aims:Early psychomotor recovery is an essential part of day care surgery which depends on brain integration of motor and sensory co-ordination. Even though dexmedetomidine is commonly used for day care procedures, the recovery profile was not studied. Hence, this study was designed to evaluate the psychomotor recovery of sedation with dexmedetomidine during spinal anesthesia.Material and Methods:Sixty-six patients were included. Group D received dexmedetomidine 0.5 μg/kg (loading dose) followed by 0.2–1 μg/kg/hour. Group P received propofol infusion of 25–100 μg/kg/minute. Psychomotor recovery was assessed by finger-tapping, manual dexterity, visual spatial memory capacity, and pen and paper tests. Psychomotor tasks were given to the patients postoperatively at every 30 minutes for 2 hours followed by every hour up to 4 hours after surgery. Distribution of patients, age, weight, duration of surgery, and the level of sensory blockade was compared using independent t-test. Student's t-test has been used to find the significance of parameters such as heart rate, mean arterial pressure, oxygen saturation (SpO2), psychomotor recovery between two groups. P < 0.05 was considered as significant.Results:The motor recovery using finger tapping test was faster in Group D than Group P (73.94 ± 42.13 vs 101.21 ± 37.98 minutes, P–value = 0.007). Motor recovery using peg board test was faster in Group P than Group D (82.12 ± 40.37 vs 99.39 ± 43.08 minutes, P–value = 0.098). Visual spatial capacity memory test and pen and paper test were unaffected.Conclusions:We conclude that patients who received dexmedetomidine showed earlier recovery with finger tapping test. Hence, we suggest to use dexmedetomidine for complete psychomotor recovery and fast-track discharging of the patient after spinal anesthesia.

Aerobic Fitness Level Moderates the Association Between Cannabis Use and Executive Functioning and Psychomotor Speed Following Abstinence in Adolescents and Young Adults.

The high rate of cannabis (CAN) use in emerging adults is concerning given prior research suggesting neurocognitive deficits associated with CAN use in youth. Regular CAN use downregulates endocannabinoid activity, while aerobic exercise upregulates cannabinoid receptor 1 activity and releases endocannabinoids. Here we investigate the influence of regular CAN use on neuropsychological performance, and whether aerobic fitness moderates these effects. Seventy-nine young adults (37 CAN users) aged 16-26 participated. Groups were balanced for aerobic fitness level. Exclusion criteria included: left-handedness, past-year independent Axis-I disorders, major medical/neurologic disorders, prenatal issues, or prenatal alcohol/illicit drug exposure. After 3 weeks of abstinence, participants completed a neuropsychological battery and a maximal oxygen consumption test (VO2 max). Multiple regressions tested whether past-year CAN use, VO2 max, and CAN*VO2 max interaction predicted neuropsychological performance, controlling for past-year alcohol use, cotinine, gender, and depression symptoms. Increased CAN use was associated with decreased performance on working memory and psychomotor tasks. High aerobic fitness level was related to better performance on visual memory, verbal fluency, and sequencing ability. CAN*VO2 max predicted performance of psychomotor speed, visual memory, and sequencing ability. Following monitored abstinence, increased CAN use was associated with poorer performance in working memory and psychomotor speed. Higher aerobic fitness level moderated the impact of CAN on visual memory, executive function and psychomotor speed, as more aerobically fit CAN users demonstrated better performance relative to low-fit users. Therefore, aerobic fitness may present an affordable and efficacious method to improve cognitive functioning in CAN users. (JINS, 2019, 25, 134-145).

Effects of sleep deprivation on executive functioning, cognitive abilities, metacognitive confidence, and decision making

SummaryPerformance on many decision‐making tasks is underpinned by metacognitive monitoring, cognitive abilities, and executive functioning. Fatigue‐inducing conditions, such as sleep loss, compromise these factors, leading to decline in decision performance. Using a 40‐hr sleep deprivation protocol, we examined these factors and the resulting decision performance. Thirteen Australian Army male volunteers (aged 20–30 years) were tested at multiple time points on psychomotor vigilance, inhibitory control, task switching, working memory, short‐term memory, fluid intelligence, and decision accuracy and confidence in a medical diagnosis‐making test. Assessment took place in the morning and night over two consecutive days, during which participants were kept awake. Consistent with previous work, cognitive performance declined after a night without sleep. Extending previous findings, self‐regulation and self‐monitoring suffered significantly greater declines immediately after the sleepless night. These results indicate that the known decline in complex decision‐making performance under fatigue‐inducing conditions might be facilitated by metacognitive rather than cognitive mechanisms.

764 USE OF WEARABLE SENSORS TO ASSESS BIOMECHANICAL LEARNING PATTERNS IN ENDOSCOPY TRAINING

Objective assessment of motor skills in endoscopy trainees is poorly defined. In US training programs, competency has been regarded as a function of procedural volume and training year. Outcome measures in colonoscopy such as time to cecum, cecal intubation rate, and adenoma detection rate are used as surrogate measures of competency. Remediation of low performance is reliant upon expert experience and intuition. We aimed to use kinematic data from wearable sensors to assess trainee performance of a standardized, validated endoscopic task to identify quantifiable biomechanical signals of procedural competence. Gastroenterology fellows performed the validated EndoBubble abstract psychomotor task on the GI Mentor II virtual reality simulator (Simbionix USA Corp., OH, USA). Flexible wearable sensors (Biostamp RCTM, mc10 Inc., Lexington, MA) were placed on the dorsum of both hands, dorsal section of both lower arms (2/3 distance from wrist to elbow) and forehead. The sensors recorded 3D linear accelerations and angular velocity. Range of changes to linear and angular acceleration were calculated from the raw signal collected during simulation. 19 gastroenterology fellows performed the simulated endoscopy task (14 were novice, first year trainees). Increased head flexion-extension range of velocity correlated significantly with total procedure time (r2 = 0.622, p-value = 0.006). Head flexion-extension inversely correlated with traditional markers of procedural competence such as fellowship training year (r2 = -0.629, p-value = 0.005) and number of colonoscopies performed (r2 = -0.847, p-value = 0.016). Head anterior-posterior acceleration had similar positive correlation with total procedure time (r2 = 0.596, p-value = 0.009) and negative correlations with fellowship year (r2 = -0.757, p-value = 0.049) and number of colonoscopies performed (r2 = -0.623, p-value = 0.006). This study is the first to identify and quantify head motion as specific parameter that correlates with performance outcomes of a validated psychomotor simulation task and traditional measures of endoscopic procedural competence. Excess head motion of novice endoscopy trainees may suggest hand position visualization to make adjustments. The consequent loss of visual focus on the endoscopy monitor may contribute to the prolonged task completion times. Further study may identify additional kinematic parameters to facilitate the development of a personalized endoscopic training curriculum based upon individual trainee profiles with objective biomechanical performance targets.