Repertoire Of Movements Research Articles

Strategic decision-making in Olympic bouldering: the role of climbing movement repertoire examined

ABSTRACT Bouldering is an Olympic climbing discipline performed on low-height climbing walls, referred to as boulders. Strategic decision-making is an essential, cognitive skill in Olympic bouldering, as climbers have limited time to solve a series of boulders. In developing strategic solutions, climbers draw upon their repertoire of climbing movements, which is conceptualised as high-level knowledge structures stored in long-term memory. Routesetters, those climbers who design and set boulders, possess an extensive movement repertoire, enabling them to create innovative boulders that challenge even highly skilled climbers. This study examined the movement repertoire paradigm as a cognitive system underlying strategic decision-making in Olympic bouldering. We conducted an in situ investigation under ecologically valid conditions by comparing the strategic decision-making skills and bouldering performances of elite climbers with extensive routesetting expertise (RS) to that of elite climbers without such expertise (NR) when tasked with solving an Olympic boulder. Data collection encompassed both strategic and performance-related parameters, including boulder previewing time, decision-making, strategic adjustments, and successful boulder completion. Findings revealed that RS demonstrated superior strategic decision-making, as evidenced by shorter previewing times, higher decision-making scores, fewer strategic adjustments, and were more successful at solving the boulder than NR. Findings provide evidence that routesetting expertise is beneficial for optimising strategic decision-making in Olympic bouldering. The diversity of movements routesetters encounter in their practice expands their movement repertoire. Such an extensive repertoire enables climbers to accurately decode movements and identify specific movement characteristics based on climbing hold configurations, thereby helping them to optimise their strategic decisions.

Unraveling EEG correlates of unimanual finger movements: insights from non-repetitive flexion and extension tasks

BackgroundThe loss of finger control in individuals with neuromuscular disorders significantly impacts their quality of life. Electroencephalography (EEG)-based brain-computer interfaces that actuate neuroprostheses directly via decoded motor intentions can help restore lost finger mobility. However, the extent to which finger movements exhibit distinct and decodable EEG correlates remains unresolved. This study aims to investigate the EEG correlates of unimanual, non-repetitive finger flexion and extension.MethodsSixteen healthy, right-handed participants completed multiple sessions of right-hand finger movement experiments. These included five individual (Thumb, Index, Middle, Ring, and Pinky) and four coordinated (Pinch, Point, ThumbsUp, and Fist) finger flexions and extensions, along with a rest condition (None). High-density EEG and finger trajectories were simultaneously recorded and analyzed. We examined low-frequency (0.3–3 Hz) time series and movement-related cortical potentials (MRCPs), and event-related desynchronization/synchronization (ERD/S) in the alpha- (8–13 Hz) and beta (13–30 Hz) bands. A clustering approach based on Riemannian distances was used to chart similarities between the broadband EEG responses (0.3–70 Hz) to the different finger scenarios. The contribution of different state-of-the-art features was identified across sub-bands, from low-frequency to low gamma (30–70 Hz), and an ensemble approach was used to pairwise classify single-trial finger movements and rest.ResultsA significant decrease in EEG amplitude in the low-frequency time series was observed in the contralateral frontal-central regions during finger flexion and extension. Distinct MRCP patterns were found in the pre-, ongoing-, and post-movement stages. Additionally, strong ERD was detected in the contralateral central brain regions in both alpha and beta bands during finger flexion and extension, with the beta band showing a stronger rebound (ERS) post-movement. Within the finger movement repertoire, the Thumb was most distinctive, followed by the Fist. Decoding results indicated that low-frequency time-domain amplitude better differentiates finger movements, while alpha and beta band power and Riemannian features better detect movement versus rest. Combining these features yielded over 80% finger movement detection accuracy, while pairwise classification accuracy exceeded 60% for the Thumb versus the other fingers.ConclusionOur findings confirm that non-repetitive finger movements, whether individual or coordinated, can be precisely detected from EEG. However, differentiating between specific movements is challenging due to highly overlapping neural correlates in time, spectral, and spatial domains. Nonetheless, certain finger movements, such as those involving the Thumb, exhibit distinct EEG responses, making them prime candidates for dexterous finger neuroprostheses.

Environmental constraints for improving motor flexibility during obstacle crossing in older adults

BackgroundAn age-related decline in motor flexibility, which is the ability to synergistically control the degrees of freedom of the body to ensure stable performance of a task, is a factor that contributes to falls. We investigated whether providing environmental constraints to increase the movement repertoire (i.e., the motor solution that works to achieve one’s goal), in combination with aiming at precise control of the performance, would be effective for improving motor flexibility, and whether the effect on the leading limb would extend to the trailing limb.MethodsFifteen older adults (75.1 ± 6.2 years and 14 younger adults (34.6 ± 5.0 years) performed under three walking conditions: walking normally and crossing the obstacle (normal), walking and crossing the obstacle with constraints of foot placement after stepping over it (constrained), and walking and crossing the obstacle with constraints as in the constrained condition, in addition to aiming for maintaining a constant clearance height at the moment of obstacle crossing (precision). An uncontrolled manifold analysis was used to quantify motor flexibility as the synergy index. The foot height at the moment of obstacle crossing was used as the performance variable and seven segmental angles were used as the elemental variables. A higher synergy index indicates greater motor flexibility.ResultsFor the leading limb, the synergy index was significantly higher under the precision condition than those under the other conditions. This suggests that not only providing environmental constraints but also keeping constant the performance variable is critical to improving motor flexibility. Moreover, the effects of an increase in the synergy index in the leading limb extended to the trailing limb.ConclusionsProviding environmental constraints to increase the movement repertoire while also aiming for precision in the performance variable was an effective method of improving motor flexibility during obstacle crossing for older adults.

Effects of vestibular sensory stimulation on movement repertoire, sleep-wakefulness state and pain through hammock positioning in late preterm infants: a pilot randomized clinical trial

ABSTRACT This pilot clinical trial aimed to evaluate the effects of vestibular stimulation, through Hammock-positioning therapy (HPT) or by multidirectional balancing, administered during physical therapy, on movement repertoire, sleep-wakefulness state, and pain in late preterm infants. The newborns were randomly allocated into two groups: 1) vestibular sensory stimulation by HPT (HG) and 2) conventional vestibular stimulation (CG). Movement repertoire was evaluated using the General Movement Assessment (GMA), sleep-wakefulness state was evaluated using the Adapted Brazelton Scale, finally pain was evaluated by the Neonatal Facial Activity Coding System (NFCS). An increase in normal GMAs and a reduction in abnormal GMAs was observed in the HG group after intervention. An Improvement in the sleep-wakefulness state scores was observed in the HG group. In the CG group, same improvements were seen. In conclusion, HPT has a positive effect on the sleep-wakefulness state and movement repertoire in late preterm infants similar to the conventional group.

Maternal pre-pregnancy weight and infant spontaneous movement: is there an association?

Abstract Introduction Maternal pre-pregnancy overweight status might create a chronic systemic inflammatory environment for the foetus, impairing neurons development. The Motor Optimality Score-Revised (MOS-R) is an established tool to assess infant spontaneous movement at 3-5 months helping predict later neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants, including language, minor neurological dysfunction or learning difficulties at school age. The aim of our study was to investigate if maternal BMI together with other characteristics were potentially associated with MOS-R score at 3-5 months in a sample of newborns representative of physiologic full-term pregnancies. Methods 128 mother-children couples were enrolled in the Hospital of Modena, Italy. Mothers’ socio-demographic characteristics and BMI pre and during pregnancy were collected. MOS-R was assessed in infants within 9-18 weeks post term age (Median 13, IQR 12-14). Descriptive statistics, bivariate associations and multivariate analysis were performed. Results In our sample, 94.5% of infants (44% females) had a MOS-R≥25 (optimal score), 3.9% a MOS-R between 23-24 and 1.6% a MOS-R<23. In bivariate analyses pre-pregnancy BMI≥25 and weight gain higher than recommended during pregnancy were associated with MOS-R<25 (p < 0.05); being unemployed before and during pregnancy and having pregnancy during COVID lockdown were associated with reduced “age adequate movement repertoire” subcategory (p < 0.05). In multivariate analysis, pre-pregnancy BMI≥25 remained the only factor significantly associated with lower scores (p < 0.05). Discussion Our sample of healthy infants showed a typical range of spontaneous movements reflecting neural integrity. However, lower MOS-R scores were associated with pre-pregnancy overweight. This finding reinforce the importance of enhancing public health actions targeted at keeping a weight in the normal range to protect from a large number of unhealthy conditions both the mother and the offspring. Key messages • Pre-pregnancy weight appears associated with infant spontaneous movement in 3-5 months infants. • Public health actions targeted at keeping female weight in the normal range must be strengthen.

Electromyography of Flight Muscles in Free-Flying Chestnut Tiger Butterfly, Parantica sita.

The chestnut tiger butterfly, Parantica sita, can undertake long-distance migrations. They flap their wings for power flight and hold the wings for gliding; such repertoires of wing movements may be the key to explaining their excellent flight abilities. Measuring flight muscle activity using the electromyogram (EMG) is the first step toward understanding the neuromuscular mechanism of active flight control. Free-flight EMG measurements have, however, not been reported in butterflies. This study developed a method to acquire two-channel EMGs from free-flying P. sita. Stable EMG recordings were acquired using a monopolar electrode by attaching a small pre-amplifier to the dorsal mesonotum. The common-mode noise between channels was resolved by inserting a reference electrode into the mesonotum midline. The EMGs of five flight muscles were measured during free-flight and their activation phases were analyzed. The EMGs of all five muscles demonstrated a burst of spikes per stroke cycle, in contrast to the few spikes per cycle in the EMGs of hawkmoths, which would reflect the differences in wing kinematics and flight abilities. Further analyses, combining the technique developed in this study with high-speed videography, will clarify the neuromuscular mechanisms underlying the flight ability of P. sita.

General Movements Assessment in Infants with High Birth Weight

BackgroundHigh birth weight (HBW) describes fetal birth weight of more than 4000 g. Infants with HBW have a high risk of developing neurological and developmental problems. Until recently, there were no studies in the literature that investigated the quality of spontaneous movements and the integrity of the developing nervous system in infants with HBW. The aims of this study were (1) to describe age-specific detailed early spontaneous movements in infants with HBW and (2) to compare the detailed early spontaneous movements of infants with HBW and normal birth weight (NBW). MethodsTwenty-two infants with HBW (median birth weight = 4190 g) and 22 infants with NBW (median birth weight = 3255 g) were included at 10 to 19 weeks post-term age (median = 13 weeks). All infants were assessed according to General Movement Assessment using three- to five-minute video recordings. Video recordings of each infant were evaluated using Motor Optimality Score for three- to five-month-old infants-Revised score sheet. ResultsMotor Optimality Score-Revised (MOS-R) (P < 0.001), observed postural patterns (P < 0.001), and age-adequate movement repertoire (P = 0.005) were significantly lower in the infants with HBW. Infants with HBW had more aberrant (abnormal or absent) fidgety movements (18%) than those with NBW (0%). ConclusionsThe results of this study demonstrated that the motor repertoire of infants with HBW tended to decrease more than that of those with NBW. To enable the follow-up of progression as a result of these assessments infants in need should be referred to age-adequate early intervention programs.

Development of Movement and Postural Patterns in Full-Term Infants Who Are at Low Risk in Belgium, India, Norway, and the United States.

The objective of this study was to investigate the influences on motor development in infants who are at low risk from Belgium, India, Norway, and the United States using the General Movement Assessment at 10-16weeks postterm age. This was a cross-sectional study of prospectively enrolled full-term infants at low risk (n = 186). Certified General Movement Assessment observers rated the fidgety movements, quality of the movement patterns, age-adequacy of the movement repertoire, postural patterns, movement character, and overall Motor Optimality Score-Revised (MOS-R). Scores were evaluated for associations with sex, birth weight category, gestational age, postterm age at video, and country. The majority of infants had normal fidgety movements (179/186, 96.2%). This did not vary by sex, birth weight, gestational age, postterm age at video, or country. All infants showed normal>atypical movement patterns. Variability was seen for age adequacy (optimal: 137/183, 74.9%), postural patterns (normal>atypical: 164/183, 89.6%), and smooth/ fluent movement character (138/183, 75.4%). Gestational age and postterm age at video were associated with atypical postural patterns, but in multivariable regression, only younger postterm age retained significance (OR = 2.94, 95% CI = 1.05-8.24). Lack of age adequacy was associated with postterm age (OR = 13.15, 95% CI = 4.36-39.72) and country (compared with Norway; Belgium OR = 3.38 95% CI = 12.4-9.22; India OR = 3.16, 95% CI = 1.01-9.87; United States not significant). Infants from India also showed lower rates of an optimal MOS-R (25-28) than infants from Norway. The normality and temporal organization of fidgety movements did not differ by sex, birth weight, postterm age, or country, suggesting that the fidgety movements are free of cultural and environmental influences. The majority of full-term infants who were healthy in this cohort showed normal scores for all aspects of motor development tested using the MOS-R. Differences in age adequacy and MOS-R by country warrant investigation with larger cohorts and longitudinal follow-up. Understanding variations in typical motor development is essential to interpreting patterns of movement and posture in infants at risk for atypical development. Using the framework of Prechtl's General Movement Assessment, this study showed that the development of movement and posture in healthy infants was affected by age and country of birth, but the development of the fidgety movements appeared to be free of these influences. Local norms may be needed to interpret the Motor Optimality Score-Revised in all populations, but further research on this topic is needed.

Profiling of expert bouldering routesetters

Introduction Bouldering is an Olympic discipline that takes place on low-height climbing structures known as boulders. Routesetters play a critical role in bouldering; they design and set boulders to be climbed, which must be original, safe to climb and adapted to climbers’ levels. Considering the critical role routesetters play to keep the present success and ensure the future development of bouldering, the purpose of this study was to profile expert routesetters by identifying relevant key skills they possess and examining specific strategies they use when designing boulders. Methods Seventy-eight expert routesetters completed an online survey structured in eight sections that assessed the following: perceptual–cognitive skills; soft skills; motor skills; climbing skills; welfare; safety and difficulty; climbing holds and wall features; and climbing movement diversity and boulder styles. Results Among fundamental skills experts identified, most relevant to routesetters were possessing a broad climbing movement repertoire, the ability to develop several climbing strategies for one boulder, forecasting of climbing movements, climbing-specific decision-making and creativity, self-reflection, teamwork, dealing with negative feedback, technical skills and general fitness. Furthermore, most relevant specific routesetter skills and strategies appeared to encompass the ability to design boulders that account for climbers’ skill levels and safety, to adapt to the constraints of climbing gyms, to make optimal use of climbing wall features and to design versatile climbing movements. Conclusion The expert routesetters’ profile comprises fundamental and specific skills and strategies that enable them to design target-oriented boulders with versatile climbing movements for different levels whilst accounting for climbers’ welfare.

Kurdish Mobilization in Turkey and Syria: A Comparison on Action Repertoires

In this article, the collective action repertoires of nationalist Kurds in Turkey and Syria between the years 1918-2018 are compared. This comparison is conducted based on the levels and forms of mobilization. Examples span a broad spectrum including rebellion, protests, legal politics, and mass mobilizations. The findings of the research reveal distinct differences in the action repertoires of the Kurdish conflicts in Turkey and Syria, and the level of violence also varies between the two countries. Employing a qualitative approach, this study uses a multi-case strategy and thematic analysis method. The objective of the study is to provide researchers with a conceptual and empirical framework concerning the action repertoires of Kurdish movements. The results obtained aim to enhance understanding of the repertoire of contention in non-Western societies.

Task-driven neural network models predict neural dynamics of proprioception

Proprioception tells the brain the state of the body based on distributed sensory neurons. Yet, the principles that govern proprioceptive processing are poorly understood. Here, we employ a task-driven modeling approach to investigate the neural code of proprioceptive neurons in cuneate nucleus (CN) and somatosensory cortex area 2 (S1). We simulated muscle spindle signals through musculoskeletal modeling and generated a large-scale movement repertoire to train neural networks based on 16 hypotheses, each representing different computational goals. We found that the emerging, task-optimized internal representations generalize from synthetic data to predict neural dynamics in CN and S1 of primates. Computational tasks that aim to predict the limb position and velocity were the best at predicting the neural activity in both areas. Since task optimization develops representations that better predict neural activity during active than passive movements, we postulate that neural activity in the CN and S1 is top-down modulated during goal-directed movements.

Combative Genealogies of Tricontinentalism: Re-Presenting the Southern Struggle for Historical Justice in Latin America and Beyond

Abstract Tricontinentalism, the radical ideational universe of the Global South so important in the 1960s and 1970s, lost much of its original thrust with the neoliberal turn, and its contribution to global history has long been obscured. Recently, however, historians, political theorists and others have been studying its take on global justice and the multiple impacts of its political strategies, ideological rhetoric, identity formations, as well as its many transnational connections: traces still recognisable in the repertoire of social movements today. By unearthing these strands and constellations of global history, and by sometimes cooperating with activists, these scholars act as Foucauldian genealogists, laying bare sediments of historical agency that the hegemonic memory formation of neoliberalism had all but buried. Such efforts constitute a form of counter-history in the competitive field of political memory. This paper applies elements of mnemonic hegemony theory (mht) to analyse Tricontinental memory, with a particular focus on Latin America.

Investigating the impact of external load on muscle synergies during bipedal squats

PurposeA broad functional movement repertoire is crucial for engaging in physical activity and reducing the risk of injury, both of which are central aspects of lifelong health. As a fundamental exercise in both recreational and rehabilitative training regimes, the bipedal squat (SQBp) incorporates many everyday movement patterns. Crucially, SQBp can only be considered functional if the practitioner can meet the coordinative demands. Many factors affect coordinative aspects of an exercise, most notably external load. Since compound movements are assumed to be organized in a synergistic manner, we employed muscle synergy analysis to examine differences in muscle synergy properties between various external load levels during SQBp.MethodsTen healthy male recreational athletes were enrolled in the present study. Each participant performed three sets of ten SQBp on a smith machine at three submaximal load levels (50%, 62.5%, and 75% of 3 repetition maximum) across three non-consecutive days. Muscle activity was recorded from 12 prime movers of SQBp by way of electromyography (EMG). Muscle synergies were analyzed in terms of temporal activation patterns, i.e., waveform, as well as the relative input of each muscle into individual synergies, i.e., weight contribution.ResultsWaveforms of muscle synergies did not differ between loads. Weight contributions showed significant differences between load levels, albeit only for the gastrocnemius muscle in a single synergy.ConclusionTaken together, our results imply mostly stable spatiotemporal composition of muscle activity during SQBp, underlining the importance of technical competence during compound movement performance in athletic and rehabilitative settings.

Extreme moderates: Understanding low levels of violent extremism in Bosnia-Herzegovina

How can low levels of violent extremism in enabling environments be explained? The post-war history of Bosnia-Herzegovina has been marked by prolonged political crises, economic instability, and precarious security for citizens. The combination of a relatively young, unstable democracy and social grievances creates fertile soil for different forms of radicalization and the proliferation of various extremist ideologies. This has, in turn, allowed extra-institutional groups to challenge formal institutions. Despite this, there have been few violent extremist attacks, and those that have been carried out were small-scale and failed to expose any deep reservoir of violent extremism. What, then, does this deviant case reveal? Utilizing social movement theory and political opportunity structures, this article explores how structural conditions in the political and discursive space of Bosnia-Herzegovina affect the protest repertoires of extremist movements. Two main arguments are put forward. First, extra-institutional groups must be understood as rational actors with broader claims that exceed the use of violence. Second, distinguishing between radicalization that links to violent extremism and radicalization that aims to initiate societal change through non-violent means can help us better understand the dynamics behind societal change in fragile environments.

LGBT+ digital activism. Notes for a communication conceptualization

Incorporating Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and the Internet into the structures and repertoires of contemporary social movements has developed concepts that aim to account for this techno-communicative assemblage. However, most of these proposals stem from an approach that reduces the use of ICT and the Internet to an instrumental dimension, thus minimizing the reconfigurations they entail when practicing and investigating current forms of activism. Therefore, this article seeks to develop a coherent concept of digital activism from a communicational perspective to identify its characteristics and the analytical implications that arise from the subject-technology-communication relationship. To accomplish this task, the analysis of the Mexican LGBT+ movement provides for this task because its experience empirically demonstrates the diversity of uses and meanings that ICT and the Internet can acquire for a contemporary social movement. This work concludes that digital activism promotes asynchronous, deterritorialized, disembodied, and reticular forms of action by the individuals who comprise a social movement; analytically, digital activism is not limited to the political arena but centers its impact on the symbolic dispute present in everyday life. Finally, from the communicational perspective, digital activism invites us to make visible the uses and meanings of those actors who, through the Internet, recalibrate their position in the hybrid public space and redefine their profiles to embody new forms of struggle.

Is community service an act of political resistance? the “community pantry” phenomenon in the Philippines and voter behaviour

ABSTRACT To what extent can apolitical civic engagement cultivate resistance against authoritarian rule? Building upon the “community pantries” phenomenon which sprung up between April and May 2021 across the Philippines, I test whether this jolt of civic engagement – decentralized, donation-driven and volunteer-managed food pantry sites – impacted the May 2022 presidential election. I find that areas with more community pantries relative to population were more likely to vote for Robredo, the candidate that most closely represented the democratic opposition. These findings suggest that civic engagement, even that which is not explicitly political or partisan in nature, can be an effective form of democratic resistance in autocratizing settings. This article seeks to contribute to the literature on civic engagement and democratization, strategies of autocratic backlash, and social movement repertoires.

‘I Dance, I Revolt’

Abstract During the intensification of migration and border politics throughout Europe in the mid-2010s, displaced Syrians fleeing war to seek asylum and a livable life were simultaneously welcomed as vulnerable strangers who could contribute to European economies and societies and perceived as threats to the imaginaries of a homogenous Europe. This essay critiques the logic embedded in this narrative, namely that migrants are a social factor external and destabilizing to Europe, through a critical interpretation of Syrian choreographer Mithkal Alzghair’s work, Displacement (2016). This provocative dance work pivots on Alzghair’s reimagining of dabke, Syria’s celebrated folk dance, in which he deconstructs the social relations and embodied aesthetics of popular dabke practices to forge a political critique of Syrian authoritarianism and forced migration. By crafting a repertoire of movement that critiques the aesthetic and political ideologies on which it is based, Displacement arguably disrupts the postcolonial imaginaries of national identity and place that have historically ensconced folk dance in Syria and in Europe, respectively, and transforms the possibilities of what cultural heritage connotes, represents and signifies for Syrians and Europeans. Instead, the destabilizing work of embodied performance reveals how instability is endemic to European spaces and society. Through the convergence of performance theory and praxis, this essay demonstrates how Displacement stages live, perpetual, repetitive, and embodied motion in ways that open a space for artists and audiences to collectively engage with a fractious period and reconfigure the complex relations of power and representation situated between Syria and Europe.

Coordinating and doxing data: Hong Kong protesters’ and government supporters’ data strategies in the age of datafication

ABSTRACT Scholars across various disciplines have discussed the role of ICTs and social media in contentious politics and social movements. Other studies have also highlighted the duality of data particularly in the context of contentious politics: data is simultaneously an object of political struggle and a weapon in repertoires of political struggle. Taking the protesters’ collective and networked program of sousveillance during the 2019 Hong Kong Anti-ELAB Movement as an example, this article examines protesters’ and pro-establishment’s engagement with data, the datafication of police as proxies of the state, and attitudes towards various forms of ‘veillance’. The doxing at the heart of this case study provides an example in which data as constituents of movement repertoire and data as a contentious issue in its own right are conflated. This article bridges the surveillance and social movement literature by examining data practice and doxing during the protest.

Synchronous Chanting in Indonesian Social Movement Repertoires: A Tool for Emoting and for Manipulating Emoters

AbstractChanting has been in existence since time immemorial and is thought to emerge as a way to convey information about visceral and affective states. Chanting synchronously allows participants to synchronize their actions and affective states for it requires them to actively and coordinatively participate in it. This phenomenon can be observed in various social rituals across times and cultures all around the world, including in social movement repertoires, such as demonstrations and street protests. Since emotions play a pivotal role in social movements, gaining insights into how chanting can be used as a “tool” for emoting and evoking emotions in such contexts is useful. For this purpose, the lens of situated cognition and affectivity is used to analyze how activists' interactions during occurrences of synchronous chanting facilitate distributed emotions among the participating chanters. Looking at cases of social movements in Indonesia, a multi-ethnic nation-state, which has its own demonstration culture embedded in its sociocultural-historical context, it is argued that synchronous chanting as an emoting tool is coupled to Indonesian activists of various groups. Some of these chants even date back to more than two decades ago, beginning when Indonesian youth fought against the despotic regime of President Suharto and his New Order, to hundreds of years ago when the founding fathers fought against colonialism. Based on the said framework, the analysis concludes that synchronous chanting can be used as a tool for not only emoting but also manipulating people.

Divergent Motor Learning Programs Improve Motor and Figural Creativity in University Sports Students

ABSTRACTBased on studies reporting a link between creative thinking and motor creativity, we investigate whether training motor creativity also positively influences creative thinking. In a longitudinal study design spanning two‐and‐a‐half years, we analyzed the relationships between the development of motor and figural creativity based on two distinct programs: a convergent‐oriented sport study program (COSP) and a divergent‐oriented study program (DOSP). Thirty‐three COSP and 31 DOSP students participated in a comprehensive creativity assessment at the beginning and end of their sport studies. A modified version of the BAST® movement analysis was developed to assess motor creativity. Figural creativity was tested via the TTCT. Although both groups were matched for motor and figural creativity, by the end of their sport studies, the DOSP students outperformed the COSP students in all analyzed motor creativity measures (fluency, elaboration, originality). Furthermore, DOSP students also developed significantly in aspects of figural creativity compared to COSP students. Nonlinear structure and teaching methods in the divergent‐oriented learning environment significantly enhance creativity in sports students by broadening not only their movement repertoire but also transferring these new bodily experiences into the figural domain. These findings support the concept of an underlying supramodal base for motor and figural creativity.