Embodied mental rotation ability in open- and closed-skill sports: pilot study with a new virtual paradigm

Embodied mental rotation is the influence of the body on mental rotation ability. Sports expertise enhances embodied mental rotation ability. However, sport-skill-dependent effects remain unclear. Previous studies refer to the influence of body positions on mental rotation ability. Yet, in sports, the investigation of the effect of simultaneous body and mental rotation movements is essential. Athletes need to constantly mentally and physically adapt to environmental changes and new motor tasks while being in motion themselves. This study aimed to investigate embodied mental rotation ability with simultaneous body and mental rotation in individuals with different sport skills, i.e., in open- and closed-skill sports. Forty-eight men and women, divided into two groups depending on their sport, performed 32 trials of an extended embodied mental rotation task. Simultaneous body and mental rotation were enabled by a novel test method including Virtual Reality. Results revealed shorter response times to the task stimulus in closed-skill sports participants than in open-skill sports participants. This group difference was significant for trials in which rotation directions of the own body and the mental rotation stimulus were aligned. The results might be related to sport-specific skill development processes. Motor imitation skills, as relevant in many closed-skill sports, may facilitate cognitive processes when the motion direction of the own body and of the mental rotation stimulus are aligned. The novel test method identifies potential applications that should be increasingly explored in the future, both for cognitive science and sports research.

Gender stereotypes in preschoolers' mental rotation

The investigation of gender stereotypes constitutes a relevant approach to understanding the development of spatial ability and sex differences in the domain. This was the first study concerned with the presence of implicit and explicit gender stereotypes about spatial ability, and their potential relation to spatial task performance, in preschool-aged children. Our full sample consisted of 138 4- to 6-year-old kindergarten children. The experimental procedure consisted of three parts. Children completed an implicit association task, a short questionnaire on explicit stereotypes, and a chronometric mental rotation task. Preschool-aged children held explicit gender stereotypes about spatial ability linking it to boys rather than girls. Boys exhibited stronger stereotypes in this regard than girls. We also found evidence for the presence of implicit stereotypes. However, implicit stereotypes were not found in sub-group analyses. No clear relationship between stereotypes and mental rotation performance emerged, but our results suggest that implicit stereotyping affected mental rotation accuracy differently in girls compared with boys. Our main conclusion was that children already hold stereotypic beliefs about spatial ability at preschool age. There did not seem to be a relationship of stereotyping with spatial ability at this age.

The relationship between the aspects of connectedness and sustainable consumption

Internal transformative qualities are essential contributing factors to sustainable behavior. Besides awareness, insight, purpose, and agency, connectedness is one of those inner qualities. In this study, we investigated the relationship between connectedness to oneself (self-love), towards the environment (connectedness to nature), towards other human beings (pro-socialness), and sustainable behavior towards clothes and food. One hundred thirty-nine mostly students participated. The results showed that self-love, connectedness to nature, and pro-socialness correlate. Sustainability behavior towards food was predicted by pro-socialness, the choice of diet, and environmental and ethical reasons for nutrition. Sustainable behavior towards clothes was predicted by connectedness to nature. This study hints that the factors of inner transformative qualities and the type of sustainable behavior must be investigated differently. It strengthens the multi-facet dimensions of sustainable behavior.

Subliminal mortality salience does not increase physical strength output in double-blind randomized controlled trial

Introduction

Using the morality salience paradigm, this research tested whether subliminal death stimuli lead to increased physical strength. Moreover, it was investigated if mindfulness and self-esteem instability influence terror management.

Methods

In total, data from 160 undergraduate sports students were analyzed. Participants completed a word decision task in which they were presented with either the word death or pain for 28.5 ms. Before and after the task, their grip strength was measured using a hand dynamometer.

Results

Linear mixed models could neither confirm the effect of the mortality salience hypothesis on strength nor an influence of mindfulness and self-esteem.

Discussion

The results raise the question of a potential influence of subliminal mortality salience on athletic performance and how mindfulness and self-esteem instability affect terror management.

The influence of the design of mental rotation trials on performance and possible differences between sexes: A theoretical review and experimental investigation

Sex differences in mental rotation performance are one of the largest in cognitive psychology. Men outperform women by up to 1 SD in psychometric mental rotation tests, but it is often neglected that there are no or only small sex differences for chronometric tests. As both tests are supposed to measure the same ability, we suspect some features of the tests themselves to affect sex differences in performance. Following a theoretical review of the test features, we evaluate the effects of the number of possible answer alternatives, whether they are presented as pairwise mirrored, and their interaction on sex differences in mental rotation performance. In an online experiment, 838 German-speaking participants, 421 women, 417 men, Mage =  42.58 (SD = 12.54) years, solved four blocks of mental rotation trials with two or eight alternatives, which were either pairwise mirrored or not. The results show that that the overall performance was lower for more alternatives and for mixed alternatives but not for their interaction. We could not determine explanations for sex differences as we did not observe meaningful sex differences at all. Possible reasons include the differences between men and women in age and education. This study suggests that the differences between tests affect performance. Sex differences, however, need more investigation, including possible effects and interactions of the test design, education, and age.

The positive impact of mindfulness interventions on the explicit and implicit affective attitudes toward vegetarian foods

Objectives

The main goal of our intervention study was to investigate whether two conceptually different mindfulness interventions positively impacted the explicit and implicit affective evaluations of vegetarian foods. We included possible mediating variables (e.g., wellbeing) and related our results to the stage model of self-regulated behavioral change (SSBC).

Methods

We implemented a compassion and caring-based mental training (N = 31) and an adapted MBSR course (N = 34) as mindfulness interventions, and a stress-reduction course (N = 26) as the active control group. The curriculums consisted of 12 weekly group sessions á 75 min. All participants were tested pre- and post-intervention and 3 months after the last intervention session, answered questionnaires (mindfulness, compassion, wellbeing, items of the SSBC) and completed an explicit affective evaluation task and an affective priming task.

Results

There was an improvement in the explicit attitudes toward vegetarian foods regardless of the intervention group. In the SSBC, we found a link between the explicit attitudes toward vegetarian foods and the indicated stage in the model. Multiple regression analysis revealed social and personal norms and a vegetarian/vegan diet as the only significant predictors for goal intention in the SSBC.

Conclusion

The results of our study suggest that both conceptually different mindfulness interventions, as well as a stress-reduction program, have a positive impact on explicit affective attitudes toward vegetarian foods. We highlight the meaning of inner dimensions and transformation for change processes for a more sustainable diet and the role of social and personal norms.

Self-concept explains gender differences in mental rotation performance after stereotype activation

Introduction

Mental rotation is an ability that usually displays robust and large gender differences in favor of boys and men. When participants are told that males outperform females, it can result in worse performance for females (stereotype threat effect) and better performance for males (stereotype lift effect). Because various studies show different results for the effect of stereotype activation, the present study aimed to investigate whether adolescents’ self-concept would moderate stereotype activation effects.

Methods

127 adolescents (61 male, 66 female) between 10 and 18  years (M = 13.54, SD = 1.99) solved the mental rotation test and filled out a questionnaire about their perceived performance, stereotype beliefs, and self-concept.

Results

Results showed that self-concept and stereotype activation affected male and female adolescents’ actual and perceived performance differently. For males, a better self-concept was associated with better performance in adolescents with stereotype activation and with lower performance in those without the activation. This interaction was only marginally significant. For females, an increasing self-concept was associated with worse performance in adolescents with stereotype activation and with better performance in those without activation. Furthermore, a better self-concept was associated with higher perceived performance in male adolescents with stereotype activation and with lower perceived performance without the activation.

Discussion

Reasons for these results could be the (in)congruence between males’ own perception of their abilities (self-concept) and the instruction of the activation.

Health-Promoting and Sustainable Behavior in University Students in Germany: A Cross-Sectional Study

Health-promoting and sustainable behaviors, such as active transportation and sustainable diets, are associated with positive effects on human health and the environment. In order to unlock the potential of university students as key actors and multipliers, it is of interest to investigate their level of knowledge about the health effects of climate change and their willingness toward and implementation of health-promoting and sustainable behaviors. In November 2021, an online survey was conducted among students at the University of Regensburg, Germany. A total of 3756 participants (response rate 18%; mean age 23 years; 69% women) provided valid data. A large proportion of medical students (48%) considered themselves well-informed about the health-related effects of climate change, while only a small proportion (22%) of students within economic/computer/data sciences and law felt informed. Most participants knew about the impact of climate change on malnutrition (78%), but considerably fewer were aware of its impact on cardiovascular diseases (52%). Participants who considered themselves informed were consistently more willing to engage in climate-friendly behavior, and this willingness was also reflected in their actions, as they simultaneously promoted a healthy lifestyle. Across all academic disciplines, there is a strong need for knowledge transfer regarding topics that combine health and sustainable development.

Heartfulness in Vegans, Vegetarians, and Omnivores

BACKGROUND

The primary goal of this study was to investigate the relation between the choice of a vegan or vegetarian diet as a criterion of sustainability and the aspect of heartfulness. We also analyzed which demographic, diet-related, and mindfulness practice-related variables could predict the different facets of heartfulness.

METHODS

In total, 419 persons participated. After providing demographic, diet-related, and mindfulness practice-related information, participants completed a gratitude questionnaire, a self-compassion scale, a compassion scale, and an equanimity scale.

RESULTS

The results show that vegans and vegetarians indicated higher scores than omnivores in some aspects of heartfulness, such as both self-compassion scales. These effects could not be shown for the two equanimity scales and for the gratitude questionnaire. Most aspects of heartfulness could either be predicted by demographic or diet-related variables. The best predictors of the elements of heartfulness were the ecological, ethical, or health-related reasons for choosing their diet stated by the participants, as well as the importance the participants attached to nutrition.

CONCLUSION

This study provides evidence that vegans and vegetarians scored higher in several aspects of heartfulness. Vegans tended to score even higher than vegetarians. Both demographic and diet-related variables could predict heartfulness.

The Effects of a Mindfulness-Based Training in an Elementary School in Germany

Objectives

The primary goal of this study was to investigate the influence of the Mindfulness Education Workbook, a 6-week mindfulness-based tool, on emotion regulation, inhibition, physical self-concept, resources, and connectedness to nature. Furthermore, we explored whether a difference in number of hours of mindfulness practice would affect the outcomes.

Method

Ninety-one children from a public elementary school (M age = 9.74 years, SD = 0.76) participated in the study and were divided into three groups according to their respective school classes. The intervention group was divided into two groups that varied by number of hours of mindfulness practice: (a) mindfulness-plus and (b) mindfulness. In addition to biweekly training, the mindfulness-plus group also repeated a daily exercise. The passive control group received the standard school day instruction. The five concepts of emotion regulation, inhibition, physical self-concept, resources, and connectedness to nature were measured before and after the mindfulness intervention.

Results

For the measurement of emotion regulation, there was a significant effect in favor of the two mindfulness groups compared with the control group for the adaptive strategies in total as well as for their comprising emotions, anger, fear, and sadness, separately. Solely for the subscale mood elevation, the mindfulness-plus group showed significantly higher scores compared to the control group. Both mindfulness-plus and mindfulness groups varied from the control group on the measure of emotion regulation strategies, however not on the other four domains that were assessed (self-reports of resources, physical self-concept, and connectedness to nature as well as a mental task assessing inhibition). There was no evidence that the additional practice in the mindfulness-plus group significantly added to the intervention's effectiveness.

Conclusions

The Mindfulness Education Workbook is a promising tool for elementary schools. Follow-up studies may provide further insights into the various effects of offering mindfulness training in schools. Further research with objective markers may also allow individual aspects under the umbrella term mindfulness to be investigated in more detail.

Preregistration

This study was not preregistered.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12671-023-02084-w.

Does mindfulness help to overcome stereotype threat in mental rotation in younger and older adolescents?

We investigated gender differences in mental rotation performance in younger and older adolescents and effects of stereotype threat activation and a short mindfulness induction. Two hundred fifty younger adolescents from grades 5, 6, and 7 (119 boys) and 152 older adolescents from grades 10, 11, and 12 (80 boys) were divided into four groups with or without a mindfulness induction and with or without stereotype threat activation. All participants solved a mental rotation test and filled out a questionnaire about their gender stereotype beliefs and perceived abilities of masculine and feminine activities. Results illustrate that older adolescents outperformed younger adolescents, and gender differences in favor of males appeared only in the older age group. Independent of gender, the mindfulness induction had a significantly positive effect on adolescents' mental rotation performance that was significant only in the older age group. No effect of the stereotype activation was found. For gender stereotype beliefs and perceived abilities of gendered activities, the mindfulness intervention enhanced male stereotype beliefs and participants' perceived ability of masculine activities. A short mindfulness induction seems to have an enhancing effect on a subsequently performed stereotypically masculine cognitive task and consequently on adolescents' male stereotype beliefs and their perceived ability in masculine activities.

Embodied Mental Rotation - Does It Affect Postural Stability?

The effect of different human body part stimuli in mental rotation tasks (MRTs) on postural stability was investigated in two dual-task experiments. There were significant differences within egocentric MRTs (Experiment 1, N = 46): Hand and foot stimuli tended to cause more body sway than whole-body figures and showed increased body sway for higher rotation angles in the MRTs. In object-based MRTs (Experiment 2, N = 109) different stimuli did not evoke different levels of body sway, but higher rotation angles led to higher body sway. Both experiments showed a stabilizing effect of MRTs compared to the control condition. Exploratorily analyses identified reaction time in MRTs as a significant predictor of body sway. The results suggest a heterogeneous impact of mental rotation on postural stability.

A closer look at the relationships between aspects of connectedness and flourishing

Everyone strives for personal happiness or well-being. Flourishing is a broader concept of well-being. To better understand which factors are associated to people's flourishing, we took a closer look at the relationships of flourishing with three aspects of connectedness: Connectedness with oneself (self-love), with others (pro-socialness), and with the surrounding nature (nature connectedness). Participants were 138 adults between 18 and 71 years (M = 23.21, SD = 7.90, 98 women, 40 men). Significant positive correlations were found between flourishing and self-love and between flourishing and pro-socialness. Furthermore, nature connectedness correlated positively with self-love and with pro-socialness. A regression analysis revealed that all predictors explained 57.5% of the variance of the criterion flourishing. Self-love and pro-socialness were significant predictors of flourishing while nature connectedness was not. One explanation for the large correlations between self-love and flourishing could be overlapping aspects in both questionnaires. The fact that pro-socialness is a stronger predictor than nature connectedness could be due to a more reciprocal reinforcement of pro-social behavior. If a person treats another well, s/he is more likely treated well by that person which could reflect flourishing. Such a direct reciprocal relationship does not exist with nature.

The effect of physical activity breaks, including motor-cognitive coordination exercises, on employees’ cognitive functions in the workplace

BACKGROUND: The findings of the effectiveness of physical activity on adults’ cognitive abilities have not yet been transferred into corresponding fields of application. OBJECTIVE: The present study evaluates a motor-cognitive coordination programme in a company to improve employees’ cognitive performance in the short and medium term. METHODS: A total of 67 employees — 32 men and 35 women aged between 19 and 61 years — participated in this study, and 55 completed the study. The sample was randomly divided into an experimental group, which received a motor-cognitive coordination training, and a control group, which received a relaxation and mobility training. Both groups met for 15-minute sessions three times a week for eight weeks. Before and after the intervention, working memory, attention, information-processing capacity, divergent thinking, and mood were measured. In addition, acute effects regarding attention and mood were tested. RESULTS: The results showed that the motor-cognitive coordination break improves working memory and divergent thinking after eight weeks of intervention, whereas neither the mood nor the information processing speed improved more for the experimental group compared to the control group. The results on the acute increase in attention performance failed to reach significance. CONCLUSION: The new approach of this study was not only the derivation and development of targeted exercises, but also their testing and evaluation in the field of application. Motor-cognitive coordination exercise in the workplace might play an important role in both occupational health management and personnel development, especially for companies that are under highly competitive and innovative pressure.

Pain Course after Total Knee Arthroplasty within a Standardized Pain Management Concept: A Prospective Observational Study

BACKGROUND

Joint replacement surgeries have been known to be some of the most painful surgical procedures. Therefore, the options for postoperative pain management are of great importance for patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Despite successful surgery, up to 30% of the patients are not satisfied after the operation. The aim of this study is to assess pain development within the first 4 weeks after TKA in order to gain a better understanding and detect possible influencing factors.

METHODS

A total of 103 patients were included in this prospective cohort study. Postoperative pain was indicated using a numeric rating scale (NRS). Furthermore, demographic data and perioperative parameters were correlated with the reported postoperative pain.

RESULTS

The evaluation of postoperative pain scores showed a constant decrease in the first postoperative week (mean NRS score of 5.8 on day 1 to a mean NRS score of 4.6 on day 8). On day 9, the pain increased again. Thereafter, a continuous decrease in pain intensity from day 10 on was noted (continuous to a mean NRS score of 3.0 on day 29). A significant association was found between postoperative pain intensity and gender, body mass index (BMI), and preoperative leg axis.

CONCLUSIONS

The increasing pain score after the first postoperative week is most likely due to more intensive mobilization and physiotherapy in the rehabilitation department. Patients that were female, had a low BMI, and a preoperative valgus leg axis showed a significantly higher postoperative pain scores. Pain management should consider these results in the future to improve patient satisfaction in the postoperative course after TKA.

Mental rotation with colored cube figures

Men usually outperform women in psychometric mental rotation tests with cube figures. This advantage could be pronounced due to the male stereotyped rotational objects. The present study aims to investigate whether gender differences in favor of men are absent when the stimuli are less male stereotyped. Therefore, 112 participants solved three psychometric mental rotation tests with cube figures colored in pink, blue, and grey. Men outperformed women independent of stimulus color. In the pink and the grey version of the test, participants with beliefs of spatial abilities as masculine performed better than those with feminine beliefs. The mental rotation test performance with pink figures was predicted by gender and gender stereotypes in spatial abilities. In the blue and grey version, gender and self-rated spatial abilities predicted the performance. It can be assumed that the stereotype activation by stimulus color was not sufficient to influence the performance.

Making peace with disliked others: the effects of a short loving-kindness meditation on implicit and explicit emotional evaluations

Background

The main goal of the study was to investigate the effects of a short loving-kindness meditation (LKM) on explicit and implicit evaluations of oneself and disliked public persons. We expected a more positive explicit and implicit evaluation of oneself and a disliked public person after the LKM and a mood improvement.

Methods

Before and after the implementation of a short LKM vs. imagery task, mood, explicit and implicit evaluations were analyzed in 69 students.

Results

Our results demonstrated only a reduction in negative and positive mood in both groups and regarding the explicit and implicit tasks, only a significant main effect of picture and a trend for the time*group interaction for mood, implicit and explicit attitudes with medium effect-sizes.

Conclusions

A possible influence of a short intervention on emotional evaluations should be treated with caution. The claim that a short loving-kindness meditation enhances social connectedness might awake false hopes. This study suggests being careful with the interpretation of single meditation effects and future studies should examine the effects of a long-lasting meditation training on explicit and implicit evaluations of the self and disliked politicians as well as the sustainability of those effects.

Are There Gender Differences in Executive Functions in Musicians and Non-Musicians?

Abstract. Until now, better performance in executive functions (EF) in musicians compared to non-musicians has not been investigated in relation to possible gender differences. For that, it is the main goal of this study to investigate possible gender differences in executive functions. Sixty-three musicians and 64 non-musicians, 63 men and 64 women respectively, completed tests of (a) cognitive processing speed (ZVT), (b) working memory (2-Back Task), (c) inhibition (Flanker Task), and (d) cognitive flexibility (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, WCST). Results showed a significantly better performance for the target accuracy in the working memory task for musicians compared to non-musicians but not in the other tasks of executive functions. Furthermore, women demonstrated a better performance than men for the target accuracy in the 2-Back Task. However, only cognitive processing speed predicted working memory performance but not the group affiliation or gender. This study revealed that gender differences in executive functions are less likely to appear also in a trained sub-group.

Checkpoint immunotherapy of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in patients suffering from chronic lymphocytic leukaemia: divergent outcomes in two men treated with PD-1 inhibitors

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) numbers among the most common types of skin cancer and is known as one of the cancer entities with the highest mutational burden among all solid tumours. Due to the positive correlation between mutational burden and response rate to inhibitors of the programmed cell death 1 (PD-1), those inhibitors are considered promising candidates for the systemic therapy of cSCC. Recently, the PD-1 inhibitors pembrolizumab, nivolumab and cemiplimab demonstrated efficacy in the systemic treatment of locally advanced or metastatic cSCC leading to the approval of cemiplimab by the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) in 2018 and the EMA (European Medicines Agency) in 2019. Patients with haematological malignancies tend to develop skin cancers of high aggressiveness, enhanced cumulative recurrence rate and higher rates of metastases with subsequent death. Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is the most frequent type of leukaemia in the United States and Europe with the majority of patients older than 50 years of age. This neoplasm predominantly originates from B -cells leading to an impaired immune system of the patient. Although CLL is a B-cell malignancy, studies have also described the involvement of T cells in the pathogenesis and progression of the disease with contradictory findings on the effects of PD-1 inhibitors in CLL. Due to their underlying hematologic malignancy, these patients have commonly no access to PD-1 inhibitor trials for treatment of advanced cSCC. We report on two patients with locally advanced or metastatic cSCC. Both patients had been suffering from a CLL for many years without indication for treatment. Despite a potential immunosuppressive state of the patients due to their CLL, both were treated with the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab resulting in different therapy outcomes.

Management of partial and non-responding cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) and basal cell carcinoma are the most common types of skin cancer. For patients with locally advanced and metastatic cSCC, the programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) inhibitor cemiplimab is approved for systemic treatment. Despite this revolutionary immunomodulatory therapeutic approach, tumours may fail to respond either completely or partially. In addition to the previously established local treatment with radiotherapy or systemic treatment with chemotherapy and epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors, ongoing trials are currently focussed on re-stimulating the antitumour immune response in patients with advanced cSCC refractory to PD-1 inhibitors. In this review, ongoing and recently finished trials with different therapeutic approaches will be discussed.

Affective explicit and implicit attitudes towards vegetarian and vegan food consumption: The role of mindfulness

OBJECTIVES

It was the main goal of this study to investigate the explicit and implicit affective attitudes towards vegetarian food and the role of mindfulness. The results were related to goal intention in the stage model of self-regulated sustainable behavior change.

METHODS

182 participants completed a demographic questionnaire, a mindfulness and a compassion scale, and answered questions about goal intention, personal and social norms. Besides, they completed an explicit rating task and an affective priming task.

RESULTS

The results showed that people with an omnivorous diet explicitly rated meat-based food as more positive, while vegetarians and vegans rated vegetarian food as more positive. However, all participants rated vegetarian food implicitly as more positive. The observing aspect of mindfulness correlated only with the explicit attitude and with goal intention. The relation between observing and goal intention was mediated by personal norms. Compassion was not related to any attitude.

CONCLUSION

This study provides first evidence, that the relation of mindfulness with the explicit and implicit attitude towards vegetarian food differs and that explicit attitudes are influenced by the own nutrition habit. The results are discussed with respect to the topic of sustainability.

The effects of subliminal or supraliminal sadness induction on the sense of body ownership and the role of dissociative symptoms

Previous research has shown that emotions can alter our sense of ownership. Whether this relationship is modulated by differences in emotion experience and awareness, however, remains unclear. We investigated this by comparing the susceptibility to the rubber hand illusion (RHI) between participants who were either exposed to a low-arousing emotion induction (sadness) or placed in a neutral control group. Several factors that might influence this relationship were considered: dissociative symptoms were included to observe if a sadness induction led to a higher RHI score in participants scoring high in dissociation, as a result of detached emotion experience. Whether the level of awareness of the emotion mattered was also tested, as subliminal processing was shown to require less focal attention. Therefore, our sample (N = 122) was divided into three experimental groups: Sad pictures were presented to two of the three groups differing in presentation mode (subliminal: n = 40, supraliminal: n = 41), neutral pictures were presented supraliminally to the control group (n = 41). Additionally, the effects of slow (3 cm/s) and fast (30 cm/s) stroking, applied either synchronously or asynchronously, were examined as the comforting effects of stroking might interfere with the emotion induction. Results showed that the supraliminal sadness induction was associated with a stronger subjective illusion, but not with a higher proprioceptive drift compared to the subliminal induction. In addition, a stronger subjective illusion after fast and synchronous stroking was found compared to slow and asynchronous stroking. A significant proprioceptive drift was detected independent of group and stroking style. Both slow and synchronous stroking were perceived as more comforting than their respective counterparts. Participants with higher dissociative symptoms were more susceptible to the subjective illusion, especially in the supraliminal group in the synchronous condition. We concluded that individual differences in emotion experience are likely to play a role in body ownership. However, we cannot clarify at this stage whether differences in proprioception and the subjective illusion depend on the type of emotion experienced (e.g. different levels of arousal) and on concomitant changes in multisensory integration processes.

Non-invasive brain stimulation in modulation of mental rotation ability: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Mental rotation, the ability to manipulate mental images, is an important function in human cognition. This systematic review and meta-analysis investigates the potential of non-invasive brain stimulation in modulation of this component of visuo-spatial perception. The PubMed database was reviewed prior to 31 September 2020 on randomized controlled trials investigating the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), and transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) on the mental rotation ability in healthy persons. A total of 17 studies (including 485 subjects) matched our inclusion criteria. Within their scope, overall, 46 sham-controlled experiments were performed. Methodology and results of each experiment are presented in a meta-analysis. The data show a large variety of methods and effects. The influence of (1) stimulation-technique (tDCS, tACS, and rTMS), (2) stimulation protocol (anodal, cathodal, bilateral tDCS, tACS, high-frequency rTMS, low-frequency rTMS, paired pulse rTMS, and theta burst stimulation), (3) stimulation timing (preconditioning and simultaneous), (4) stimulation location (left, right hemisphere, frontal, and parietal area), and (5) stimulus type (bodily and non-bodily) is discussed. The data indicate a beneficial effect of anodal tDCS and of tACS and no effect of cathodal tDCS on the mental rotation ability. Bilateral tDCS protocols both improved and worsened the parameters assessed. The small effect sizes obtained in mostly rTMS experiments require cautious interpretation.

Well-being and its relationship with sports and physical activity of students during the coronavirus pandemic

The main goal of this correlational study is to examine the changes in the amount and type of physical activity of students of various study programs during the coronavirus pandemic. Furthermore, the motives for these changes as well as their relationship with general well-being are investigated. Therefore, 243 students (sport science, humanities, natural sciences) answered questions concerning (a) the amount and type of their physical activity before and during the pandemic, (b) their well-being and (c) their optimism/pessimism. The main result of the study is that the type and the motives for sports and physical activity changed for the study participants during the coronavirus pandemic: Team sports and swimming decreased, while individual sports and physical activity not associated with a sports club/business and with digital media increased. In this study the difference in sports and physical activity seemed to be related to well-being, especially for the students of sport science and humanities. To conclude the study indicated that a change occurred in the type of sports and physical activity as well as change in the motives for physical exercise in students during the pandemic.

Manual training of mental rotation performance: Visual representation of rotating figures is the main driver for improvements

Studies have demonstrated that manual and mental rotation show common processes. Training studies have shown that a manual and concurrent visual rotation improves mental rotation performance. In this study, we separated the visual rotation from the manual rotation. In all, 121 participants were randomly assigned to visual training, manual rotation training, or manual training without rotational movement. Before and after the training session of 30 min, they had to solve a chronometric mental rotation test. Data were analysed with linear mixed models and showed an improvement in mental rotation performance for all groups. However, this improvement did not differ between groups. Due to the independence of the form and occurrence of the manual activity, this suggests that it is not the motor activity, but the concurrent visual rotation that leads to improvements in mental rotation tasks. Therefore, the visual component in mental rotation tasks has to be investigated in more detail.

Pupillometry as a measure of cognitive load in mental rotation tasks with abstract and embodied figures

We investigated sex differences in behavioral performance and cognitive load in chronometric mental rotation tasks with abstract and embodied figures. Eighty participants (44 females and 36 males) completed 126 items, which included cube figures, body postures, and human figures, which were all comparable in shape and color. Reaction time, accuracy, and cognitive load, measured by changes in pupil dilation, were analyzed. As a function of angular disparity, participants showed shorter reaction times and higher accuracy rates for embodied stimuli than cube figures. Changes in pupil dilation showed a similar pattern, indicating that mental rotation of embodied figures caused less cognitive load to solve the task. No sex differences appeared in any of the measurements.

Are implicit affective evaluations related to mental rotation performance?

Conscious and unconscious emotions are related to mental rotation. In this study, we investigated if also unconscious emotional evaluations of the stimuli are related to mental rotation performance. 114 students (39 men, 75 women) solved implicit and explicit affective evaluations and a psychometric mental rotation test with cube and pellet figures. Furthermore, the use of spatial toys, the stereotyping of spatial abilities, and the self-rating in spatial abilities were registered. The mental rotation test with pellet figures was more difficult than the one with cube figures. Mental rotation performance was predicted by the self-rating of spatial abilities. For the cube figures, it was additionally predicted by the implicit affective evaluation of those figures. The results did not differ between men and women. The study provides evidence for a relation between affective emotional evaluations and mental imagery processes, although this does not hold true for all stimulus types.

Reasons for not reaching or using web-based self-management applications, and the use and evaluation of Oncokompas among cancer survivors, in the context of a randomised controlled trial

INTRODUCTION

The web-based self-management application Oncokompas was developed to support cancer survivors to monitor health-related quality of life and symptoms (Measure) and to provide tailored information (Learn) and supportive care options (Act). In a previously reported randomised controlled trial (RCT), 68% of 655 recruited survivors were eligible, and of those 45% participated in the RCT. Among participants of the RCT that were randomised to the intervention group, 52% used Oncokompas as intended. The aim of this study was to explore reasons for not participating in the RCT, and reasons for not using Oncokompas among non-users, and the use and evaluation of Oncokompas among users.

METHODS

Reasons for not participating were assessed with a study-specific questionnaire among 243 survivors who declined participation. Usage was investigated among 320 participants randomised to the intervention group of the RCT via system data and a study-specific questionnaire that was assessed during the 1 week follow-up (T1) assessment.

RESULTS

Main reasons for not participating were not interested in participation in scientific research (40%) and not interested in scientific research and Oncokompas (28%). Main reasons for not being interested in Oncokompas were wanting to leave the period of being ill behind (29%), no symptom burden (23%), or lacking internet skills (18%). Out of the 320 participants in the intervention group 167 (52%) used Oncokompas as intended. Among 72 non-users, main reasons for not using Oncokompas were no symptom burden (32%) or lack of time (26%). Among 248 survivors that activated their account, satisfaction and user-friendliness were rated with a 7 (scale 0-10). Within 3 (IQR 1-4) sessions, users selected 32 (IQR 6-37) topics. Main reasons for not using healthcare options in Act were that the information in Learn was already sufficient (44%) or no supportive care needs (32%).

DISCUSSION

Main reasons for not reaching or using Oncokompas were no symptom burden, no supportive care needs, or lack of time. Users selected many cancer-generic and tumour-specific topics to address, indicating added value of the wide range of available topics.

The impact of visual-spatial abilities on theory of mind in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder

BACKGROUND

Children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience impaired social cognition.

AIMS

In the present study, we aimed to investigate the relation between visual-spatial abilities and theory of mind in children and adolescents with and without ASD.

METHODS

Forty-five boys from the age of 7 to 17 years with ASD and thirty-one aged matched boys without ASD participated and completed the test of intrinsic stable visual-spatial ability (test of visual perceptual skill-revised), intrinsic dynamic visual-spatial ability (animal mental rotation test), and theory of mind test (TOMT).

RESULTS

Results showed that relative to boys without ASD, boys with ASD had a lower performance in theory of mind and intrinsic visual-spatial abilities. Secondly, theory of mind correlated with visual-spatial abilities in boys with ASD. Theory of mind for first and second order beliefs was predicted by the intrinsic dynamic visual abilities, whereas the theory of mind ability of emotion recognition was predicted by visual-spatial static abilities. In children without ASD, theory of mind for emotion recognition was predicted by intrinsic visual-spatial ability and the theory of mind for first order beliefs.

DISCUSSION

Theory of mind can be predicted by visual-spatial abilities in children and adolescents with ASD. Future studies should investigate the role of different types of intrinsic dynamic visual-spatial abilities (e.g., egocentric vs. object-based mental rotation tasks) in relation to different aspects of theory of mind in children and adolescents with autism.

Happy Enough to Relax? How Positive and Negative Emotions Activate Different Muscular Regions in the Back - an Explorative Study

Embodiment theories have proposed a reciprocal relationship between emotional state and bodily reactions. Besides large body postures, recent studies have found emotions to affect rather subtle bodily expressions, such as slumped or upright sitting posture. This study investigated back muscle activity as an indication of an effect of positive and negative emotions on the sitting position. The electromyography (EMG) activity of six back muscles was recorded in 31 healthy subjects during exposure to positive and negative affective pictures. A resting period was used as a control condition. Increased muscle activity patterns in the back were found during the exposure to negative emotional stimuli, which was mainly measured in the lumbar and thorax regions. The positive emotion condition caused no elevated activity. The findings show that negative emotions lead to increased differential muscle activity in the back and thus corroborate those of previous research that emotion affects subtle bodily expressions.

Are explicit and implicit affective attitudes toward different body shape categories related to the own body-satisfaction in young women? The role of mindfulness, self-compassion and social media activity

Implicit and explicit attitudes influence our behavior. Accordingly, it was the main goal of the paper to investigate if those attitudes are related to body image satisfaction. 134 young women between 18 and 34 years completed an explicit affective rating and an implicit affective priming task with pictures of women with different BMIs. Because it is well known that mindfulness, self-compassion and social media activity influence body image satisfaction, these variables were registered as well. The results confirmed an explicit positive affective bias toward pictures of slim women and a negative bias toward emaciated and obese body pictures. It adds to the literature that the explicit positive bias does not hold true for the strongest form of underweight, suggesting that instead of dividing different body shapes into two groups, different gradings of under- and overweight should be considered. Concerning the affective priming task, no significant differences between the different pictures could be carved out. Implicit and explicit affective attitudes were not related to the body satisfaction of the participating women. In line with former studies, body satisfaction was predicted by the actual-ideal weight discrepancy, the BMI, aspects of mindfulness and self-compassion. This study indicates that implicit and explicit affective attitudes toward underweight and overweight women are unrelated to the participants’ body satisfaction.

What Can Affect Competition Anxiety in Athletes? The Role of Self-Compassion and Repetitive Negative Thinking

Identifying the correlates of competition anxiety is fundamental to athletes' well-being and performance. Self-compassion is gaining attention in sport psychology because of its associations with positive outcomes, while repetitive negative thinking (i.e. worry and rumination) is associated with negative conditions, such as anxiety. Building on previous evidence in the general population of associations between self-compassion, repetitive negative thinking, and trait anxiety, we investigated these relations in athletes of different sports. A total of 263 athletes (Mage = 23.72, SD = 6.97, 141 males) completed scales measuring self-compassion, repetitive negative thinking, and trait competition anxiety. Regression models showed the effects of self-compassion and worry on concern (the cognitive component of anxiety), and of worry on somatic anxiety. Gender, number of competitions a year, and years of practice were also associated with trait competition anxiety. A subsequent mediation model revealed significant direct and indirect effects of self-compassion on anxiety, mediated by worry. Results are discussed theoretically and considering their practical implications for athletes.

The Individual Green-Washing Effect in E-Mobility: Emotional Evaluations of Electric and Gasoline Cars

In this study, the affective explicit and implicit attitudes toward electric and gasoline cars are investigated. One hundred sixty-five participants (103 cisgender women, 62 cisgender men) completed an explicit and implicit affective rating task toward pictures of electric and gasoline cars, measurements of sustainability, future and past behaviors, and mindfulness. The results showed a positive emotional attitude for the electric cars compared with the gasoline cars only for the explicit rating but not for the implicit one. Furthermore, factors that correlated to the attitudes were investigated: explicit ratings in car owners correlated with age, degree, sustainability in general, and the expressed intention to purchase an electric car in the future. Implicit attitudes in car owners correlated with the overall score of mindfulness and the dimension of “non-reactivity.” For the non-car owners, explicit attitudes correlated with the expressed intention to purchase an electric car in the future and the mindfulness dimension of “describing”. In this group, the implicit attitude correlated negatively with the mindfulness intention of acting with awareness. This indicates that several different factors should be considered in the development of promotion campaigns for the advantage of sustainable mobility behavior.

Interactions between simultaneous aerobic exercise and mental rotation

While the effects of aerobic exercise during a cognitive task on the performance of said cognitive task have been extensively studied, it has not been investigated whether cognitive performance during aerobic exercise influences the physical performance. For this, it is the main goal of the study to investigate the physical and cognitive performance during a simultaneous conduction of aerobic exercise and mental rotation. Forty-one German sport students cycled at 60% intensity while simultaneously performing a mental rotation task. In a within-subject design, both physical and cognitive performances were compared with isolated cycling and mental rotation as control conditions using both objective (heart rate and pedal cadence in the cycling task, reaction time and accuracy in the mental rotation task) and subjective (RPE) cognitive and physical measures. The results analyzed with hierarchical linear modeling revealed no effect of either simultaneous cognitive tasks on objective (heart rate) or subjective (RPE) physical effort, nor of simultaneous exercise on reaction time or accuracy in cognitive performance. However, we have found lower cadence during cognitive tasks, which was also stable in time compared to an increase in cadence during exercise control. Furthermore, our results demonstrated increased cognitive effort during exercise. Our findings suggest that increased effort, both physiological and cognitive, is required during combined physical and cognitive work in support of neurological resource conflicts caused by the differing demands of exercise and executive function.

The eHealth self-management application 'Oncokompas' that supports cancer survivors to improve health-related quality of life and reduce symptoms: which groups benefit most?

BACKGROUND

Oncokompas is a web-based self-management application that supports cancer survivors to monitor their health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and symptoms, and to obtain personalised feedback and tailored options for supportive care. In a large randomised controlled trial among survivors of head and neck cancer, colorectal cancer, and breast cancer and (non-)Hodgkin lymphoma, Oncokompas proved to improve HRQOL, and to reduce several tumour-specific symptoms. Effect sizes were however small, and no effect was observed on the primary outcome patient activation. Therefore, this study aims to explore which subgroups of cancer survivors may especially benefit from Oncokompas.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Cancer survivors (n = 625) were randomly assigned to the intervention group (access to Oncokompas, n = 320) or control group (6 months waiting list, n = 305). Outcome measures were HRQOL, tumour-specific symptoms, and patient activation. Potential moderators included socio-demographic (sex, age, marital status, education, employment), clinical (tumour type, stage, time since diagnosis, treatment modality, comorbidities), and personal factors (self-efficacy, personal control, health literacy, Internet use), and patient activation, mental adjustment to cancer, HRQOL, symptoms, and need for supportive care, measured at baseline. Linear mixed models were performed to investigate potential moderators.

RESULTS

The intervention effect on HRQOL was the largest among cancer survivors with low to moderate self-efficacy, and among those with high personal control and those with high health literacy scores. Cancer survivors with higher baseline symptom scores benefitted more on head and neck (pain in the mouth, social eating, swallowing, coughing, trismus), and colorectal cancer (weight) specific symptoms.

DISCUSSION

Oncokompas seems most effective in reducing symptoms in head and neck cancer and colorectal cancer survivors who report a higher burden of tumour-specific symptoms. Oncokompas seems most effective in improving HRQOL in cancer survivors with lower self-efficacy, and in cancer survivors with higher personal control, and higher health literacy.

The Relation of Mental Rotation and Postural Stability

Main goal of this study was to investigate the influence of mental rotation tasks on postural stability. 84 participants were tested with two object-based mental rotation tasks (cube vs. human figures), an egocentric mental rotation task with one human figure, a math- (cognitive control) and a neutral task, while standing on a force plate in a both-legged narrow stance. Parameters related to the Center of Pressure course over time were used to quantify postural stability. The simultaneous solution of mental rotation tasks has led to postural stabilisation compared to the neutral condition. Egocentric tasks provoked more postural stability than object-based tasks with cube figures. Furthermore, a more stable stance was observed for embodied stimuli than for cube figures. An explorative approach showed the tendency that higher rotation angles of the object-based mental rotation task stimuli lead to more postural sway. These results contribute to a better understanding of the interaction between mental rotation and motor skills and emphasize the role of type of task and embodiment in dual task research.

Sex-Dependent Differences in Symptom-Related Disability Due to Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

Study Design

Retrospective observational study.

Objective

The objective of this study is to identify possible sex-dependent differences in symptom-related disability in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis.

Methods

103 consecutive outpatients (42 men and 61 women) with lumbar spinal stenosis were assessed on the basis of their medical history, the physical examination, and a series of questionnaires including the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ), the Patient Health Questionnaire module 9 (PHQ-9), and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS). Narrowing of the spinal canal was graded according to the method established by Schizas. Parameters were statistically analyzed according to the biological sex of the patients. The influence of the variables on the disability scores was analyzed by means of a multivariate regression model.

Results

Symptom severity was equally distributed between men and women. Female patients showed higher RMDQ and ODI scores as well as significantly higher intermediate depression scores. The confounding variables age, pain chronicity, and psychological affection as well as the symptoms level of pain and paresis were dependent on patient sex.

Conclusion

The study shows sex-depended differences in the perception of symptoms of lumbar spinal stenosis and disability of life. The findings suggest that the main mediators are pain perception and psychological influences on the quality of life.

Self-compassion and repetitive thinking in relation to depressive mood and fear of the future

The coronavirus pandemic has had a high impact on mental health. Also, semiprofessional football players are strongly affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) because training during the lockdown phase has been forbidden. It was the primary goal of this study to investigate if those athletes suffer from a depressive mood and fear of the future. Furthermore, the question was asked whether the psychological variables of self-compassion and repetitive thinking are related to this. A total of 55 semiprofessional football players completed a demographic questionnaire with questions related to depressive mood and fear of the future, and a rumination-, worry- and self-compassion scale. The results show an association between the negative scale of self-compassion and depressive mood as well as fear of the future. Whereas depressive mood was predicted by self-compassion, fear of the future was only indirectly predicted by self-compassion by the mediating effects of repetitive thinking. Also, in semiprofessional football, self-compassion interventions might be a useful tool in difficult times.

Aquatic therapy in stroke rehabilitation: systematic review and meta-analysis

The main object of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to collect the available evidence of aquatic therapy in stroke rehabilitation and to investigate the effect of this intervention in supporting stroke recovery. The PubMed, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and the PEDro databases were searched from their inception through to 31/05/2020 on randomized controlled trials evaluating the effect of aquatic therapy on stroke recovery. Subjects´ characteristics, methodological aspects, intervention description, and outcomes were extracted. Effect sizes were calculated for each study and outcome. Overall, 28 appropriate studies (N = 961) have been identified. A comparison with no intervention indicates that aquatic therapy is effective in supporting walking, balance, emotional status and health-related quality of life, spasticity, and physiological indicators. In comparison with land-based interventions, aquatic therapy shows superior effectiveness on balance, walking, muscular strength, proprioception, health-related quality of life, physiological indicators, and cardiorespiratory fitness. Only on independence in activities of daily living the land- and water-based exercise induce similar effects. Established concepts of water-based therapy (such as the Halliwick, Ai Chi, Watsu, or Bad Ragaz Ring methods) are the most effective, aquatic treadmill walking is the least effective. The current evidence is insufficient to support this therapy form within evidence-based rehabilitation. However, the available data indicate that this therapy can significantly improve a wide range of stroke-induced disabilities. Future research should devote more attention to this highly potent intervention.

Does anodal tDCS improve basketball performance? A randomized controlled trial

Shooting precision as well as dribbling and agility are crucial components of performance in basketball. We examined the effects of anodal tDCS over the dominant primary motor cortex in supporting these basketball specific abilities. Fifty-two sports students were enrolled in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial with two interventions. Twenty minutes of anodal 1 mA tDCS/sham tDCS were applied over the primary motor cortex of the dominant hemisphere. Basketball shooting precision (basketball shooting accuracy test) and basketball specific dribbling and agility (Illinois ball-dribbling test) were tested prior and after each intervention. Basketball shooting precision and basketball specific dribbling and agility improved after real tDCS but not after sham tDCS. ANOVAs show significant intervention*time effects on both the shooting accuracy test (F_1,51= 5.6; P = 0.022) and on the Illinois ball-dribbling test (F_1,51 = 4.5; P = 0.038). Anodal 1 mA tDCS over the dominant primary motor cortex is effective in supporting short-term performance in basketball. However, the available data is insufficient for application of this novel method within the framework of conventional sports training.