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The study investigates the effect of using programmed training by using electronic application on developing blocking performance and attention focus in volleyball, the sample of the study includes two groups, experimental and controlling, each contains 09 players from el wifak volleyball team in alabiadh. the controlling group has been taught according to the skill training while the experimental group has been taught according to programmed training by using electronic application. the researcher has finally concluded that the effect of programmed training by using electronic application on developing blocking performance and attention focus in volleyball has been positive. the researcher recommended the use of programmed training by using electronic application on developing blocking performance and attention focus in volleyball. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Introduction: Postural threat elicits modifications to standing balance. However, the underlying neural mechanism(s) responsible remain unclear. Shifts in attention focus including directing more attention to balance when threatened may contribute to the balance changes. Sample entropy, a measure of postural sway regularity with lower values reflecting less automatic and more conscious control of balance, may support attention to balance as a mechanism to explain threatinduced balance changes. The main objectives were to investigate the effects of postural threat on sample entropy, and the relationships between threat-induced changes in physiological arousal, perceived anxiety, attention focus, sample entropy, and traditional balance measures. A secondary objective was to explore if biological sex influenced these relationships. Methods: Healthy young adults (63 females, 42 males) stood quietly on a force plate without (No Threat) and with (Threat) the expectation of receiving a postural perturbation (i.e., forward/backward support surface translation). Mean electrodermal activity and anterior–posterior centre of pressure (COP) sample entropy, mean position, root mean square, mean power frequency, and power within low (0–0.05 Hz), medium (0.5–1.8 Hz), and high-frequency (1.8–5 Hz) components were calculated for each trial. Perceived anxiety and attention focus to balance, task objectives, threat-related stimuli, self-regulatory strategies, and task-irrelevant information were rated after each trial. Results and Discussion: Significant threat effects were observed for all measures, except low-frequency sway. Participants were more physiologically aroused, more anxious, and directed more attention to balance, task objectives, threatrelated stimuli, and self-regulatory strategies, and less to task-irrelevant information in the Threat compared to No Threat condition. Participants also increased sample entropy, leaned further forward, and increased the amplitude and frequency of COP displacements, including medium and high-frequency sway, when threatened. Males and females responded in the same way when threatened, except males had significantly larger threat-induced increases in attention to balance and high-frequency sway. A combination of sex and threatinduced changes in physiological arousal, perceived anxiety, and attention focus accounted for threat-induced changes in specific traditional balance measures, but not sample entropy. Increased sample entropy when threatened may reflect a shift to more automatic control. Directing more conscious control to balance when threatened may act to constrain these threat-induced automatic changes to balance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attention focus affects performance in postural control while standing, and it is divided into internal focus (IF) and external focus (EF). Each individual has a predominant attention focus, and research has revealed that the dominance of attention focus may be an acquired trait. However, the impact of non-invasive brain stimulation on attention-focus dominance remains unexplored in the current literature. Here, we examined the effect of high-definition transcranial alternating current stimulation (HD-tACS) on θ waves in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) on standing postural control tasks in an EF condition for IF- and EF-dominant groups. The effect of θ HD-tACS on the ACC differed between IF- and EF-dominant groups, and θ HD-tACS in the IF-dominant group decreased the performance of standing postural control under the EF condition. The forced activation of the ACC with θ HD-tACS may have conversely reduced the activity of brain regions normally activated by the IF-dominant group. Additionally, the activation of ACC prioritized visual information processing and suppressed the superficial sensory processing that is normally potentially prioritized by the IF-dominant group. These results highlight the importance of changing the type of rehabilitation and sports training tasks to account for the individual's dominance of attention focus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IntroductionPostural threat elicits modifications to standing balance. However, the underlying neural mechanism(s) responsible remain unclear. Shifts in attention focus including directing more attention to balance when threatened may contribute to the balance changes. Sample entropy, a measure of postural sway regularity with lower values reflecting less automatic and more conscious control of balance, may support attention to balance as a mechanism to explain threat-induced balance changes. The main objectives were to investigate the effects of postural threat on sample entropy, and the relationships between threat-induced changes in physiological arousal, perceived anxiety, attention focus, sample entropy, and traditional balance measures. A secondary objective was to explore if biological sex influenced these relationships.MethodsHealthy young adults (63 females, 42 males) stood quietly on a force plate without (No Threat) and with (Threat) the expectation of receiving a postural perturbation (i.e., forward/backward support surface translation). Mean electrodermal activity and anterior–posterior centre of pressure (COP) sample entropy, mean position, root mean square, mean power frequency, and power within low (0–0.05 Hz), medium (0.5–1.8 Hz), and high-frequency (1.8–5 Hz) components were calculated for each trial. Perceived anxiety and attention focus to balance, task objectives, threat-related stimuli, self-regulatory strategies, and task-irrelevant information were rated after each trial.Results and DiscussionSignificant threat effects were observed for all measures, except low-frequency sway. Participants were more physiologically aroused, more anxious, and directed more attention to balance, task objectives, threat-related stimuli, and self-regulatory strategies, and less to task-irrelevant information in the Threat compared to No Threat condition. Participants also increased sample entropy, leaned further forward, and increased the amplitude and frequency of COP displacements, including medium and high-frequency sway, when threatened. Males and females responded in the same way when threatened, except males had significantly larger threat-induced increases in attention to balance and high-frequency sway. A combination of sex and threat-induced changes in physiological arousal, perceived anxiety, and attention focus accounted for threat-induced changes in specific traditional balance measures, but not sample entropy. Increased sample entropy when threatened may reflect a shift to more automatic control. Directing more conscious control to balance when threatened may act to constrain these threat-induced automatic changes to balance.

Abstract Background The ‘OPTIMAL’ (Optimizing Performance Through Intrinsic Motivation and Attention for Learning) theory of motor learning suggests that autonomy, external focus of attention, and perceived competence can improve learning of simple motor tasks. The authors hypothesized that enhanced (vs. routine) autonomy and external (vs. internal) focus of attention would improve first-try performance of two medical motor tasks. Methods The authors conducted a randomized two-by-two factorial design study with high school students as participants. Task instructions promoted either enhanced or routine autonomy, and either external or internal focus of attention. These conditions were replicated in a crossover design for two common medical tasks (chest compressions on a manikin and a Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery peg transfer task). Primary outcomes were objective measures of task performance (chest compression deviation from target depth; peg transfer time with penalties for errors). Secondary outcomes included subjective perceptions of confidence, autonomy, and workload. Results One hundred thirty-three high school students participated in this study. The primary outcomes concerning enhanced vs. routine autonomy demonstrated no statistically significant difference in either task (chest compression depth deviation: difference -0.7 mm [score range 0 to 37.5 mm]; 95% confidence interval (CI95) -3.85, 2.41; p = .65; peg transfer penalized time: rate ratio 1.03; CI95 0.91, 1.31; p = .79). The authors likewise found no statistically significant difference for external vs. internal focus of attention (depth deviation: difference 1.1 mm; CI95 -2.04, 4.17; p = .50; penalized time: rate ratio 0.89; CI95 0.75, 1.13; p = .33). The authors found no statistically significant differences for either comparison in confidence, autonomy and workload (p > .09; differences ranged from -0.83 to 0.79 [scale range 0 to 10]). Conclusions First-try performance of chest compressions and peg transfer by novice learners is not significantly affected by enhanced (vs. routine) autonomy or external (vs. internal) focus of attention.

The article deals with the initial stage of training simultaneous interpreters and developing their professional skills. The authors single out and analyse a number of abilities and skills that learners are expected to develop in order to successfully obtain the qualification of simultaneous interpreters and offer a system of exercises and tasks that is intended to assist their acquisition. The article tackles the following issues typically arising at the early stages of student training: inability of unprepared students to concentrate and keep a lasting focus on the meaning and the structure of the source speech utterance, inability to control their short-term memory, the unfamiliar situation where the student is required to listen and speak at one and the same time, a lack of control over intonation and structure of his or her own speech during the interpreting process. In terms of language, particular attention is paid to the crucial role of collocations and fixed expressions in teaching simultaneous interpreting, as well as processing information that requires precision. The study is based on a textbook on political, economic, and legal translation which has been successfully used during several years at the Department of Theory and Practice of Translation at Lomonosov Moscow State University as a key training input. The methods of the current research include contextual and comparative analysis, information synthesis as well as experimental student training. The latter showed that learners’ performance substantially improved, both immediately after some of the preparatory exercises (particularly those aimed at short-term memory and anticipation skills development) and in the long run. The authors believe that exercises described here can form a sound basis for developing skills necessary for simultaneous interpreters.

Attention focus affects performance in postural control while standing, and it is divided into internal focus (IF) and external focus (EF). Each individual has a predominant attention focus, and research has revealed that the dominance of attention focus may be an acquired trait. However, the impact of non-invasive brain stimulation on attention-focus dominance remains unexplored in the current literature. Here, we examined the effect of high-definition transcranial alternating current stimulation (HD-tACS) on θ waves in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) on standing postural control tasks in an EF condition for IF- and EF-dominant groups. The effect of θ HD-tACS on the ACC differed between IF- and EF-dominant groups, and θ HD-tACS in the IF-dominant group decreased the performance of standing postural control under the EF condition. The forced activation of the ACC with θ HD-tACS may have conversely reduced the activity of brain regions normally activated by the IF-dominant group. Additionally, the activation of ACC prioritized visual information processing and suppressed the superficial sensory processing that is normally potentially prioritized by the IF-dominant group. These results highlight the importance of changing the type of rehabilitation and sports training tasks to account for the individual’s dominance of attention focus.

Attention focus changes performance, and external focus (EF) improves performance compared to internal focus (IF). However, recently, the dominance of attention focus, rather than the effectiveness of unilateral EF, has been examined. Although the positive effects of EF on standing postural control have been reported, the dominance of attention focus has not yet been examined. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the dominance of attention focus and its neural mechanism in standing postural control using electroencephalography (EEG). A standing postural control task under IF and EF conditions was performed on healthy young men. Gravity center sway and cortical activity simultaneously using a stabilometer and an EEG were measured. Participants were classified into IF-dominant and EF-dominant groups according to their index of postural stability. The EEG was analyzed, and cortical activity in the theta-wave band was compared between the IF-dominant and EF-dominant groups. Significant neural activity was observed in the left parietal lobe of the IF-dominant group in the IF condition, and in the left frontal lobe of the EF-dominant group in the EF condition (p < 0.05). Differences in EEG activity between IF-dominant and EF-dominant groups, in standing postural control, were detected. This contributes to the development of training methods that consider attentional focus dominance in postural control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The 'OPTIMAL' (Optimizing Performance Through Intrinsic Motivation and Attention for Learning) theory of motor learning suggests that autonomy, external focus of attention, and perceived competence can improve learning of simple motor tasks. The authors hypothesized that enhanced (vs. routine) autonomy and external (vs. internal) focus of attention would improve first-try performance of two medical motor tasks. Methods: The authors conducted a randomized two-by-two factorial design study with high school students as participants. Task instructions promoted either enhanced or routine autonomy, and either external or internal focus of attention. These conditions were replicated in a crossover design for two common medical tasks (chest compressions on a manikin and a Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery peg transfer task). Primary outcomes were objective measures of task performance (chest compression deviation from target depth; peg transfer time with penalties for errors). Secondary outcomes included subjective perceptions of confidence, autonomy, and workload. Results: One hundred thirty-three high school students participated in this study. The primary outcomes concerning enhanced vs. routine autonomy demonstrated no statistically significant difference in either task (chest compression depth deviation: difference -0.7 mm [score range 0 to 37.5 mm]; 95% confidence interval (CI95) -3.85, 2.41; p =.65; peg transfer penalized time: rate ratio 1.03; CI95 0.91, 1.31; p =.79). The authors likewise found no statistically significant difference for external vs. internal focus of attention (depth deviation: difference 1.1 mm; CI95 -2.04, 4.17; p =.50; penalized time: rate ratio 0.89; CI95 0.75, 1.13; p =.33). The authors found no statistically significant differences for either comparison in confidence, autonomy and workload (p >.09; differences ranged from -0.83 to 0.79 [scale range 0 to 10]). Conclusions: First-try performance of chest compressions and peg transfer by novice learners is not significantly affected by enhanced (vs. routine) autonomy or external (vs. internal) focus of attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Spontaneous face touching is associated with cortical regulatory processes. • Self touch count and duration increase with arousal, emotional or cognitive load. • Active prevention of face touching to reduce infections requires mental effort. • Association of face touch with trigeminal communicating rami is discussed. • Fundamental mechanisms and functions of spontaneous face touches remain unknown. Spontaneous face touching (sFST) is an ubiquitous behavior that occurs in people of all ages and all sexes, up to 800 times a day. Despite their high frequency, they have rarely been considered as an independent phenomenon. Recently, sFST have sparked scientific interest since they contribute to self-infection with pathogens. This raises questions about trigger mechanisms and functions of sFST and whether they can be prevented. This systematic comprehensive review compiles relevant evidence on these issues. Facial self-touches seem to increase in frequency and duration in socially, emotionally as well as cognitively challenging situations. They have been associated with attention focus, working memory processes and emotion regulating functions as well as the development and maintenance of a sense of self and body. The dominance of face touch over other body parts is discussed in light of the proximity of hand-face cortical representations and the peculiarities of facial innervations. The results show that underlying psychological and neuro-physiological mechanisms of sFST are still poorly understood and that various basic questions remain unanswered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discourse markers of attention focus (enfocadores de alteridad in Spanish) frequently serve the purposes of drawing the hearer’s attention to what the speaker is saying, either to establish or maintain contact between the two interlocutors. The current study aims to determine whether the choice of appellative marker is socially or grammatically motivated. Using sociolinguistic corpora from two major Latin American cities, the study will analyze the variation among the markers. More specifically, are there extenuating factors that influence whether a speaker elects to use mira, fíjate or oye to focus the attention of the hearer? The study finds that the choice between markers in San Juan and Mexico City is conditioned by different markers in each locale and, additionally, hints that the style of discourse may have an effect on the prevalence of these markers in general.

The article deals with the initial stage of training simultaneous interpreters and developing their professional skills. The authors single out and analyse a number of abilities and skills that learners are expected to develop in order to successfully obtain the qualification of simultaneous interpreters and offer a system of exercises and tasks that is intended to assist their acquisition. The article tackles the following issues typically arising at the early stages of student training: inability of unprepared students to concentrate and keep a lasting focus on the meaning and the structure of the source speech utterance, inability to control their short-term memory, the unfamiliar situation where the student is required to listen and speak at one and the same time, a lack of control over intonation and structure of his or her own speech during the interpreting process. In terms of language, particular attention is paid to the crucial role of collocations and fixed expressions in teaching simultaneous interpreting, as well as processing information that requires precision. The study is based on a textbook on political, economic, and legal translation which has been successfully used during several years at the Department of Theory and Practice of Translation at Lomonosov Moscow State University as a key training input. The methods of the current research include contextual and comparative analysis, information synthesis as well as experimental student training. The latter showed that learners' performance substantially improved, both immediately after some of the preparatory exercises (particularly those aimed at short-term memory and anticipation skills development) and in the long run. The authors believe that exercises described here can form a sound basis for developing skills necessary for simultaneous interpreters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Verbal cues are tools used by practitioners in developing a youth athlete's motor skill abilities. External cues may optimize athletic performance and movement competencies in adults with trends for youth athletic populations following suit. However, maturation, training age, and cognitive age may interact with the efficacy of cues used. To better assist practitioners working with youth, this article reviews current empirical evidence on how youth populations respond or may respond to cues and offers practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of mindfulness training on stress, mindfulness, and life satisfaction in accounting students. Eighty-eight students participated in a randomized control trial conducted at a Midwestern university comparing students who went through a mindfulness training program called Daata Meditation (DM) with students in a control group. A Split Plot ANOVA found that the students who went through mindfulness training showed reduced stress, increased mindfulness, and increased life satisfaction. A Process Model Regression Analysis (PMRA) further showed that these results are moderated partially by intensity of mindfulness practice. The results of this study indicate that mindfulness training can be a valuable tool in increasing accounting student success and as a potential solution to ameliorate the high levels of stress prevalent in accounting careers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attention focus changes performance, and external focus (EF) improves performance compared to internal focus (IF). However, recently, the dominance of attention focus, rather than the effectiveness of unilateral EF, has been examined. Although the positive effects of EF on standing postural control have been reported, the dominance of attention focus has not yet been examined. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the dominance of attention focus and its neural mechanism in standing postural control using electroencephalography (EEG). A standing postural control task under IF and EF conditions was performed on healthy young men. Gravity center sway and cortical activity simultaneously using a stabilometer and an EEG were measured. Participants were classified into IF-dominant and EF-dominant groups according to their index of postural stability. The EEG was analyzed, and cortical activity in the theta-wave band was compared between the IF-dominant and EF-dominant groups. Significant neural activity was observed in the left parietal lobe of the IF-dominant group in the IF condition, and in the left frontal lobe of the EF-dominant group in the EF condition (p < 0.05). Differences in EEG activity between IF-dominant and EF-dominant groups, in standing postural control, were detected. This contributes to the development of training methods that consider attentional focus dominance in postural control.

Discourse markers of attention focus (enfocadores de alteridad in Spanish) frequently serve the purposes of drawing the hearer's attention to what the speaker is saying, either to establish or maintain contact between the two interlocutors. The current study aims to determine whether the choice of appellative marker is socially or grammatically motivated. Using sociolinguistic corpora from two major Latin American cities, the study will analyze the variation among the markers. More specifically, are there factors that significantly influence whether a speaker elects to use mira, fíjate or oye to focus the attention of the hearer? The study finds that the choice between markers in San Juan and Mexico City is conditioned by different factors in each locale and, additionally, hints that the style of discourse may have an effect on the prevalence of these markers in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focus of attention can affect motor learning efficiency. In particular, external focus, i.e. focus on the consequence of actions, was shown to improve learning speed and learning retention more than internal focus, which is focus on the action per se. Previous studies suggest that external focus can avoid interference with automatic action control and thus improve motor learning. Meanwhile, some theories on motor learning suggest that a novice should first coordinate action components, which implies that internal focus, rather than external focus, may be critical for novice. The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of attentional focus in a mirror drawing task. The mirror drawing task is rare in daily life and relies on eye-hand coordination, and therefore is selected to probe novice in motor learning in this study. The external focus group was instructed to follow their drawing behavior from the mirror, while the internal focus group to feel their wrist during drawing. Two experiments were carried out. Experiment 1 showed significant improvement of mirror drawing speed from one trial experience; however, no significant difference was observed between external and internal groups. Nevertheless, correlation analyses indicated that external focus group showed more consistent response speed across two trials than the internal group. Experiment 2 asked participants to practice 15 times for the first day, and tested retention and transfer at the second day. Results showed that after practice, external focus group completed drawing faster than internal focus group in the last 5 practice trials, as well as in the transfer test. Our results thus replicated that external focus can facilitate motor learning. For novices who were in the coordination stage, there was no evidence showing that internal focus of attention can facilitate motor learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large number of human behaviors occur on the Internet? which has become the most important virtual space corresponding to the real space. Social stratification research in the traditional virtual space is based on objective indicators such as the opportunity and ability of network information resources possession, but does not involves the specific behavior of users using network resources and the content and nature of information and other factors. This paper makes use of the big data of users' online behaviors provided by China Internet Network Information Center, investigates and analyzes the characteristics and differences of users' online behaviors of different levels in the virtual space from two aspects of online time and content. The study finds that different levels of users' time spent in the virtual space and their attention focuses are very different. Higher level users can make better use of network resources to work and shopping, and stay in the virtual space has a relatively stable time. However, lower level users spend a lot of attentions on leisure and entertainment applications, and the stay time is not stable. In addition, this paper uses the neural network model (W2V-BP) based on Word2vec to conduct social stratification recognition of users' online behavior data in the virtual space, and the recognition accuracy reaches 90. 22%, indicating that there are behavioral characteristics in the virtual space that can distinguish social stratification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Image hashing is an efficient technique of multimedia processing for many applications, such as image copy detection, image authentication, and social event detection. In this study, the authors propose a novel image hashing with visual attention model and invariant moments. An important contribution is the weighted DWT (discrete wavelet transform) representation by incorporating a visual attention model called Itti saliency model into LL sub‐band. Since the Itti saliency model can efficiently extract saliency map reflecting regions of attention focus, perceptual robustness of the proposed hashing is achieved. In addition, as invariant moments are robust and discriminative features, hash construction with invariant moments extracted from the weighted DWT representation ensures good classification performance between robustness and discrimination. Extensive experiments with open image datasets are done to validate the performances of the proposed hashing. The results demonstrate that the proposed hashing is robust and discriminative. Performance comparisons with some hashing algorithms are also conducted, and the receiver operating characteristic results illustrate that the proposed hashing outperforms the compared hashing algorithms in classification performance between robustness and discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Mindwandering is positively correlated with a wide variety of external daily-life distractions. • Mindwandering duration can be predicted from the duration of irrelevant external distraction. • Factor analysis suggests a single construct underlying mindwandering and external distraction. • Mindwandering and distraction from mobile phones are associated with lower levels of happiness. We tested the hypothesis that mindwandering and external distraction are both manifestations of a common state of reduced attention focus, and examined how both relate to reported level of happiness. We conducted real-time sampling of people's experience of mindwandering, irrelevant distraction (e.g. by music, phone, etc.), and happiness levels, in two studies with 524 people undertaking common daily-life activities. All irrelevant external distractions were positively correlated with mindwandering. Indeed mindwandering duration could be predicted from the reported duration of external distraction, when controlling for a range of background variables. An exploratory factor analysis of mindwandering and distraction reports suggested a single underlying construct. In addition, duration of irrelevant distraction by both mobile phones and mindwandering was significantly associated with reduced reported levels of happiness. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that that a state of reduced attention focus underlies both mindwandering and distractibility and clarify the link with happiness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gait stability during dual tasks is important for elderly persons, especially for elderly individuals in need of care. A study was conducted to assess gait stability by using Lyapunov exponents (λS) during single task and dual task conditions in independently living elderly people (Go-Goes) and elderly people in need of care (No-Goes).Material and methods: This study was conducted with 26 participants (average age 82 ± 9.4 years) who were allocated to the Go-Goes or No-Goes group. Outcomes were mediolateral and vertical Lyapunov exponents (λS) from accelerometer data and gait speed under single task and dual task conditions.Results: In both groups significantly higher mediolateral and vertical Lyapunov exponent values as well as significantly lower walking speeds under dual task conditions were found in both groups. The effect sizes were small to moderate for mediolateral λS and large for vertical λS and these differences remained when the analyses were adjusted for walking speed.Conclusion: Elderly people showed lower gait stability and gait speed under dual task conditions compared to single task conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Newell's learning stages model is a learning model based on dynamic systems theory which is divided to three stages based on the relationship among learners' degree of freedom. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of attention focus of instruction on learning a simple skill (throwing darts) and a complex skill (non-dominant foot chip shot). Thestudyconsistedoftwoexperiments. In thefirst experiment,24male studentsofUniversity of Tehran were instructed tothrow darts. Participantsweredivided into two groupsbased onpretest scores, and thenone group received internalfocusinstructionsand the otherexternalfocus instruction. Results showed that external attention focus was more beneficial when learning the skill of throwing darts. In the second experiment, 24 male students of University of Tehranwere instructedto perform non-dominant foot chip shot skill. Participants were divided into two groups based on their pretest scores, and thenone groupreceived internalattention focusinstructionsand otherexternalfocus instruction. The results showed that internal focus of attention was more beneficial when learning the non-dominant foot chip shot. Results of this study suggested that it was more useful to adopt an internal focusin skills whose coordinative structures have not yet formed.

Attention deficit is one of the core elements of learning disorder. Aimed at studying attention deficit, this paper compares attention control and distraction in students with and without learning impairments. Three groups of students with learning impairments (one group of 15 with dyslexia-dysgraphia, another group of 15 with dyscalculia, and yet another group of 15 with mixed disorder) were randomly selected out of students enrolled in centers for learning impairments supervised by regional office of Ministry of Education in Uremia. A forth group of 15 normal students was also randomly selected. The study followed a causal-comparative research design. The diagnosis of type of learning impairment for each student was checked using structured clinical interviews, and the students were then asked to complete the attention control and effortful control questionnaires (the distraction-persistence subscale). The data were analyzed using one way ANOVA, MANOVA and the Least Significant Difference (LSD) test. The results showed significant differences between the groups’ mean test score in attention focus, attention control and level of distraction. The result of the LSD test showed that the main difference existed between the group of normal students and the other three groups, whose members were children with learning disorders. In other words, no significant difference existed in the three groups themselves. The results reveal that, compared to normal children, students with learning impairments have far less attention control and far more distractibility. Furthermore children with different types of learning impairments are homogeneous in terms of attention control and distractibility.

There is strong evidence that focussing on the goal of an action improves performance relative to focussing on the concrete motor behaviours. The current study tests whether blind action guided by imagery relies on the same foci of attention. Thirty female participants took part in an experiment. In each condition there were 20 trials, they were asked to close their eyes and draw a straight line between two landmarks on a graphics tablet. We instructed them, in three conditions, to focus on (1) mental imagery of the goal landmark (external focus of attention), (2) drawing a straight line with the fingers (internal focus), or (3) without a specific focus of attention (control). We tested to what extent these attention instructions affected drawing performance, in terms of both deviations of the participants’ lines from an ideal straight line, and the time it took to complete the line. The study revealed that the manipulation specifically affected the deviation measure and that an external focus of attention was better than an internal focus and the control condition. These findings reveal that that mental imagery during blind action relies on same processes as actual performance. These data give perceptual representations of a direct role in motor control. They will be related to current theories of action control (constrained action hypothesis, ideomotor theories, and dual task accounts).

Music use in golf receives minimal attention from both applied and empirical perspectives. Golfers, coaches, and sport psychology practitioners alike may benefit from understanding and utilizing music within their work. Since music use in golf has become an increasingly common practice, the purpose of the current study was to investigate current music use among golfers using a qualitative approach. Researchers aimed to identify potential psychological and physiological effects derived from music use during golf practice and pre-performance, given the limited empirical research in this area to date. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten amateur and semi-professional golfers (five male, five female, Mage = 22.9 years, SD = 5.04 years). Consensual qualitative research (CQR) methodology was used to analyze the interview data. Six domains emerged from the CQR analysis regarding participants’ self-reported music use in golf: tempo, attention, physiological regulation, psychological regulation, effects of music on performance perceptions, and context (to use or not to use). Given the capacity of carefully selected music to elicit profound affective, neurophysiological, and behavioral responses, there is clear potential for mental performance consultants to utilize music in working with golfers in training contexts. Implications, caveats, and future research recommendations are provided.

The superior self-regulation and attention-regulation abilities of securely attached children have been repeatedly demonstrated. However, the mechanisms that allow securely attached children to exhibit higher levels of attention focus than insecurely attached (anxious-ambivalent and anxious-avoidant) children need to be explored. One possible mechanism that has been hypothesized to play a role in focusing attention is self-touch. Previous research has shown that 10-year-old children exhibit more bilateral self-touch (i.e., both hands are simultaneously moving onto each other or on the body, and both hands are in contact with each other or with the body), but not lateral self-touch (i.e., one hand is moving on the other hand or on the body, and the hand is in contact with the other hand or with the body), when they focus attention on a task. Because bilateral coordination is still developing during childhood, we expected that lateral self-touch, instead of bilateral self-touch, may be associated with attention focus for toddlers. The objectives of the present study were to examine whether securely attached toddlers exhibit more self-touch, particularly lateral self-touch, while they focus on a task than while they do not focus on a task. We expected to find that the association between lateral self-touch and attention focus is not as strong for insecurely attached toddlers. Data from forty-nine mother-child dyads were employed for analyses. The attachment classification of the children was determined using the Strange Situation. The duration of attention focus and self-touch behavior during a reading task were coded. An association between lateral self-touch and attention focus was found for children of all attachment classifications. This association was particularly strong for securely attached children. We discuss the possibility that securely attached toddlers may use lateral self-touch to regulate attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives The aims of this study were twofold: (a) to compare the effects of indoor and outdoor environments on cycling endurance and thought dynamics, (b) to investigate a possible link between cycling endurance and the adherence to task-unrelated thoughts (TUT) in both environments. Design: An experimental, within-subject design with two-trial random assignment was used. Methods Participants ( n = 13) cycled at constant power until volitional exhaustion while imposing TUT. They reported thought changes using self-selected key words that were subsequently classified based on task-relatedness (TUT, and task-related thoughts (TRT)) and direction (internal, external). Mean values of relative time spent in TUT and TRT categories were computed and compared for 5 equal time intervals. The association between cycling endurance and time spent at each thought-related category was analyzed. Results Analyses revealed a decrease of TUT and an increase of TRT as a function of time (spent cycling) in both environments. Three qualitative thought phases emerged: an initially stable TUT phase was followed by a metastable phase characterized by shifts between TUT and TRT, and a final stable TRT phase appeared nearing exhaustion. Participants cycled longer outdoors than indoors M outdoors = 12.54 min, SEM = 2.17 s, M indoors = 11.35 min, SEM = 1.52 s ( Z = −2.27, p < 0.05, d (95% CI) = 0.56 (−0.80, 3.07)), with a dominance of external thought categories. Cycling endurance seemed to be facilitated by TUT-E outdoors and TRT-I in both types of environments. Conclusion Outdoor environment resulted in improved cycling endurance and greater use of external thoughts (i.e., dissociative attentional strategy) relative to indoor environment. The effectiveness of thought categories seemed contingent upon their stability, which in turn depended on effort accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on corporate philanthropy typically focuses on organization-external pressures and aggregated donation behavior. Hence, our understanding of the organization-internal structures that determine whether a given organization will respond philanthropically to a specific human need remains underdeveloped. We explicate an attention-based framework in which specific dimensions of organization-level attention focus interact to predict philanthropic responses to an emergent human need. Exploring the response of Fortune Global 500 firms to the 2004 South Asian tsunami, we find that management attention focused on people inside the organization (employees) interacts with both attention for places (countries in the tsunami-stricken region) and attention for practices (corporate philanthropy in general) to predict the likelihood of charitable donations. Our research thus extends beyond the prevailing institutional perspective by highlighting the role of attention focus in corporate responsiveness to emergent societal issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]