Search

BackgroundFor a long time, in sports, researchers have tried to understand an expert by comparing them with novices, raising the doubts if the visual search characteristics distinguish experts from novices. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to review and conduct a meta-analysis to evaluate the differences in visual search behavior between experts and novices in team sports athletes.MethodsThis systematic review with meta-analysis followed the PRISMA 2020 and Cochrane's guidelines. Healthy team athletes were included, which engaged in regular practice, from any sex or competitive level, specifically classified a priori as expert or novice in the original research (i.e., if they were classified after the experiment, based on one of the tests, the study would be excluded). We considered only research published in peer-reviewed journals, with no limitations regarding date or language. It was considered healthy team sport athletes engaged in regular practice. The scenarios could be in situ or film-based. The databases of EBSCO (Academic Search Complete, Academic Search Ultimate, APA PsycArticles, and APA PsycINFO), PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science were used to perform the searches. The risk of bias was calculated through the RoBANS tool.ResultsFrom a total of 6,257 records, of which 985 were duplicates, titles and abstracts of 5,272 were screened, and 45 required full-text analysis. Of those, 23 were excluded due to not fulfilling the eligibility criteria regarding participants. In the end, 22 studies were selected, however, as two studies were part of the same trial and were analyzed conjointly.DiscussionExperts showed to be older and with more years of practice. The ability to distinguish experts from novices was not so clear regarding the variables analyzed. This could be due to the strategies chosen in each study, which were specific to each scenario, and when grouping all together, it was lost information within non-representative averages. The distinction between experts and novices was not clear, showing a lot of heterogeneity in the included studies. The expert classification itself may have been the conditioning aspect for these results, retaining the doubt and the need for more studies in the field.Systematic review registrationThe protocol was pre-registered in OSF (project https://osf.io/3j4qv/, register https://osf.io/dvk2n).

IntroductionAnthropomorphic conversational agents (ACA) are a promising digital tool to support self-management of type 2 diabetes (T2D), albeit little explored. There is a dearth of literature on the detailed content of these interventions, which may limit effectiveness and replication. Our aim is to describe the development of an evidence and theory-based intervention to improve physical activity in older adults with T2D, subsumed in a multi-behavior intervention via a mobile application with an ACA.MethodsOverall decisions on the multi-behavior intervention design, such as the use of standardized behavior change techniques (BCTTv1), guided the development of the physical activity component. Firstly, recommendations on ambulatory activity were used to select the target behavior (walking). Meta-research on effective behavior change techniques (BCTs) was then identified. One meta-analysis linked effective BCTs with the three basic psychological needs of the self-determination theory (SDT). This meta-analysis, taken together with additional evidence on SDT, led to the selection of this theory to inform the design. BCTs were extracted from meta-research; we selected the most appropriate to be operationalized via the conversational agent through multidisciplinary discussions. Rules governing the dialogue flow and BCTs tailoring, taking the form “if some conditions hold then execute some action,” were derived based on the Basic Psychological in Exercise Scale (competence, autonomy, and relatedness scores), in conjunction with published evidence and multidisciplinary discussions.ResultsThirteen BCTs were implemented in the prototype via the ACA (e.g., goal setting behavior 1.1). Six if-then rules were derived and depicted in the dialogue steps through process flow diagrams, which map how the system functions. An example of a rule is “If competence score ≤ 10 then, apply BCT 1.1 with 500 steps increments as options for the daily walking goal; If competence score > 10 then, apply BCT 1.1 with 1,000 steps increments as options for the daily walking goal.”ConclusionEvidence and SDT were translated into a mobile application prototype using an ACA to promote physical activity in older adults with T2D. This approach, which includes 13 BCTs and six if-then rules for their tailoring, may leverage the efforts of others in developing similar interventions.