Significant Main Effect Of Age Research Articles

Speech Rate Varies With Sentence Length in Typically Developing Children.

Purpose The primary purpose of this study was to examine the effect of sentence length on speech rate and its characteristics, articulation rate and pauses, in typically developing children. Method Sixty-two typically developing children between the ages of 10 and 14 years repeated sentences varying in length from two to seven words. Dependent variables included speech rate (syllables per second), articulation rate (syllables per second), and proportion of time spent pausing. Results Speech rate and articulation rate significantly increased with increases in sentence length, but proportion of time spent pausing did not increase with sentence length. There were no significant main effects of age. Conclusions This is the first study to suggest that sentence length differentially impacts the component parts of speech rate, articulation rate and pause time. Increases in sentence length led to increases in speech rate, primarily due to increases in articulation rate and not increases in pause time. Articulation rate appears to be highly sensitive to the impact of sentence length, while a higher cognitive-linguistic load may be required to see sentence length effects on pause time.

The Test of Masticating and Swallowing Solids (TOMASS): Reliability, Validity and Normative Data for the Adult Indian Population.

The Test of Masticating and Swallowing Solids (TOMASS) is a reliable and well-validated tool to assess the effectiveness of solid bolus ingestion. Previous studies have established normative values for 4 to 80+ years across a range of commercially available crackers and countries. The current study aimed to establish normative data for the TOMASS across age and gender groups for a commercially available biscuit (cracker) for the adult Indian population. A total of 300 typical individuals in the age range of 21 to 80years grouped by age and sex participated in the study. Participants were instructed to eat a commercially (locally) available biscuit 'as quickly and comfortably as possible,' and the task was video recorded. The recorded video samples were analyzed to obtain measures of the number of bites, number of masticatory cycles, number of swallows, and total time taken to complete the ingestion of biscuit. Cronbach's α values revealed a moderate to good (0.71 to 0.82) test-retest reliability; ICC values were suggestive of a high level (> 0.76) of interrater reliability for all the measures of TOMASS. The results of the one-way ANOVA revealed a significant main effect of age (F = 3.12, p < 0.01) and gender (F = 4.37, p < 0.01), but not an interaction between the two. Normative data stratified by age and gender were also generated. The TOMASS assessment procedure was feasible, reliable, and valid. In the current study, we observed that males took fewer bites, took less time, chewed less, and swallowed fewer times than females. A definitive age effect was observed for the number of bites, masticatory cycles, and total time. The normative data generated by the current study can serve as clinical benchmarks to assess the ingestion of solid bouls in the adult Indian population.

Motion perception at mesopic light levels: effects of physiological ageing and eccentricity.

To explore the differential effects of age and eccentricity on the perception of motion at photopic and mesopic light levels. Thirty-six visually normal participants (18 younger; mean age 25years, range: 20-31) and (18 older; mean age 70years, range: 60-79) underwent two testing sessions, one at photopic and one at mesopic light levels. In each session, motion perception was tested binocularly at two eccentricities (centrally, and peripherally at 15° rightwards and 5° superior to the horizontal) for four motion tasks: minimum contrast of a drifting Gabor to identify motion direction (motion contrast); translational global motion coherence; biological motion embedded in noise and the minimum duration of a high-contrast Gabor to determine the direction of motion, using two Gabor sizes to measure spatial surround suppression of motion. There was a significant main effect of light condition (higher thresholds in mesopic) for motion contrast (p<0.001), translational global motion (p=0.001) and biological motion (p<0.001); a significant main effect of age (higher thresholds in older adults) for motion contrast (p<0.001) and biological motion (p=0.04) and a significant main effect of eccentricity (higher thresholds peripherally) for motion contrast (p<0.001) and biological motion (p<0.001). Additionally, we found a significant three-way interaction between light levels, age and eccentricity for translational global motion (similar increase in mesopic thresholds centrally for both groups, but a much larger deterioration in older adult's peripheral mesopic thresholds, p=0.02). Finally, we found a two-way interaction between light condition and eccentricity for translational global motion (higher values in central mesopic relative to peripheral photopic, p=0.001) and for biological motion (higher values in peripheral mesopic relative to central photopic, p<0.001). For the majority of tasks assessed, motion perception was reduced in mesopic relative to photopic conditions, to a similar extent in both age groups. However, because some older adults exhibited elevated thresholds even under photopic conditions, particularly in the periphery, the ability to detect mesopic moving stimuli even at high contrast was markedly impaired in some individuals. Our results imply age-related differences in the detection of peripheral moving stimuli at night that might impact hazard avoidance and night driving ability.

Cross-cultural differences in intercultural mindreading: Evidence from a sample of Palestinian, Italian, and German adolescents.

Despite the fact that the "Reading the Mind in the Eyes" Test (RMET) is now available in more than 20 languages, there are only very few cross-cultural researchers using this test, and these researchers generally focus on North American versus East Asian cultures. Considering that the RMET stimuli were selected and constructed in the United Kingdom, this research explored cross-cultural differences in intercultural mindreading with a large sample of adolescents from Palestine (PAL), Italy (ITA), and Germany (GER). In addition to significant main effects of age (younger < older) and gender (male < female), we found a significant main effect of country (PAL < ITA < GER) and a significant interaction between gender and country. Individualism was not related to mindreading in any of the three countries whereas collectivism was positively related in PAL, but not in ITA or GER, accounting only for a very small amount of the variance. Our results suggest that (a) there may be cultural ingroup effects on mindreading, (b) the known female superiority in mindreading may be moderated by cultural factors, and (c) depending on cultural factors, individualism and collectivism may be differently related to mindreading.

Hand size representation in healthy children and young adults

Whereas we experience our body as a coherent volumetric object, the brain appears to maintain highly fragmented representations of individual body parts. Little is known about how body representations of hand size and shape are built and evolve during infancy and young adulthood. This study aimed to investigate the effect of hand side, handedness, and age on the development of central hand size representation. The observational study with comparison groups was conducted with 90 typically developing Belgian school children and young adults (48 male and 42 female; age range = 5.0–23.0 years; 49 left-handed and 41 right-handed). Participants estimated their hand size and shape using two different tasks. In the localization task, participants were verbally cued to judge the locations of 10 anatomical landmarks of an occluded hand. An implicit hand size map was constructed and compared with actual hand dimensions. In the template selection task, the explicit hand shape was measured with a depictive method. Hand shape indexes were calculated and compared for the actual, implicit, and explicit conditions. Participants were divided into four age groups (5–8 years, 9–10 years, 11–16 years, and 17–23 years). Implicit hand maps featured underestimation of finger length and overestimation of hand width, which is already present in the youngest children. Linear mixed modeling revealed no influence of hand side on finger length underestimation; nonetheless, a significant main effect of age (p = .001) was exposed. Sinistrals aged 11 to 16 years showed significantly less underestimation (p = .03) than dextrals of the same age. As for the hand shape, the implicit condition differed significantly with the actual and explicit conditions (p < .001). Again, the implicit shape index was subjected to handedness and age effects, with significant differences being found between sinistrals and dextrals in the age groups of 9 and 10 years (p = .029) and 11 to 16 years (p < .001). In conclusion, the implicit metric component of the hand representation in children and young adults is misperceived, featuring shortened fingers and broadened hands since a very young age. Crucially, the finger length underestimation increases with age and shows a different developmental trajectory for sinistrals and dextrals. In contrast, the explicit hand shape is approximately veridical and seems immune from age and handedness effects. This study confirms the dual character of somatoperception and establishes a point of reference for children and young adults.

The optomotor response of aging zebrafish reveals a complex relationship between visual motion characteristics and cholinergic system

Understanding the principles underlying age-related changes in motion perception is paramount for improving the quality of life and health of older adults. However, the mechanisms underlying age-related alterations in this aspect of vision, which is essential for survival in a dynamic world, still remain unclear. Using optomotor responses to drifting gratings, we investigated age-related changes in motion detection of adult zebrafish (wild-type/AB-strain and achesb55/+ mutants with decreased levels of acetylcholinesterase). Our results pointed out negative optomotor responses that significantly depend on the spatial frequency and contrast level of stimulation, providing supporting evidence for the visual motion-driven aspect of this behavior mainly exhibited by adult zebrafish. Although there were no significant main effects of age and genotype, we found a significant three-way interaction between contrast level, age, and genotype. In the contrast domain, the changes in optomotor responses and thus in the detection of motion direction were age- and genotype-specific. Accordingly, these behavioral findings suggest a strong but complicated relationship between visual motion characteristics and the cholinergic system during neural aging.

Longitudinal Trajectories of Sustained Attention Development in Children and Adolescents with ADHD.

The present study characterizes changes in sustained attention ability over ages 9-14, and whether longitudinal trajectories of attention development differ between persistent ADHD, remitted ADHD and control groups. The Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART) was administered to 120 children with ADHD and 123 controls on three occasions between ages 9 and 14. Trajectories of sustained attention development, indicated by changes in SART performance (standard deviation of response time [SDRT], omission errors, and ex-Gaussian parameters sigma and tau), were examined using generalized additive mixed models. For all measures there was a significant main effect of age; response time variability and number of omission errors improved linearly as children aged. However, children with ADHD had significantly greater SDRT, tau and omission errors than controls across waves. There were no significant group differences in sigma, indicating that the greater overall response time variability (SDRT) observed in ADHD was likely driven by more intermittent long responses (larger tau). Trajectories of sustained attention performance did not differ between children with persistent ADHD or ADHD in remission. Longitudinal trajectories of sustained attention development are comparable between ADHD and controls, however children with ADHD (regardless of remission status) display a performance deficit equivalent to typical controls 1-3years younger. Findings highlight the need for continued clinical support for children in remission from ADHD and provide support for tau as an endophenotype of ADHD.

Is age a risk factor for cognitive changes following hematopoietic cell transplantation?

Cognitive deficits following hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) are common and affect post-HCT treatment regimen adherence and quality-of-life. Little is known about effects of age on cognition following HCT. The current study aimed to identify the effects of age on cognition one-year post-HCT, compared to pre-HCT baseline functioning. Participants were 78 autologous and allogeneic transplant recipients who underwent neuropsychological assessments at baseline and one-year post-HCT. Mixed model analyses indicated that no statistically significant main effect of age was observed for any cognitive variable. The Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) Total Index Score and Trail Making Test (parts A and B) showed significant interaction effects between age and transplant type. These findings indicate that older autologous and allogeneic transplant recipients were predicted to perform similarly; however, young allogeneic HCT recipients were predicted to perform substantially below young autologous transplant recipients. Hierarchical regressions indicated that age failed to predict changes in neuropsychological test performance between baseline and one-year post-HCT. These findings indicate that advanced age may not be a risk factor for worse cognitive outcome post-HCT, though younger allogeneic transplant recipients may be at risk for worse cognitive outcomes, relative to younger autologous recipient counterparts. Clinical implications are discussed.

Sensory Integration and Perceptual-Motor Profiles in School-Aged Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

PurposeThis study aimed to investigate the sensory integration and perceptual-motor performances in elementary school children (5–12 years) with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) in Taiwan. The impacts of comprehensive body functions on activity participations in ASD were also investigated to provide evidence for clinical applications and further study.MethodsOne hundred and seventeen children with ASD (42 females; aged 5–13 years, average age 8 years 3 months) were recruited. All participants were assessed with standardized measures of body functions and activity participations. The body function measures included Bruininks–Oseretsky of Motor Proficiency – Second Edition, Sensory Profile, Test of Sensory Integration Functions, and Test of Visual Perception Skills – Third Edition. The activity participation measures included the Chinese versions of both Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale and School Function Assessment.ResultsSchool-aged children with ASD had different levels of impairments on body function measures. Most participant scores fell within the impairment range on 13 to 15 items out of the total 19 sensory and perceptual-motor measure subtests, with worst performance on coordination-related motor task and most sensory integrative dimensions. The results indicated a significant main effect for age and sex on some body functions and activity participations. Correlation analyses indicated strong associations between body function and activity participation across settings in ASD.ConclusionOur findings characterized the developmental continuum of body functions of school-aged children with ASD and showed their associations with adaptation and participation. While emphasizing the development of functional skills to facilitate age-appropriate activity participation in multiple scenarios, interventions aiming to improve body functions are indispensable.

Emerging Adult Perceptions of Cannabis Use Based on Age and Sex of User

In Canada, emerging adults consume more cannabis than any other age-group. This study examined emerging adults’ perceptions of dangerousness, perceptions of negative impacts, and level of disapproval associated with regular cannabis use. An experimental vignette design was utilized to examine the extent to which perceptions differ depending on the age and sex of the user. Participants ( N = 656) were randomly assigned to one of six vignettes and were asked to rate 7 items of perceived dangerousness, perceived negative impacts, and level of disapproval. Significant main effects of age were found on 6 of 7 items, where cannabis use by a 14-year-old was viewed as more dangerous than cannabis use by a 21- and 28-year-old. However, cannabis use by a 21-year-old was not viewed as more dangerous than cannabis use by a 28-year-old. Female cannabis use was perceived as more dangerous than male cannabis use with respect to social life.

Swallowing Pressure Variability as a Function of Pharyngeal Region, Bolus Volume, Age, and Sex

Within-individual movement variability occurs in most motor domains. However, it is unknown how pharyngeal swallowing pressure varies in healthy individuals. We hypothesized that: 1) variability would differ among pharyngeal regions; 2) variability would decrease with increased bolus volume; 3) variability would increase with age; and 4) there would be no sex differences. Case series. We used pharyngeal high-resolution manometry to measure swallowing pressure in the following regions: velopharynx, tongue base, hypopharynx, and upper esophageal sphincter. Data were collected from 97 healthy adults (41 male) aged 21 to 89 years during thin liquid swallows: 2 mL, 10 mL, and participant-selected comfortable volume. Pressure variability was measured using coefficient of variation. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to assess impacts of region, bolus volume, age, and sex on pressure variability. There was a significant region × volume interaction (P < .001) and significant main effect of age (P = .005). Pressures in the hypopharynx region were more variable than all other regions (P ≤ .028), and pressures in the tongue base region were less variable than all other regions (P ≤ .002) except at 2 mL volumes (P = .065). Swallowing pressure variability was significantly different in the velopharynx and upper esophageal sphincter regions, with comfortable volume and 2 mL swallows having greater variability than 10 mL swallows (P ≤ .026). Pressure variability significantly increased with increasing age (P = .002). There were no effects of sex on pressure variability (P ≥ .15). Pharyngeal swallowing pressure variability differs according pharyngeal region, volume, and age but not sex. Abnormal swallowing pressure variability may reflect deviations in motor control in persons with swallowing impairment, and results from this study can be used as normative data for future investigations evaluating swallowing pressure generation. 4 Laryngoscope, 131:E52-E58, 2021.

Multisensory Integration Develops Prior to Crossmodal Recalibration.

It has been hypothesized that crossmodal recalibration plays a crucial role for the development of multisensory integration capabilities [1]. To test the developmental trajectory of multisensory integration and crossmodal recalibration, we used a combined ventriloquist/ventriloquist aftereffect paradigm [2] in children aged 5-9 years. The ventriloquist effect (indicating multisensory integration), that is, the shift of auditory localization toward simultaneously presented but spatially discrepant visual stimuli, was larger in children than in adults, which was attributed to a lower auditory localization precision in the children. In fact, the size of the ventriloquist effect depended on the visual stimulus reliability in both children and adults. In all groups, the ventriloquist effect was best explained by a causal inference model. In contrast to their multisensory integration capabilities, 5-year-old children did not recalibrate. The immediate ventriloquist aftereffect (indicating recalibration after a single exposure to a spatially discrepant audio-visual stimulus) emerged in 6- to 7-year-old children, whereas the cumulative ventriloquist aftereffect (reflecting recalibration to the audio-visual spatial discrepancies over the complete experiment) was not observed before the age of 8 years. First, in contrast to common beliefs, the present results provide evidence that multisensory integration precedes rather than follows crossmodal recalibration during development. Second, we report developmental evidence for a dissociation of the processes involved in multisensory integration and immediate as well as cumulative recalibration. We speculate that multisensory integration is a prerequisite for crossmodal recalibration, because the multisensory percept, rather than unimodal cues, might comprise a crucial signal for the calibration of the sensory systems.

Effects of Tongue Exercise Frequency on Tongue Muscle Biology and Swallowing Physiology in a Rat Model.

Age-related changes in muscle composition and function are often treated using exercise, including muscles of the tongue to treat swallowing impairments (dysphagia). Although tongue exercise is commonly prescribed, optimal tongue exercise doses have not been determined. The purpose of this study was to evaluate effects of varying tongue exercise frequency on tongue force, genioglossus muscle fiber size, composition and metabolism, and swallowing in a rat model. We randomized 41 old and 40 young adult Fischer 344/Brown Norway rats into one of four tongue exercise groups: 5days/week; 3days/week; 1day/week; or sham. Tongue force was higher following all exercise conditions (vs sham); the 5day/week group had the greatest change in tongue force (p < 0.001). There were no exercise effects on genioglossus (GG) fiber size or MyHC composition (p > 0.05). Significant main effects for age showed a greater proportion of Type I fibers in (p < 0.0001) and increased fiber size of IIa fibers (p = 0.026) in old. There were no significant effects of citrate synthase activity or PGC-1α expression. Significant differences were found in bolus speed and area (size), but findings were potentially influenced by variability. Our findings suggest that tongue force is influenced by exercise frequency; however, these changes were not reflected in characteristics of the GG muscle assayed in this study. Informed by findings of this study, future work in tongue dose optimization will be required to provide better scientific premise for clinical treatments in humans.

Development and Validation of the Self-Efficacy of Student Physical Therapist Outcomes Survey

Introduction. Self-efficacy is believed to be a link between knowledge and the application of knowledge and skills to specific situations. No previously published survey comprehensively measures the self-efficacy of student physical therapists for the outcomes expected of entry-level physical therapists. Methods. The Self-Efficacy of Physical Therapist Student Outcomes (SEPTSO) survey was designed according to the recommended guidelines for tools measuring self-efficacy. Each of the 25 items was linked to published outcomes expected of entry-level physical therapists. Students in 3 cohorts of a 3-year Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program completed the online SEPTSO 3 times over the course of 1 academic year. Results. There was a statistically significant difference among the 3 cohorts in self-efficacy. 05 F 74 = 51.93, ρ &lt; .0001, with significant differences between self-efficacy scores in the classes of DPT 3 and DPT 1 (ρ &lt; .001) and DPT 2 and DPT 3 (ρ &lt; .001). A 2 × 4 Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) examining the effect of age or sex found no significant main effects for age (ρ = .059) or sex (ρ = .113) and no significant interactions (ρ = .843). Cronbach's alpha was .983 for the 25 items, demonstrating excellent and significant internal validity, and the item-to-total correlation was high for each item, ranging from .981 to .983. A factor analysis resulted in a model in which 2 factors explained 71% of the variance within the factors of patient management and professionalism. Discussion. The SEPTSO survey possesses excellent content validity without bias for age or sex. The potential uses of the SEPTSO survey include program evaluation, curriculum evaluation to identify program weaknesses, accreditation, and self-reflection in students.

Concussion Symptom Profiles Among Child, Adolescent, and Young Adult Athletes.

(1) To examine how age influences initial symptom presentation following concussion; and (2) to determine whether specific symptom profiles are associated with duration of postconcussion symptoms, and whether they vary by age group. A total of 689 patients (20% children 7-12 years of age, 69% adolescents 13-18 years of age, and 11% young adults 19-30 years of age) were seen and diagnosed with a concussion within 21 days after injury. Patients completed the Post-Concussion Symptom Scale (PCSS) and were followed until they no longer required care. Two specialty care sport concussion clinical practices. Overall PCSS score was obtained, as well as severity ratings from somatic, vestibular-ocular, cognitive, sleep, and emotional symptom domains. We also calculated total symptom duration time. No significant main effect of age, or age by sex associations were identified among the symptom domains. Females endorsed a higher somatic symptom severity rating than males (9.8 ± 6.7 vs 8.1 ± 6.7; P = 0.03). For patients between 7 and 12 years of age, higher somatic [β-coefficient = 1.57, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.47-1.67] and cognitive (β-coefficient = 2.50, 95% CI, 2.32-2.68) symptom severities were associated with longer duration of concussion symptoms. Among adolescents, longer total symptom duration was associated with more severe somatic (β-coefficient = 1.25, 95% CI, 0.34-2.15) and vestibular-ocular (β-coefficient = 2.36, 95% CI, 1.49-3.23) symptoms. Within 21 days after concussion, symptom-reporting behavior seems to be similar across the age spectrum, but the relationship between symptom profiles and time to symptom resolution varies by age. Although overall symptom ratings are beneficial in determining clinical pathways, symptom domain use may provide a beneficial method to determine individualized patient care that differs between children and adolescents after concussion.

Modelling the effects of age and sex on the resistive and viscoelastic components of the work of breathing during exercise.

What is the central question of this study? What is the effect of age and sex on the resistive and viscoelastic components of work of breathing (Wb ) during exercise? What is the main finding and its importance? The resistive and viscoelastic components of Wb were higher in older adults, regardless of sex. The resistive, but not viscoelastic, component of Wb was higher in females than in males, regardless of age. These findings contribute to improving our understanding of the effects of ageing and sex on the mechanical ventilatory response to exercise. Healthy ageing and biological sex each affect the work of breathing (Wb ) for a given minute ventilation ( ). Age-related structural changes to the respiratory system lead to an increase in both the resistive and viscoelastic components of Wb ; however, it is unclear whether healthy ageing differentially alters the mechanics of breathing in males and females. We analysed data from 22 older (60-80years, n=12 females) and 22 younger (20-30years, n=11 females) males and females that underwent an incremental cycle exercise test to exhaustion. and Wb were assessed at rest and throughout exercise. Wb - data for each participant were fitted to a non-linear equation (i.e. Wb =a 3 + b 2 ) that partitions Wb into resistive (i.e. a 3 ) and viscoelastic (i.e. b 2 ) components. We then modelled the effects of healthy ageing and biological sex on each component of Wb . Overall, the model fit was excellent (r2 : 0.99±0.01). There was a significant main effect of age and sex on the resistive component of Wb (both P<0.05), and a significant main effect of age (P<0.001), but not sex (P=0.309), on the viscoelastic component of Wb . No significant interactions between age and sex on a 3 or b 2 were noted (both P>0.05). Our findings indicate that during exercise: (i) the higher total Wb in females relative to males is due to a higher resistive, but not viscoelastic, component of Wb , and (ii) regardless of sex, the higher Wb in older adults relative to younger adults is due to higher resistive and viscoelastic components of Wb .

Robust normative standards for the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) ages 60–89: A tool for early detection of memory impairment

Objective: To detect cognitive “impairment,” neuropsychologists rely on normative data to compare patient performance to “normal” peers. However, the true normality of normative samples may be called into question given the high prevalence of preclinical proteinopathies amongst clinically normal older adults. Given its common use in memory clinics, we aimed to develop a robust California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) normative standard reflecting only the most cognitively stable sample of older adults available.Method: Two hundred and twenty-eight older adults (mean age = 69.9, range = 60–89, 91% White, mean education = 17.6 years) who were clinically normal at baseline and demonstrated clinical stability on longitudinal assessment completed the CVLT at baseline. We applied a standardized algorithm to convert raw scores into normalized scaled scores and then regressed on age, sex, and education using fractional polynomial modeling.Results: There were significant main effects of age and sex across CVLT metrics, but not education. Means and standard deviations were higher and less variable in our robust normative data than the data used to create the CVLT-II and CVLT-3 normative standards.Conclusions: These norms set a higher standard for what should be considered “normal” in the spectrum of age-related memory changes and may help clinicians identify patients with memory and potential neurodegenerative changes in the earliest stages, further optimizing clinical management and clinical trial stratification. As with any standard, these robust norms are only appropriately utilized with patients that closely match the demographic profile of the individuals represented in the sample used for this study.

Listening to self-chosen music regulates induced negative affect for both younger and older adults.

The current study evaluated the efficacy of self-chosen music listening for the function of affect regulation comparing effects in younger and older adults. Forty younger (18–30 years, M = 19.75, SD = 2.57, 14 males) and forty older (60–81 years, M = 68.48, SD = 6.07, 21 males) adults visited the laboratory and were randomised to either the intervention (10 minutes of listening to self-chosen music) or the active control condition (10 minutes of listening to an experimenter-chosen radio documentary). Negative affect (NA) was induced in all participants using a speech preparation and mental arithmetic task, followed by the intervention/control condition. Measures of self-reported affect were taken at baseline, post-induction and post-intervention. Controlling for baseline affect and reactivity to the NA induction, in comparison with the active control group the music listening group demonstrated greater reduction in NA. Supporting developmental theories of positive ageing, analyses also found significant main effects for age, with older adults experiencing greater reduction of NA than younger adults, regardless of condition. Results of the current study provide preliminary insights into the effects of self-chosen music on induced NA, however, additional experimental control conditions comparing self-chosen and experimenter-chosen music with self-chosen and experimenter-chosen active controls are needed to fully understand music listening effects for affect regulation.

Age and Knee Confidence Effects on LESS and LESS-RMC Scores in Female Youth Soccer Players

INTRODUCTION: Anterior Crucial Ligament (ACL) injuries are common in female soccer players and can have serious, even lifelong consequences. The Landing Error Scoring System (LESS) and a modification of the LESS, the LESS-RMC, have been useful tools in screening athletes and identifying individuals at “high-risk” so appropriate interventions could be provided. However, it is unclear how knee confidence and age influences these screening tools in female soccer athletes. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of age and knee confidence on ACL injury risk classification in female youth soccer players. METHODS: 178 healthy female youth soccer players (ht: 1.63±0.07m, mass: 48.8±4.9kg, age: 14.1±1.5yrs) participated in this study. Participants were asked to jump from a 30cm box a distance 50% of their height where they immediately performed a maximum vertical jump and landing upon initial ground contact. Two HD cameras were used to record (60 Hz) this motion in the frontal and sagittal planes. The video of the task was then used to assess the participant’s ACL injury risk by evaluating these landings using the LESS and LESS-RMC procedures. Knee confidence was evaluated by using a 5-point Likert scale in response to an item asking “How much do you trust your knee” from the knee-related quality of life subscale in the KOOS knee questionnaire. The participants were classified as confident if they answered “completely” and not confident for all other responses. Two-way ANOVAs were used to investigate the effects of age group (11-12, 13-14, 15-16 and 17-18 y) and knee confidence on the LESS and LESS-RMC scores. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant main effect of age on the LESS score, [F (3, 167) = 2.667, p = 0.049.]. Post-hoc tests revealed that the age group of 11-12 years displayed significantly higher LESS scores (6.43±2.14) than the 17-18 group (4.49±2.11) (p = 0.029). There was no significant main effect for knee confidence (p = 0.501). CONCLUSION: The results reveal that female soccer players in the 11-12 age range are at a greater risk of ACL injury than the 17-18 age range. Further research should be conducted to examine the mechanical contribution to this risk and methods to reduce injury risk across age ranges.

Findings from the first phase of developing a receptive vocabulary test for the Irish language

Aims and objectives: The aim of this study was to develop and pilot a test of receptive vocabulary for bilingual Irish-English-speaking children, based on a model from Welsh. Design/Methodology/Approach: 310 typically developing children aged five, six and seven years took part. The children were all attending Irish-medium education in Irish-dominant Gaeltacht regions and in immersion education schools outside of these regions. Data and Analysis: Participants were identified as being from either bilingual Irish- and English-speaking homes or English-dominant homes. A mixed-factorial analysis of variance found a significant main effect of age and language background, but no interaction. Post hoc comparisons revealed that those from Bilingual-speaking homes had significantly higher Irish receptive vocabulary scores than those from English-dominant homes. Linear regression models showed that the receptive vocabulary scores of children in immersion schools grew by an average of 21 words per year between the ages of five and seven, compared to almost 12 words per year in Gaeltacht schools. Findings/Conclusions: The findings demonstrate the advantages of immersion education and the need for vocabulary enrichment of children in the Gaeltacht. However, the complexities of developing assessments for first language speakers of a minority language that is in conflict with a second language variety of that language and the majority English language are also highlighted. Significance/Implications: The implications of this study are that immersion schooling is advantageous to the Irish vocabulary of children, but that children from Gaeltacht schools may require vocabulary enrichment that is sufficiently complex to address their needs. Limitations: Limitations to this study include the uneven number of children from each language background/school location and incomplete background details from the children, such as socio-economic status and language use amongst peers.