Research Paper I Open Access I Released under CC BY-NC 4.0 license
Hanie Akbarabadi; Davoud Fazeli; Parvaneh Shamsipour
Abstract
Introduction: The present study aimed to investigate the effects of differential practice and contextual interference on the learning and mental representation of the golf stroke.
Methods: Fifty right-handed female students aged 20–35 with normal vision were purposefully selected from Alzahra ...
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Introduction: The present study aimed to investigate the effects of differential practice and contextual interference on the learning and mental representation of the golf stroke.
Methods: Fifty right-handed female students aged 20–35 with normal vision were purposefully selected from Alzahra University and randomly assigned to five groups: random differential learning, blocked differential learning, random contextual interference, blocked contextual interference, and control. To perform the task, standard golf balls and clubs, circular targets with an 11 cm diameter placed on a grass field (9×4 m), and a mental representation assessment software were used. In the pre-test, participants performed the mental representation assessment task and executed 15 golf putts from a distance of 3 meters. During the acquisition phase, they completed 12 blocks of 15 trials, following their group instructions. Twenty-four hours later, they participated in a retention test under the same conditions as the pre-test and then performed a transfer test consisting of 15 putts from a distance of 5 meters.
Results: The findings showed that during acquisition, the random differential learning group performed significantly worse than the other groups (P=0.001). In the retention test, the random differential and random contextual interference groups demonstrated higher accuracy than the blocked groups (P=0.001). In contrast, in the transfer test, the differential learning groups showed greater accuracy than all other groups. Moreover, mental representation during the retention test improved significantly in the random differential group compared to the pre-test (P=0.001).
Conclusion: Continuous variations in differential learning are likely due to factors such as the emergence of self- and context-dependent attractors and random fluctuations, leading to greater generalizability compared to contextual interference.
Research Paper I Open Access I Released under CC BY-NC 4.0 license
Shole Farahmand; Elahe Arabameri; shahzad tahmasebi boroujeni; Mehdi M Mirbagheri; morteza heidari
Abstract
Introduction: Studies that have examined the upper limb function of children with cerebral palsy and hemiplegia have mostly used single-handed tasks, including the constraint of the healthy hand technique; however, this method led to emotional problems in the child. This study aimed to investigate hand ...
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Introduction: Studies that have examined the upper limb function of children with cerebral palsy and hemiplegia have mostly used single-handed tasks, including the constraint of the healthy hand technique; however, this method led to emotional problems in the child. This study aimed to investigate hand function after bimanual handball training in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy.Methods: Five children referred to Fakhr e Sadegh Clinic with a mean age of 10.2±2.28 years were selected via convenience sampling. Parents of the children completed the consent form. Each participant was tested once before and once after the training using the Purdue pegboard test, and one-handed, simultaneous bimanual, and sequential bimanual performance were assessed. The participants performed two 30-minute bimanual exercise sessions per week for a total of six weeks.Results: The results were analyzed using SPSS 27 software. Paired t-test showed that performance of the less affected hand (p=0.03) and sequential bimanual coordination (p=0.00) increased significantly, while simultaneous bimanual coordination (p=0.08) did not improve significantly. Also, the Wilcoxon test did not show a significant improvement in the more affected hand (p=0.06).Conclusion: It seems that the use of bimanual handball catching exercises can be effective in improving sequential bimanual coordination and the function of the less affected hand in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy and can be used as an intervention method in motor rehabilitation of these children.
