Research on attention in sport using eye-tracking methodology has highlighted that the highest levels of expertise and performance are characterized by a specific gaze behavior consisting of a ...perception-action variable named quiet eye. The present study aimed to understand the role of quiet eye during the three-point shot, especially in game conditions in which even a single point may determine victory or defeat. Twenty-one basketball players (twelve competitive elites and nine semi-elites) with a high-shooting style performed three-point shots in four game scenarios different from each other for the time available (time pressure) and the relevance of the score (performance pressure). The results showed that competitive elites performed a longer quiet eye online duration and a shorter QE preprogramming duration than semi-elites, especially in the highest-pressure condition. On the one hand, these results suggest that quiet eye during three-point shots could fulfill an online control function. On the other hand, the findings stressed the importance of implementing experimental conditions that can resemble as closely as possible actual sport situations. Finally, we suggest that sport professionals interested in administering to athletes a quiet eye training protocol in order to improve three-point shot performance consider the shooting style of the players.
In aiming sport contexts, the quiet eye (QE) - the final ocular fixation before movement initiation - is a crucial perceptual-cognitive skill. Indeed, an extended QE permits athletes to achieve high ...performances, aiding optimal attentional control, particularly in situations in which athletes are "under pressure." Such situations are common in sport, especially when time runs out, and even just a few points can mean the difference between victory and defeat. Although QE has been widely investigated across several sports and tasks, no previous studies have considered both the role of time pressure and performance pressure on QE. The current study aimed to comprehend the effect of tough sport situations on QE characteristics. Accordingly, we tested basketball players (competitive-élites and semi-élites) in free throw trials, manipulating both the time available to perform the task and the relevance of the performance. The results showed that time pressure and performance pressure impaired QE characteristics, regardless of expertise levels. Also, time pressure led to a decrease in free throw accuracy. Interestingly, the match between task demands and the ability to cope seemed to play a role on QE, especially in the competitive-élite players, with negative QE characteristics (short and late) when task demands exceeded the ability to cope. These findings suggest that QE research and QE training protocols should account for time pressure, performance pressure, and the players' perceived ability to cope with the requested task.
•Literature showed that an early and extended quiet eye (QE) is a relevant gaze feature that characterize an optimal attentional and visuomotor control during aiming tasks.•The perceived ability to cope with task demands seems a variable that influences QE characteristics.•The current study reported the QE characteristics (onset and duration) of players during a self-paced task (free throw) performed in both comfortable and harsh trials.•The current results showed that players performed a poor attentional control (short and late QE) in free throws in which task demands exceeded the ability to cope.•The current findings suggest adding tough conditions to existing QE trainings to increase performances in hard game contexts.
The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of the Quiet eye (QE) phenomenon on performances during the shooting section of “Laser Run” of Modern Pentathlon, in two samples of athletes (novices ...and experts). The “Laser Run” consists of running and shooting activities. The study involved 18 experienced athletes of the Italian National Team of Modern Pentathlon (i.e., “elite” group) and 18 young and nonexpert athletes of a local Pentathlon club (i.e., “novice” group). Participants performed, in ecological conditions, five trials of four series of shootings (as it occurs in the real competitions), for a total of 20 series. During the shooting trials, athletes wore a mobile Eye Tracking System to record eye movements (saccades, blinks, and fixations). Key measures of the study were QE parameters (QE Duration QED, Relative QED RQED, and QE Onset), as well as the performance (accuracy and time to perform the event). The results revealed that both groups of athletes had a longer QED, RQED, and an earlier onset during their best shots than during the worse ones. Furthermore, differences between the groups showed that elite athletes had an earlier onset and a shorter QED than the novice group of athletes. These results provide insightful information about different cognitive and perceptual processes involved in Modern Pentathlon's athletes' performances at both the elite and non‐elite level.
The study is the first evaluating visual behavior in the “Laser Run” section of modern pentathlon in elite athletes. The results provide insightful information about different cognitive and perceptual processes involved in Modern Pentathlon's athletes' performances at both elite and non‐elite level.
Motivation to engage in physical activity plays a central role in ensuring the health of the population. The present study investigated the psychometric properties and validity in Italy of the ...Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ-3), a widely used instrument for assessing individuals' motivation to exercise based on self-determination theory (SDT).
A large sample (N = 2222; females = 55.4%;
= 36.4 years,
= 13.9, min = 20, max = 69) of young people, and middle aged and older adults completed the Italian translation of the BREQ-3, also indicating their intentions to exercise in the following weeks.
Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the posited six-factor structure of the BREQ-3 fitted the data well (CFI = 0.96; RMSEA = 0.05; SRMR = 0.04) and provided evidence for full measurement invariance across gender and different age groups. The construct validity of the BREQ-3 was supported by the latent correlations among the subscales, which were consistent with the quasi-simplex pattern theorized by SDT. The overall level of self-determination and the intention to exercise were positively correlated, providing evidence for the criterion validity of the scale.
The Italian version of the BREQ-3 has proved to be a reliable and valid instrument for measuring the behavioral regulation of exercise in individuals with different demographic characteristics.
Background: This study aimed to investigate differences in adolescents’ social relationships with classmates of diverse gender, socioeconomic status, immigrant background, and academic achievement. ...Methods: A population of 10th-grade students (N = 406,783; males = 50.3%; Mage = 15.57 years, SDage = 0.75) completed the Classmates Social Isolation Questionnaire (CSIQ), an instrument specifically designed to measure two distinct but correlated types of peer relationships in class: peer acceptance and peer friendship. To obtain reliable comparisons across diverse adolescent characteristics, the measurement invariance of the CSIQ was established by means of CFAs and then latent mean differences tests were performed. Results: Immigrant background, academic achievement, and socioeconomic status all proved to be important factors influencing relationships with classmates, while being a male or a female was less relevant. Being a first-generation immigrant adolescent appears to be the foremost risk factor for being less accepted by classmates, while having a low academic achievement is the greatest hindrance for having friends in the group of classmates, a finding that diverges from previous studies. Conclusions: This population study suggests that adolescent characteristics (especially immigrant background, socioeconomic status, and academic achievement) seem to affect social relationships with classmates.
Some studies have demonstrated the high impact of headache and migraine in several areas of children and adolescents' life. In recent years, there has been an increase in scientific interest in the ...relationship between migraine and emotional regulation, investigating the possible consequences of emotional dysregulation on physical and mental health. While some studies have been carried out on the relationship between alexithymia and headache or migraine (especially in adults), no data exist on relationship between Theory of Mind (TOM), metacognition, and alexithymia in children and adolescents with migraine.
Children with diagnosis of migraine without aura (MWoA) (36 males and 34 females) were compared to a healthy control group (31 males and 39 females). The age range was from 8 to 13 years in both groups. All children completed the
(AQC) for the assessment of alexithymia levels and the Domain of Social Perception included in the
to evaluate levels of TOM. Metacognitive development was evaluated with
for children aged between 8 and 10 years and with
(
) for children from 11 to 13.
There were no differences between children with MWoA and the control group in metacognitive abilities; only in the subscale "Negative Meta Worrying" of
girls scored higher than boys, regardless of the group they were part of. Also, in the
subscale there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups. Children with MWoA scored higher in the
subscales "Difficulty Identifying Feelings" and "Difficulty Describing Feelings" than controls. Moreover, children between 8 and 10 years statistically differed from older children in "Difficulty Identifying Feelings" and in Total Score.
Our data suggest that children with MWoA have no metacognitive and TOM problems compared to a healthy group. The experimental group showed higher traits of alexithymia, confirming what suggested by other studies in the literature. Future research will have to focus on migraine with aura and tension-type headache to evaluate any differences with children with MWoA.
Aims
The multi‐systemic effects of heart failure (HF) resemble the spread observed during cancer. We propose a new score, named HLM, analogous to the TNM classification used in oncology, to assess ...the prognosis of HF. HLM refers to H: heart damage, L: lung involvement, and M: systemic multiorgan involvement. The aim was to compare the HLM score to the conventional New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification, American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) stages, and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), to assess the most accurate prognostic tool for HF patients.
Methods and results
We performed a multicentre, observational, prospective study of consecutive patients admitted for HF. Heart, lung, and other organ function parameters were collected. Each patient was classified according to the HLM score, NYHA classification, ACC/AHA stages, and LVEF assessed by transthoracic echocardiography. The follow‐up period was 12 months. The primary endpoint was a composite of all‐cause death and rehospitalization due to HF. A total of 1720 patients who completed the 12 month follow‐up period have been enrolled in the study. 520 (30.2%) patients experienced the composite endpoint of all‐cause death and rehospitalization due to HF. 540 (31.4%) patients were female. The mean age of the study population was 70.5 ± 12.9. The mean LVEF at admission was 42.5 ± 13%. Regarding the population distribution across the spectrum of HLM score stages, 373 (21.7%) patients were included in the HLM‐1, 507 (29.5%) in the HLM‐2, 587 (34.1%) in the HLM‐3, and 253 (14.7%) in the HLM‐4. HLM was the most accurate score to predict the primary endpoint at 12 months. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was greater for the HLM score compared with the NYHA classification, ACC/AHA stages, or LVEF, regarding the composite endpoint (HLM = 0.645; NYHA = 0.580; ACC/AHA = 0.589; LVEF = 0.572). The AUC of the HLM score was significantly better compared with the LVEF (P = 0.002), ACC/AHA (P = 0.029), and NYHA (P = 0.009) AUC.
Conclusions
The HLM score has a greater prognostic power compared with the NYHA classification, ACC/AHA stages, and LVEF assessed by transthoracic echocardiography in terms of the composite endpoint of all‐cause death and rehospitalization due to HF at 12 months of follow‐up.
Abstract
Background
The multiorgan involvement of heart failure is similar to the spread observed in cancer. We proposed a new score, named HLM, analogous to TNM classification used in oncology. HLM ...refers to (i) H: heart damage, instead of “T” for tumor; (ii) L: lung involvement, instead of “N” for lymph nodes; (iii) M: systemic multiorgan involvement, instead of “M” for metastasis.
Objectives
to compare HLM score to NYHA class, ACC/AHA stages and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) classification, to assess the most accurate prognostic tool for HF patients.
Methods
We performed a multicentric, observational, prospective study of consecutive patients admitted for HF, or at risk for HF. Parameters for heart, lungs and organs’ function were collected. Each patient was classified according to HLM, NYHA, ACC/AHA stages and LVEF classification. Patients were followed up for 12 months. The primary composite endpoint was all-cause death and rehospitalization due to HF.
Results
We enrolled 1720 patients who completed the 12-month follow-up. As shown by Kaplan Meier curves, HLM was the most accurate score to predict primary endpoint at 12- month. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was greater for HLM score than NYHA, ACC/AHA stages and LVEF classification, regarding the composite endpoint (HLM=0.645; NYHA=0.580; ACC/AHA=0.589; LVEF=0.572) (Figure 1). HLM score related AUC showed statistically significant differences compared to LVEF (p=0.002), ACC/AHA (p=0.029) and NYHA (p=0.009).
Conclusions
HLM score has a greater prognostic power compared to other nosologies, in terms of the composite endpoint of all-cause death and rehospitalization due to HF, at 12-month follow-up.
Key words: heart failure; HLM score; prognosis; mortality; rehospitalization.
Figure 1.
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