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The study aimed to investigate the relationship between the perceived movement quality of a gymnastics skill and its kinematic pattern, as well as the influence of expertise. Thirty participants with different levels of gymnastics expertise (n = 10 visual experts, n = 10 motor experts and n = 10 novices) were recruited for the study. They were instructed to compare the movement quality of eleven video sequences, showing different handstand - back handspring performances. To extract the kinematics, the performances were digitized. By means of an ongoing cluster analysis, the kinematic pattern as well as the pattern of the perceived movement quality of the skills were determined for each experimental group. The results of the cluster analysis of the different experimental groups were analyzed and compared. Expertise differences were found regarding the pattern of the perceived movement quality. There was a significant correlation between the dendrograms of the visual experts and the motor experts (p = .021), as well as between the dendrograms of the visual experts and the novices (p = .011). There was no significant correlation between the dendrograms of the motor experts and the novices (p = .173). The pattern of the perceived movement quality was not correlated with the holistic kinematic pattern of judged skills (p > .143). These results suggest perceptual and cognitive differences of the participants due to their different previous visual and motor experience.

Background Multitasking is an essential part of our everyday life, but performance declines typically in older age. Many studies have investigated the beneficial effects of cognitive, motor and combined cognitive-motor training on multitasking performance in older adults. Previous work, however, has not regarded interindividual differences in cognitive functioning and motor fitness that may affect training benefits. The current study aims to identify whether different training programs may have differential effects on multitasking performance depending on the initial level of cognitive functioning and motor fitness. Methods We conduct a 12-week single-blinded randomized controlled trial. A total of N = 150 healthy older adults are assigned to either a single cognitive, a single motor, or a simultaneous cognitive-motor training. Participants are trained twice per week for 45 min. A comprehensive test battery assesses cognitive functions, motor and cardiovascular fitness, and realistic multitasking during walking and driving in two virtual environments. We evaluate how multitasking performance is related not only to the training program, but also to participants’ initial levels of cognitive functioning and motor fitness. Discussion We expect that multitasking performance in participants with lower initial competence in either one or both domains (cognitive functioning, motor fitness) benefits more from single-task training (cognitive training and/or motor training). In contrast, multitasking performance in participants with higher competence in both domains should benefit more from multitask training (simultaneous cognitive-motor training). The results may help to identify whether tailored training is favorable over standardized one-size-fits all training approaches to improve multitasking in older adults. In addition, our findings will advance the understanding of factors that influence training effects on multitasking. Trial registration DRKS (German Clinical Trials Register), DRKS00022407. Registered 26/08/2020 - Retrospectively registered at https://www.drks.de/drks_web/setLocale_EN.do

The aim of the current study was to transfer the method of using isolated kinematics information combined with the examination of perceptual-cognitive processes to gymnastics judging and thereby investigating the informational underpinnings of skilled perception and judgment. More specifically, a combination of process-tracing methods that include both the gaze pattern (via eye tracking) and the performance judgment (via ratings on a six-point Likert scale) of participants with different gymnastics expertise (visual experts, n = 14, motor experts, n = 17, novices, n = 18) was employed for gymnastics performances of a floor routine (round off, back handspring, back layout somersault), which were shown as videos in original or in stick-figure format. Gaze pattern was analyzed for the whole floor routine as well as for the particular temporal-spatial windows of the three motor skills. Differences between visual experts, motor experts, and novices could be found concerning the judgment score, η p 2 = .242, and the judgment accuracy, η p 2 = .196, but not the gaze pattern. The significant interaction effects between skill and format for the gaze pattern show the importance of the last skill in the judgment processes. Further research should investigate the influence of judgment instruction on the gaze pattern as well as the importance of the last skill for the judgment score.