The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of shaft stiffness on puck velocity and response characteristics of carbon fibre composite ice hockey sticks during a slap shot. Six elite male ice hockey players performed six slap shots with four sticks of different shaft stiffness designated as medium (13 KN m–1), stiff (16 KN m–1), extra (17 KN m –1) and pro stiff (19 KN m–1). These four levels represent the range in stiffness of sticks available to hockey players. The mechanics of the slap shot were evaluated by recording the initial ground reaction forces and stick deformation from high‐speed filming and puck velocity from a radar gun. Data were analysed using a 3‐way repeated measures ANOVA for 7 dependent variables: puck velocity, peak Y (front–back) and Z (vertical) forces, times to achieve peak Y and Z forces, peak deflection and time to peak deflection of the shaft. Results indicated: (1) the stick with lowest shaft stiffness of 13 KN m–1 produced the highest puck velocity, the greatest amount of shaft deflection, the longest time to peak deflection and the lowest peak Z forces; (2) the times to obtain peak forces in the Y and Z directions were similar across the levels of shaft stiffness; (3) puck velocity was influenced by the interaction of subject and stiffness and (4) variability in performance measures across subjects was greater than the variability across stiffness. Future studies are needed to address the effects stick construction has on different shots and stick handling skills, as well as to investigate the specific influence that skill and strength of the player has on the stick’s response.

Efficacy of cognitive-behavioural therapy interventions on reducing burden for caregivers of older adults with a neurocognitive disorder: A systematic review and metaanalysis

These normative data for Rouleau et al.'s scoring system will contribute towards adequately screening for cognitive decline in Quebec French-speaking healthy adults, by also taking into account individual characteristics such as age and education.

Empathy, a core process for social interactions, is the capacity to understand and share others’ mental states and emotions. Each individual is thought to have a maximum level of empathy (empathic ability) and a spontaneous tendency to express it (empathic propensity), which can be affected by multiple factors. Two within-subject studies were conducted to assess the malleability of empathy by modulating contextual factors and measuring their interaction with psychological characteristics. In Study 1, 59 healthy adults evaluated their empathy for people showing facial expressions of pain following different instructions: Passive Observation and Instruction to Actively Empathize. In Study 2, 56 healthy adults performed a similar task under two conditions: Passive Observation and Observation under a Cognitive Load. The results revealed that empathy was significantly increased in the actively empathizing condition (Study 1) and under a cognitive load, but more importantly for men (Study 2). The level of change between the two conditions was associated with self-reported empathy, autistic, alexithymia and psychopathic traits (Study 1), as well as with working memory capacities and the level of empathy reported in the passive observation condition (Study 2). These findings suggest that an instruction to actively empathize and, surprisingly, a cognitive load can both increase empathy, but not for the same individuals. An instruction to actively empathize seems to increase empathy for individuals with good empathic dispositions, while a cognitive load enhances empathy in people for which empathic propensity is sub-optimal.