Research Paper I Open Access I Released under CC BY-NC 4.0 license
Zohreh Khalilpourshiraz; Behzad Behzadnia; Mohammad Taghi Aghdasi
Abstract
Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between self-supportive behaviors, basic psychological needs, sleep quality, and mindfulness in athletes.Methods: This research employed a descriptive‑correlational design. The study population consisted of male and female athletes aged ...
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Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between self-supportive behaviors, basic psychological needs, sleep quality, and mindfulness in athletes.Methods: This research employed a descriptive‑correlational design. The study population consisted of male and female athletes aged 20‑30 years who had at least three years of regular experience in a competitive sport (team or individual) and were members of a sports team in Tabriz. A total of 134 athletes were selected via convenience sampling. They completed a demographic questionnaire, the Self‑Supportive and Self‑Thwarting Behaviors Questionnaire, the Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale.Results: Statistical analysis revealed a positive, significant relationship between self‑supportive behaviors and basic psychological need satisfaction, as well as between self‑thwarting behaviors and basic psychological need frustration.Conclusion: The findings indicate that athletes who cultivate more self‑supportive behaviors experience, have greater need satisfaction, and consequently exhibit higher mindfulness and better sleep quality, which may be effective to enhance their athletic performance. Therefore, it is recommended that coaches use self‑supportive behaviors in interventions designed to help athletes self‑regulate and enhance basic psychological need satisfaction, thereby improving both performance and mental health.
Research Paper I Open Access I Released under CC BY-NC 4.0 license
Behzad Mohammadi Orangi; Mehdi Shahbazi; Behnaz Bakhshinezhad
Abstract
Introduction:This study aimed to compare linear, nonlinear, differential, and TGfU methods on individual and team creativity and decision‑making in combination with inclusive education.Methods: To achieve this goal, 64 male children (mean age = 10.22 ± 1.73 years) were selected as ...
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Introduction:This study aimed to compare linear, nonlinear, differential, and TGfU methods on individual and team creativity and decision‑making in combination with inclusive education.Methods: To achieve this goal, 64 male children (mean age = 10.22 ± 1.73 years) were selected as a convenience sample. For two months, the children practiced futsal skills in two sessions per week, each lasting 90 minutes, across four groups (each group consisting of 12 typically developing children, two children with ADHD, and two children with DCD). The number of observed actions was recorded and analyzed for each variable: individual creativity, team creativity, and decision‑making. Part of the data was analyzed descriptively, and the remainder was analyzed using a 2 (time) × 4 (group) ANOVA.Results: The results indicated that the linear method had less impact on individual creativity, team creativity, and decision‑making compared to the nonlinear, TGfU, and differential methods. The nonlinear group outperformed the other groups in original and creative actions, team creativity, and decision‑making. Regarding inclusive education, individuals with disabilities in the nonlinear, differential, and TGfU groups showed better performance in the post‑test for creative actions, original actions, team creativity, and decision‑making than those in the linear method group.Conclusion: The findings of this study emphasize the importance of integrating inclusive education with nonlinear methods, in which the manipulation of constraints can compensate for the weaknesses of children with difficulties. These results can be applied in school settings.
Research Paper I Open Access I Released under CC BY-NC 4.0 license
Mostafa Hajlofalian; Faeze Heydari; Elham Dehghan Niri
Abstract
Introduction: Sports talent identification (STI) is a complex process that benefits from insights across various scientific fields to enhance its credibility. Nowadays, artificial intelligence (AI) has proven effective in prediction and classification tasks. Given that talent identification revolves ...
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Introduction: Sports talent identification (STI) is a complex process that benefits from insights across various scientific fields to enhance its credibility. Nowadays, artificial intelligence (AI) has proven effective in prediction and classification tasks. Given that talent identification revolves around accurately predicting and classifying individuals, leveraging AI can be truly transformative. This study aimed to explore how artificial intelligence can be used for STI.Methods: Despite the diversity of sports disciplines, four categories were selected: ball sports, racket sports, martial arts, and aquatic sports. The expert opinion method was used to prioritize the selected indicators, which included anthropometric characteristics, physical abilities, perceptual‑motor skills, fitness‑related abilities, and psychological factors. A total of 310 participants (boys and girls aged 6 to 16 years) were evaluated and labeled based on their scores. To assess the relationship between each component and the labels, independent t‑tests were conducted, resulting in the selection of six key components for each category. Finally, a perceptron 6‑1‑1 neural network was used to evaluate the accuracy and validity of the STI results.Results: The neural network results showed that the classification accuracy for ball sports, racket sports, martial arts, aquatic sports, and other sports was 97.9%, 97.9%, 87.2%, 91.5%, and 80.8%, respectively, which represent high and desirable accuracy levels.Conclusion: Finally, it can be concluded that identifying the principal components specific to each sport category and designing an artificial neural network can help researchers and coaches recognize the important indicators for each sport and use them for sports talent identification in their respective fields.
Research Paper I Open Access I Released under CC BY-NC 4.0 license
Hassan Mohammadzade; Sara Soltanifar; Zahra Afazeli
Abstract
Introduction: This study aimed to determine the effects of gender stereotype threat and conceptions of ability on motor performance and working memory in adolescent girls. Methods: Ninety female students (mean age = 14.02 years, SD = 1.17) were randomly assigned to a gender stereotype threat group ...
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Introduction: This study aimed to determine the effects of gender stereotype threat and conceptions of ability on motor performance and working memory in adolescent girls. Methods: Ninety female students (mean age = 14.02 years, SD = 1.17) were randomly assigned to a gender stereotype threat group and a control group. The stereotype threat group was further randomly divided into two implicit stereotype-threat subgroups (male examiner–female referee / female examiner–male referee). Subsequently, the implicit stereotype threat subgroups and the control group were randomly assigned to the inherent- and acquired-ability subgroups. The tasks included soccer dribbling and the n‑back test. In the pretest, participants performed one block of five trials of dribbling and the n‑back test. During the practice phase, 12 blocks of five trials were completed. Forty‑eight hours later, retention and transfer tests were administered. The N‑back test was also completed in the pretest and posttest. Results: The results showed that the induction of inherent and acquired stereotype threat during the acquisition phase did not produce a significant difference in dribbling performance compared to the control group. However, a significant difference was observed in the time and error scores of dribbling in the retention and transfer tests. On the other hand, no significant effects of gender stereotype threat or ability conceptions were found on working memory.Conclusion: Implicit activation of gender stereotypes does not always lead to negative consequences. Although the effects of stereotype threat appear to be strong, they may be mediated by different mechanisms. Thus, the effect of stereotype threat on performance may be influenced by several factors (task difficulty, task nature, individual differences, etc.).
Research Paper I Open Access I Released under CC BY-NC 4.0 license
Ali Shafizadeh; Jaleh Bahramian; Golamali Mirzaeian; Farshad Abbasi
Abstract
Introduction: Mood states and mental skills of athletes are directly related to the enhancement and maintenance of their skilled performance. This study aimed to compare the mood states and mental skills of elite and non‑elite athletes in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province and to determine the relationship ...
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Introduction: Mood states and mental skills of athletes are directly related to the enhancement and maintenance of their skilled performance. This study aimed to compare the mood states and mental skills of elite and non‑elite athletes in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province and to determine the relationship between them.Methods: The study population consisted of 111 male and female athletes from Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province across 18 sports disciplines. Based on their competition results over the previous three years, they were assigned to elite and non‑elite groups. According to predefined criteria, 48 elite and 63 non‑elite athletes were selected. Athletes’ mood states were assessed using the Brunel Mood Scale Questionnaire, and their mental skills were assessed using the Ottawa Mental Skills Assessment Tool‑3 (OMSAT‑3).Results: The results showed no significant differences between the elite and non‑elite groups in terms of sports background, gender, or number of athletes. Significant differences were found between the two groups in the mood subscales of vigor, confusion, calmness, and happiness, as well as in the positive and negative mood subscales and the total mood state score. There was also a significant difference between the elite and non‑elite groups in the total mental skills score and in psychophysical skills. Basic skills in the elite group, as well as psychophysical, cognitive, and total mental skills in both elite and non‑elite groups, showed a direct and significant relationship with positive mood. Additionally, the total mental skills score had a direct and significant relationship with the total mood state score in the non‑elite group, whereas in the elite group, this relationship was inverse but not significant.Conclusion: To enhance athletes’ performance and achieve better results in competitions, it is recommended that psychological programs focus on positive mood and basic mental skills.
Research Paper I Open Access I Released under CC BY-NC 4.0 license
ebrahim norouzi; Habibolah Khazaie
Abstract
Introduction: Numerous studies have shown that physical activity can serve as an effective therapeutic intervention for depression. However, recent research has emphasized the importance of integrating psychological techniques such as functional imagery into exercise programs. Therefore, the aim of the ...
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Introduction: Numerous studies have shown that physical activity can serve as an effective therapeutic intervention for depression. However, recent research has emphasized the importance of integrating psychological techniques such as functional imagery into exercise programs. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of a combined program of physical activity and functional imagery on psychomotor indices and sleep quality in individuals with major depressive disorder.Methods: In this clinical trial, 60 patients with major depressive disorder (mean age = 32.92 years, SD = 4.7) were randomly assigned to three groups: a physical activity group, a combined group (physical activity and functional imagery), and a control group. All participants were evaluated at four stages: pretest, an 8‑week intervention, posttest, and a 1‑month follow‑up. The measured variables included depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory), anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory), sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), and reaction time (Nelson Movement Speed Test). Data were analyzed using two‑way mixed analysis of variance (within‑subjects factors: pretest, posttest, and follow‑up; between‑subjects factors: physical activity, combined, and control) and Bonferroni post hoc tests.Results: The results showed that the combined group significantly reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety and improved reaction time compared to the control group. Both intervention groups were effective in reducing depressive symptoms, but only the combined group was effective in improving sleep quality.Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that the combination of physical activity and functional imagery is a comprehensive and effective therapeutic approach for depression. This method not only alleviates symptoms of depression and anxiety but also improves psychomotor indices. The results of this study could contribute to improving treatment programs for patients with major depressive disorder.
Research Paper I Open Access I Released under CC BY-NC 4.0 license
Kayvan Norouzi; Leila Atri; Saleh Rafiee; Mohialdin Bahari
Abstract
Introduction:Observational learning is one of the important approaches in teaching motor skills and can lead to performance improvement by directing attention and optimizing visual strategies. One of the key indicators in this field is the quiet eye, which plays a critical role in the accuracy of aiming-based ...
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Introduction:Observational learning is one of the important approaches in teaching motor skills and can lead to performance improvement by directing attention and optimizing visual strategies. One of the key indicators in this field is the quiet eye, which plays a critical role in the accuracy of aiming-based skills. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the effect of demonstration angle on learning the mini-basketball free throw and quiet eye duration in girls aged 10 to 12 years.Methods: This study was semi‑experimental in design and is classified as cross‑sectional and applied. The statistical population consisted of female elementary school students from District 1 of Tehran. Participants were assigned to two observational modeling groups: one with a sagittal (side) viewing perspective and the other with a frontal viewing perspective. Quiet eye duration was recorded using a binocular eye‑tracking system (Pupil Labs Core). After confirming data normality, the data were analyzed using mixed‑design analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Bonferroni post hoc tests.Results: The findings indicated that the main effect of measurement stage on free‑throw accuracy and quiet eye duration was significant, whereas the main effect of group and the interaction between group and stage were not significant. Both groups demonstrated significant improvements in free‑throw performance and quiet eye duration from the pre‑test to the retention test.Conclusion: The results suggest that observational learning, regardless of demonstration angle, leads to stable improvements in motor performance and visual‑perceptual indices. Moreover, first‑person and third‑person perspectives appear to have comparable effectiveness in motor modeling among children.
Research Paper I Open Access I Released under CC BY-NC 4.0 license
Foad Niknasab; Fazlollah Bagherzadeh; Mahmoud Sheikh; Davood Homanian; Ali Moghadamzadeh
Abstract
Introduction: The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of virtual reality training on gross and fine motor skills in children with developmental coordination disorder.Methods: In this semi-experimental study with a repeated measures design, 24 boys aged 7 to 10 years from Tehran diagnosed ...
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Introduction: The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of virtual reality training on gross and fine motor skills in children with developmental coordination disorder.Methods: In this semi-experimental study with a repeated measures design, 24 boys aged 7 to 10 years from Tehran diagnosed with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) were selected based on inclusion criteria and randomly assigned to two groups: virtual reality training and control. Participants completed the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOT-2) at pretest. The intervention phase lasted six weeks, with three 20-minute sessions per week, during which the virtual reality group performed the prescribed training program while the control group engaged in their usual daily activities. A posttest was conducted in the final session.Results: The results showed that virtual reality training led to a significant improvement in both gross and fine motor skills in children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) (p < 0.05). Additionally, the findings indicated that the improvements in gross and fine motor skills were maintained in both short-term and long-term follow-up tests (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Based on the results, virtual reality training can likely be used in clinical and home programs to improve gross and fine motor skills in children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD), as it can stimulate interest and promote active participation.
