Psychology of Movement Commons^™

Fall Risk In Sedentary, Recreationally Active, And Masters Athlete Older Adults, Felicia Elizabeth Squires

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine whether different habitual activity levels may affect balance ability in older adults. Balance must be studied as poor balance increases likelihood of falls. This study examined activity levels in older adults and effect on balance ability. Fifty-nine older adults aged 66.5 ± 9.5 participated. Three groups were separated by physical activity level. First group had 13 masters athletes, older adults performing least 150 minutes of aerobic activity a week and competing in nationally sanctioned event within the last six months. Twenty-seven older adults comprised recreationally active group performing at least 150 minutes …

Effects Of Direction Time Constraints And Walking Speed On Turn Strategies And Gait Adaptations In Healthy Older And Young Adults, Dennis Torre

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Hip fractures can be life-threatening, debilitating, and costly. The odds for hip fracture increases from impact of sideways falls. While turning has been strongly associated with hip fracture & sideways falls, the distinction between the risks for walking-turns as opposed to low-velocity in-place turning is not clear. The present study sought to fill a gap as previous research had not compared walking-turn performance in young & healthy older adults at low-fall risk within the same study and response-conditions of speed interacting with direction-cue time constraints. Spatial-temporal variables representative of AP braking/propulsion (i.e. stride-length & speed) & ML stability (left/right H-H …

A Simulated Walk In Nature: Testing Predictions From The Attention Restoration Theory, Corey Crossan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Attention Restoration Theory (ART) predicts that top-down processing during everyday activities can cause attentional fatigue and that bottom-up processing that occurs when people experience nature will be restorative (Kaplan, 1995). The present study examined this prediction by exposing participants to three different conditions using a repeated measures design: a control condition during which participants walked on a typical treadmill, a nature/restorative condition during which participants walked on the same treadmill, experiencing a simulated nature walk, and a perturbation condition that included the same simulated nature scene but also required top-down processing during the walk. The findings supported ART predictions. As …

A Pilot Study On The Affective Responses To Watching Consecutive Episodes Of A Television Show During Aerobic Exercise Below The Ventilatory Threshold, Lauren Crutchlow

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

A quasi-experimental pilot study determined whether restricting television-watching to treadmill walking below the ventilatory threshold improved affective valence, perceived activation, enjoyment, attentional focus, and intention to bundle television-watching with exercise. Eleven inactive, young adults (21.18 + 1.47 years) in post-secondary education performed two 40-minute exercise tests, wherein aforementioned outcomes were repeatedly assessed. Participants in the experimental group (n=4) watched the first episode of a television show between exercise tests and the second episode of the same television show during the second exercise test. Analyses revealed large, non-significant multivariate intervention effects on affect and attention outcomes, a large, significant univariate intervention …

Walking As Ontological Shifter: Thoughts In The Key Of Life, Bibi (Silvina) Calderaro

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

With walking as ontological shifter I pursue an alternative to the dominant modernist episteme that offers either/or onto-epistemologies of opposition and their reifying engagements. I propose this type of walking is an intentional turning towards a set of radical positions that, as integrative aesthetic and therapeutic practice, brings multiplicity and synchronicity to experience and being in an expanded sociality. This practice facilitates the conditions of possibility for recurring points of contact between the interiority perceived as ‘body’ and the exteriority perceived as ‘world.’ While making evident the self’s at once incoherence with it-self, it opens to a space beyond the …

Effect Of Activity Trackers And Text Messaging On Exercise, Fitness, And Physical Activity Self-Efficacy Of Middle School Students, Alison F. Pittman

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

A decrease in physical activity as children age is a contributing factor to the U.S. obesity epidemic. Middle school children are particularly vulnerable to sedentary activities. Activity trackers show promise as a means to motivate children and adults to increase physical activity (PA). This study examined the effect of a text messaging intervention and use of activity trackers with a companion social website on the body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage, physical fitness, and PA self-efficacy of middle school children. Children aged 11-14 (n=102) were randomly assigned to one of three groups for a 10-week intervention: activity tracker group; …

Promoting Benefits Of Physical Activity Through Persuasive Communication, Priynka Patil

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Inactivity early in life can lead to inactively later in life, which can result in negative outcomes. The primary purpose was to determine if gain- or loss-framed messages about physical activity would change the attitudes, intentions, and behaviours of students in the contemplation or preparation stage of the Transtheoretical model. The secondary purpose was to determine if framing the message in terms of the physical health benefits, appearance/social benefits, or mental health benefits (benefit condition) would change attitude, intention and behaviour. Undergraduate female students (N=60) between the ages of 18 and 36 were recruited from the university. The results found …

Effect Of In-Water Scuba Diving Activities On Response Time In Recreational Divers, Christopher R. Kovacs Ph.D., Trevor D. Paulsen M.S.

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the performance of in-water scuba diving training activities and simple motor response time. Twenty-four students enrolled in a scuba course had their motor response times measured before and after a one hour training session. Pre- and post-dive response times were measured using an iPad application. Additionally, students were asked to complete a dive history questionnaire to determine their diving experience and health history. Statistical analysis indicated a significant training effect on response time in the recreational scuba divers F (1.00, 23.00) p =.033. The results of this study suggest …

Sedentary Behaviour, Physical Activity, And Mobile Apps Among University Students, Emily E. Dunn

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Prolonged sedentary behaviour (SB) poses health risks independent of physical activity (PA) levels (Owen et al., 2010). University students in particular are at risk of engaging in prolonged SB due to the demands of school. Due to the pervasiveness of smartphones, and ability of mobile applications (apps) to target SB (Bond et al., 2014), apps may be used to encourage less SB in this population. Apps for PA have been coded for behaviour change techniques (BCTs) (Conroy et al., 2014; Middelweerd et al., 2014; Yang et al., 2015), however, apps for SB have yet to be assessed for BCTs.

The …

The Effect Of A Pettlep Imagery Intervention-Based Pre-Performance Routine On Golfer's Short-Game Performance, Logan Baughman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Studies have suggested that imagery has a positive effect on performance in a variety of sports. The PETTLEP model (Holmes and Collins, 2001) includes the seven minimum elements sport psychologists incorporate into their imagery scripts. The PETTLEP model is the most comprehensive imagery model, thus providing the most functional equivalence. Golf is the interest of this study, with research stating that imagery has an overall positive impact on golf performance (Nicholls & Polman, 2005). However, studies involving the PETTLEP model have not been investigated thoroughly. There are several shots that have not been studied with the PETTLEP model, therefore this …

Benefits Of Movement For Academic Achievement And Classroom Behaviors, Alison A. Waltz

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this review is to discuss the benefits of using movement throughout the daily routine of an early childhood classroom. The research focused on using movement to increase literacy and mathematics knowledge, teach self-regulation skills and increase attention. and have different seating options that would allow for consistent movement. Findings of this review show that movement does have academic and behavioral benefits in the early childhood classroom. Limitations are recognized for the research presented and recommendations are given for ways to incorporate movement into the classroom. To conclude this review of literature. educational policies and future research are …