La información situacional probabilística en el deporte: un metaanálisis / Situational probability information in sport: A meta-analysis

Resumen El objetivo del estudio es cuantificar el efecto de la información situacional probabilística (ISP) sobre el rendimiento deportivo y en concreto sobre el inicio en el tiempo de respuesta y la precisión de los deportistas. Existe evidencia científica de que los deportistas de mayor nivel deportivo desarrollan la habilidad perceptiva para usar la ISP, realizando comportamientos anticipatorios, si bien se desconoce la magnitud de dicho efecto. Se realiza un metaanálisis de efectos aleatorios para cuantificar el tamaño del efecto (TE) de la ISP en el comportamiento motor de los deportistas. Los resultados muestran un TE medio final grande de 1.29 para el tiempo de respuesta (en 7 estudios y 252 participantes) y de 1.31 para la precisión (en nueve investigaciones y 292 participantes), seleccionados de acuerdo con los criterios establecidos. Con la limitación del reducido número de estudios analizados (n = 9), los resultados indican que los deportistas expertos anticipan más respuestas y con más precisión que los noveles debido al uso de la ISP. Se recomienda entrenar perceptivamente la identificación y el uso de la ISP a nivel deportivo, ya que aquellos deportistas que hagan un mejor uso de esta información contextual podrán anticipar sus respuestas con precisión.

Abstract The aim of the study is to quantify the effect of Situational Probability Information (SPI) on athletic performance, specifically on the onset of the response time and the accuracy of athletes. There is scientific evidence that shows that higher sport level athletes develop the perceptive skills to use SPI, thereby performing anticipatory behaviors. However, the magnitude of this effect remains unknown. A meta-analysis of random effects was carried out to quantify the effect size (ES) of SPI on the motor behavior of athletes. The results showed an overall final mean ES of 1.29 for the response time (in 7 studies and 252 participants), and 1.31 for accuracy (in 9 studies and 292 participants), according to the criteria established. With the limitation of the low number of studies analyzed (n = 9), the results suggest that expert athletes anticipate more frequently and with higher accuracy than beginners, due to the use of SPI. It is recommended to train in the identification and use of the SPI in the sports domain, as athletes who use this contextual information more effectively could anticipate the responses with precision.

Sensory cues employed for the acquisition of familiarity-dependent recognition of a shoal of conspecifics by climbing perch (Anabas testudineus Bloch).

In this study we showed that a freshwater fish, the climbing perch (Anabas testudineus) is incapable of using chemical communication but employs visual cues to acquire familiarity and distinguish a familiar group of conspecifics from an unfamiliar one. Moreover, the isolation of olfactory signals from visual cues did not affect the recognition and preference for a familiar shoal in this species.

¿Pueden los perros domésticos (canis lupus familiaris) reconocer expresiones emocionales humanas? una revisión crítica de las evidencias / Can domestic dogs (canis lupus familiaris) recognize human emotional expressions? a critical review of the evidence

Las expresiones emocionales tienen un papel fundamental en las interacciones de especies sociales, brindando información acerca del emisor, las características e importancia del estímulo o situación que desencadena tales interacciones, y también funcionan regulando los vínculos sociales. Los perros poseen notorias capacidades comunicativas hacia los humanos por lo que resulta interesante estudiar si estas habilidades se extienden al reconocimiento de las expresiones emocionales. Se han realizado diversas investigaciones acerca del reconocimiento de expresiones emocionales humanas en perros exponiéndolos a una situación representada por personas durante la evaluación, así como mediante el uso de imágenes, videos y grabaciones. El análisis de las evidencias permite concluir que los perros podrían distinguir entre distintas emociones humanas ya sea en presencia de modelos en vivo o mediante la observación de imágenes y modulan su conducta conforme esta discriminación, así como también pueden utilizar esta información como clave en la resolución de problemas. Sin embargo, aún no están claros los mecanismos que subyacen a estas habilidades.

Emotional expressions play a critical role in the interactions among individuals, particularly, in social species. They provide information about the sender and the characteristics and importance of the triggering stimulus or situation, also regulating social ties. Dogs have notorious communication skills towards humans, which makes the study of their ability to recognize human emotional expressions an interesting endeavor. There have been several studies in which dogs have been tested using real people in an experimental situation as well as images, video and audio recordings of people's expressions. The evidence suggests that dogs can discriminate between different human emotions either in the presence of live models or by looking at images. This type of information has been shown to modulate their behavior and to be used as cues to solve problems. However, the mechanisms underlying these abilities are not fully understood yet.

Effect of Visual Perception on Food Consumption and Satiety Levels Using a Modified Soup Bowl

We examined whether visual perception related to consumption norms could influence food consumption and satiety by using modified soup bowls with elevated bottoms. Twenty-six healthy women (BMI 19.9 kg/m2 Age 24 yr) participated in the study once a week for 2 weeks. The subjects were served beef shank soup in one of two soup bowls (180 g soup in the modified bowl or 250 g soup in the normal bowl). The results showed that subjects who ate from the modified soup bowl consumed less soup (135.3 kcal vs 180.0 kcal, P<0.001) and had lower total energy intake (390.6 kcal vs 438.1 kcal, P<0.01) than those who ate from the normal soup bowl. However, despite consuming fewer calories, satiety levels of those who ate from the modifed soup bowl were not significantly different from those using the normal soup bowl. In conclusion, these results indicate that the modified soup bowl which created a distorted visual perception ot the amount of soup in the bowl leads to decreased soup intake and total energy intake without altering satiety. The reduced amount of soup in the modified soup bowl may also implicitly suggest what might be interpreted as an appropriate amount to consume, and also in essence suggest reduced consumption norm.

Visual communication stimulates reproduction in Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (L. )

Reproductive fish behavior is affected by male-female interactions that stimulate physiological responses such as hormonal release and gonad development. During male-female interactions, visual and chemical communication can modulate fish reproduction. The aim of the present study was to test the effect of visual and chemical male-female interaction on the gonad development and reproductive behavior of the cichlid fish Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (L.). Fifty-six pairs were studied after being maintained for 5 days under one of the four conditions (N = 14 for each condition): 1) visual contact (V); 2) chemical contact (Ch); 3) chemical and visual contact (Ch+V); 4) no sensory contact (Iso) - males and females isolated. We compared the reproductive behavior (nesting, courtship and spawning) and gonadosomatic index (GSI) of pairs of fish under all four conditions. Visual communication enhanced the frequency of courtship in males (mean ± SEM; V: 24.79 ± 3.30, Ch+V: 20.74 ± 3.09, Ch: 0.1 ± 0.07, Iso: 4.68 ± 1.26 events/30 min; P < 0.05, two-way ANOVA with LSD post hoc test), induced spawning in females (3 spawning in V and also 3 in Ch+V condition), and increased GSI in males (mean ± SEM; V: 1.39 ± 0.08, Ch+V: 1.21 ± 0.08, Ch: 1.04 ± 0.07, Iso: 0.82 ± 0.07 percent; P < 0.05, two-way ANOVA with LSD post hoc test). Chemical communication did not affect the reproductive behavior of pairs nor did it enhance the effects of visual contact. Therefore, male-female visual communication is an effective cue, which stimulates reproduction among pairs of Nile tilapia.

The Effect of the Reduced Portion Size by Using a Diet Rice Bowl on Food Consumption and Satiety Rate / 대한지역사회영양학회지

Using the diet rice bowl, this study examined whether visual cues related to portion size can influence intake volume without altering satiation. 24 subjects ate lunch and subsequent dinner meal in the lab once a week for 2 weeks. Each week at noon , they were served one of two different sizes of a rice (150 g of rice by the diet rice bowl and 210 g of rice by the general rice bowl) but recognized the same volume of which they could eat as much as they wanted of side dishes. Subjects returned to the lab five hours later for a standard dinner, which was consumed ad libitum. Results showed that the subjects who were eating from the diet rice bowl ate less rice (222.4 Kcal vs 306.5 Kcal, p < 0.001) and total energy intake (412.5 Kcal vs 499.2 Kcal, p < 0.001) than those eating from a general rice bowl at lunch. However, despite consuming 21% less energy intake at lunch, the rates of satiety were not significantly different after eating from the diet rice bowl and from the general diet bowl. And there were no significant difference in rice intake and energy intake at dinner between the diet rice bowl and the general rice bowl. These results suggest decreasing the portion size by the diet rice bowl with biased visual cues leads to decreased rice intake and energy intake without altering the satiation. This is, the decreased amount of rice in a diet rice bowl may implicitly suggest what might be construed as an appropriate amount to consume and eventually it suggests smaller consumption norms.