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PubMed1979

Correlations among perceptual-motor ability, self-concept and reading achievement in early elementary grades.

This study investigated the correlation among measures of perceptual-motor abilities, self-concept, and reading achievement and determined whether perceptual-motor ability and self-concept can predict reading achievement in the early elementary grades. A total of 105 boys and 108 girls from the first, and second and third grades were tested on the stabilometer, a modified Minnesota Manual Dexterity Test, a tapping test, the Primary Self-concept Inventory, and the Science Research Associates Assessment Survey. Intercorrelations across grade levels tended to be low and nonsignificant. The multiple regression procedures yielded no strong predictions of reading achievement. These findings tended to confirm the specificity of perceptual-motor ability, self-concept, and reading achievement.

Achievement↗

PubMed1988

Age changes in assembly performance: a component analysis.

100 children from Kindergarten to Grade 9 (i.e., 5 to 15 yr.) performed a one-handed manual dexterity assembly task. The videotaped performances were analyzed for the components, Grasping, Transporting, Positioning, Reaching, and Pauses. All five components contributed significantly to the improvements in the lower grades. The Grasping component deteriorated significantly in the older children, but Reaching and Positioning continued to improve up to Grade 9. There were no sex differences.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1990

Phantom representations of congenitally absent limbs.

It has been widely claimed that phantom limbs are not experienced by children born without the part or who have it amputated in early childhood. This review looks at some reported cases of such phantoms, as well as a lesser known account that shows that phantoms of aplasics can be vivid and dexterous. Reasons for the infrequency of such reports are examined, and some implications for understanding the development of the body schema are proposed.

Awareness↗

PubMed1991

Noise annoyance during the performance of different nonauditory tasks.

Three experiments were performed to study the effects of an ongoing task on the annoyance response to noise. In the first two experiments a total of five tasks were used: three versions of a proofreading task, a finger-dexterity task, and a complex reaction time (RT) task. Subjects performed the tasks during exposure to two levels of a continuous broadband noise. Task was of no consequence for rated annoyance. Four tasks were used in Experiment 3: proofreading, complex RT, grammatical reasoning, and simple RT. A third type of noise, irrelevant speech, was added to the broadband noises. Rated annoyance was lower during simple RT than during the reasoning and proofreading tasks, especially in the irrelevant speech condition. The difference corresponded to a 6-dB difference in noise level. It was concluded that task differences probably only explain a small part of the widely differing noise tolerance levels at different work places.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Selected neurocognitive test data and work attendance for chronic psychiatric patients.

The relationship between work attendance-absence and selected measures of executive (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Trail Making B) and motor (Purdue Pegboard) function was explored in a sample of 42 chronic psychiatric patients at a sheltered workshop setting. Work attendance was unrelated to intelligence but correlated with several executive and motor variables. A stepwise regression analysis produced a three-variable model which accounted for 40% of the variance. However, the direction of the relationships suggested that high attendance was most likely for older, more cognitively rigid patients, with less manual dexterity than other patients. These findings are discussed in terms of the need to consider jointly neurocognitive and environmental constraints on ecological functioning.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

Intermanual differences on motor and psychomotor tests in alcoholics: no evidence for selective right-hemisphere dysfunction.

Some previous studies have suggested that alcoholics exhibit selective right-hemisphere dysfunction, based on alcoholics' poor performance on tests believed to subserve the right hemisphere. However, some of these experiments did not account adequately for differences in difficulty or novelty in putative right hemisphere tasks. This experiment was designed to evaluate and compare intermanual differences in grip strength, motor speed, fine-motor dexterity, and nonverbal problem-solving ability in 93 recently detoxified alcoholics, 54 long-term abstinent alcoholics, and 73 nonalcoholic controls. All subjects were right-handed men, matched for age and education, and both alcoholic groups had similar drinking histories. Using percent difference scores to assess intermanual differences, adjusted for demographics where appropriate, we found that, although recently detoxified alcoholics demonstrate some motor and psychomotor impairments, there is no evidence using these tests to suggest the right hemisphere is selectively more vulnerable to the effects of chronic alcohol abuse.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Psychomotor and cognitive performance in nonapneic snorers: preliminary findings.

Snoring is a common phenomenon and a primary symptom in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, a sleep-related breathing disorder in which neuropsychological function is reported to be impaired. The first purpose of the present study was to compare cognitive and motor function in 25 heavy nonapneic snorers and 26 sleep apneics. As the basis for impairments in heavy nonapneic snorers is still unclear, the influence of nighttime breathing disturbances and morning alertness, respectively, on daytime performance was evaluated too. Nonapneic snorers exhibit more slow wave sleep and tend to have fewer changes in sleep stage than sleep apnea patients, but values for other sleep variables are similar. Snorers also show comparable alertness. Deficits in immediate visual memory and in visuospatial reasoning are not found. However, there are some indications that snorers show decreased manual dexterity and eye-hand coordination for the nonpreferred hand and that they have deficits in focused attention. In addition, snorers may show difficulties in finger-tapping speed. These performance measures tend to be associated with reduced morning alertness, except for the score on focused attention which has a tendency to be related to the nocturnal breathing disturbances.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Cognitive, perceptual, and motor abilities in skilled basketball performance.

The differences among athletes of differing skill should assist successful identification and selection of the best athletes in a specific sport. For the purpose of this study, a laboratory study was conducted with a group of 13 men on the elite male national team of basketball players, 22 to 23 years of age, and a control group of 15 men of equal age (physical education class) to assess differences in their scores on cognitive skills (memory-retention, memory-grouping analytic ability), perceptual skills (speed of perception, prediction, selective attention, response selection), and motor skills (dynamic balance, whole body coordination, wrist-finger dexterity, rhythmic ability). Analysis showed that elite male basketball players scored higher on hand coordination and lower on dynamic balance given their anthropometric measurements. Elite players were better on memory-retention, selective attention, and on prediction measures than the control group. The above skills are important in basketball performance. Researchers may examine whether other factors contribute more in the development of perceptual and cognitive skills.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Ratings of 830 jobs on 45 characteristics: factor and cluster analyses into age-enhanced, age-neutral and age-counteracted, and age-impaired categories.

The current study measured the critical elements of jobs and characterized the jobs' suitability for aging workers based on ratings of those elements. The sample consisted of 830 job titles collected by the Employment and Vocational Training Administration in Taiwan. For each job the ratings of 45 specific variables, falling into three major classes, were factor analyzed, using principal components analysis with varimax rotation. A nine-factor solution explained 50.1% of the variance. Using a nonhierarchical clustering procedure, 830 jobs were classified into three homogeneous clusters which were significantly different on nine factors except for Manual Dexterity. Mapping the ratings on the 9 factors and the characteristics of aging workers, the four job clusters were defined as Age-enhanced, Age-neutral, and Age-counteracted, and Age-impaired to describe the suitability for aging workers.

Age Factors↗

PubMed1990

Voluntary motor performance in psychotic disorders: a replication study.

Voluntary motor performance was used to investigate the hypothesis of a continuum of psychosis from depression through schizophrenia. 43 schizophrenic, 36 schizoaffective, 50 major depressive, 20 manic, and 25 nonpsychotic patient controls were tested for tapping speed, finger dexterity, hand grip strength, and neuropsychological motor performance. Sex was included as an independent variable, and the effects of psychotropic drugs were evaluated. A continuum of motor dysfunction from depression through schizophrenia was not obtained. A measure of current psychotic symptoms was not associated with motor or neuropsychological performance. Motor performance was significantly worse in schizophrenic, schizoaffective, and psychotic affective disorders, when compared to nonpsychotic affective disorders. In this final analysis, psychoticism was defined by history. The results are discussed in terms of the hypothesis that psychoticism is a trait that is independent of diagnosis.

Humans↗

PubMed2004

A measure of parents' assessments of their children's abilities.

The present study assessed the psychometric properties of a multidimensional measure of parents' assessments of their children's abilities, including problem-solving skills, social skills, dexterity, creativity, and learning motivation. A nationwide sample of Finnish parents (N=432), representing two educational groups, both mothers (64%) and fathers (36%) whose mean age was 37.8 yr. (SD=5.3), were asked to assess their children's abilities during preschool and at the end of the first and the third school year. A set of analyses of this longitudinal data indicated that the scales had adequate internal and temporal consistency, the factor structure showed invariability across time, and the scales related meaningfully to the parents' perceptions of their children's competencies in different school subjects.

Achievement↗

PubMed1991

Human performance capability in psychomotor tasks at variable difficulty levels and physiological reactions under noise and heat conditions.

The effects of noise and heat on the efficiency of human performance of psychomotor tasks at variable difficulty levels were investigated. Twenty four young, healthy volunteers with normal hearing, randomly divided into 4 equal sized groups, were tested in a climatic chamber under 4 combinations of two environmental conditions made up of noise and heat, each at two levels: 70 dB (A) (quiet), 100 dB (A) (noise): 28 degrees C (comfortable), 35 degrees C (heat). A statistically balanced procedure was followed. Three physiological variables were also recorded: Heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature. A 2 x 2 analysis of variance showed rise in the physiological variables by noise and heat respectively as well as by their interactions. Performances of the psychomotor tasks were affected differently by noise and heat depending on the difficulty levels of the tasks. The interaction of noise and heat entailed superior performance of the tasks of memory and search, two hand coordination and reaction time, at moderate difficulty levels, but no distinct interaction effect was observed on the performance of tweezer dexterity.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

The carpometacarpal joint of the thumb: stability, deformity, and therapeutic intervention.

The carpometacarpal (CMC) of the thumb is a saddle joint that permits a wide range of motion and is largely responsible for the characteristic dexterity of human prehension. This joint, located at the very base of the thumb, is subject to large physical stresses throughout life. Osteoarthritis (posttraumatic or idiopathic), rheumatoid arthritis, and postmenopausal laxity of the capsular ligaments can predispose structural instability and impairment of this important joint. The instability is characterized by varying and often progressive dislocation of the joint surfaces, resulting in a displaced axis of rotation and abnormal actions of thumb muscles. The main consequence of the instability is most often pain and weakness, most notably during pinch and grasping actions. This paper is conceptually divided into 2 sections. The first section describes the anatomic structures that maintain stability in the normal CMC joint of the thumb and how disease or trauma can cause instability and ultimate deformity. The second section describes both nonsurgical and surgical interventions that are most often used to treat an unstable CMC joint. This paper is intended primarily as an overview for the physical therapist who does not specialize in the treatment of the hand, although desires basic information on this important topic.

Arthralgia↗

PubMed2006

Combined use of repetitive task practice and an assistive robotic device in a patient with subacute stroke.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This case report describes a training program comprising repetitive task practice (RTP) and robotic therapy for a patient with subacute stroke and resultant impaired upper-extremity function. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 63-year-old man with right-sided hemiplegia resulting from a hemorrhagic stroke received a combined intervention of RTP and robotic therapy for 4 hours per day for 3 weeks. Clinical and kinetic evaluations were performed before and after intervention. OUTCOMES: Following the combined intervention, clinical improvements in hand function were observed, maximum grip force decreased slightly, and interlimb coupling decreased. DISCUSSION: An intervention of RTP with robotic therapy may be an effective method to improve upper-extremity function following stroke. Furthermore, the case suggests that improvements in strength are not necessary for improved dexterous function, provided that a minimal level of strength is present.

Electromyography↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Ethics in otolaryngology.

All organic life has a code of behavior that is predetermined by the laws of survival and propagation. Some of these codes and systems are curiously complicated, yet each behavioral pattern contains the moral and ethical laws that endorse survival. This single axiom is the over-riding ethic. Man has added inventions, dexterity and feeling to the living program, and this has increased the complexity of moral and ethical conduct. It is in this milieu of interrelations, which is beyond physical survival, where our conscience and our performance must try to equate our sense of right. With millions of years of atavistic inheritance in the brutal struggle for survival it would be unrealistic to believe that Man could accomplish this easily, or ever completely. It also injects the question as to whether this is the basic normative for humans, or whether it is an emotional addendum in what is identified as a civilizing process. In ancient times, ethics was a derivative of philosophical thinking. Today it is enmeshed in the management of ceaseless and sophisticated technical and scientific advances which have religious, sociological and legal implications which are energized by human emotion and personal opinion, and which, in some instances, present problems which can be solved only partially or are unsolvable. The medical profession is in the midst of this turmoil.

Ethics, Medical↗

PubMed1979

Choice of handedness measures in studies of hemispheric specialization.

Left-and right-handers have been reported to differ in lateral hemispheric specialization for cognition. We compared different methods of dividing subjects into handedness groups: preference(a 12-item questionnaire), performance(speed, strength, dexterity), and preference plus performance, and determined which method of handedness classification indicated the greatest group differences on EEG and dichotic measures of lateral specialization. All handedness measures were significantly intercorrelated. These handedness measures were significantly correlated with the dichotic test over the whole population but were significantly correlated with EEG asymmetry only in females. Scoring degree of handedness showed significant relationships to lateral specialization which were not seen when subjects were classified into discrete handedness groups. Ambidextrous subjects performed as well as right- or left-handers on unimanual tasks despite a lack of hand preference. The hand used for writing was shown to be too limited to be used as the sole index of handedness in studies related to cognition.

Adult↗

PubMed1987

Effects of temporal lobectomy for treatment of epilepsy on hemispheric functions ipsilateral to surgery: preliminary findings.

Several studies have reported a pattern of ipsilateral deficit and contralateral improvement following temporal lobectomy. Presumably the contralateral improvement is due to cessation of commissural spread, and the ipsilateral deficit to surgical damage to that side. If, as hypothesized, the underlying mechanism is cessation of commissural spread of seizure activity, some ipsilateral improvements might also occur. This question was addressed in a small sample of left (N = 4) and right (N = 5) temporal lobectomy patients. It was found that the left-operated patients demonstrated improvements on tests reported to measure left frontal lobe function. In addition, both left- and right-operated patients improved on a dexterity test with the hand ipsilateral to the side of surgery. The ipsilateral improvement would be due to removal of an active electrically discharging focus impairing ipsilateral function and contralateral function by commissural spread. These data were interpreted to suggest that cessation of commissural spread of seizure activity can result in improvement in regions of the hemisphere ipsilateral to surgery, and that the contralateral hemispheric improvements may include psychomotor functions in addition to memory and IQ changes. Seizure control achieved by surgery may have influenced the pattern of results.

Epilepsy↗

PubMed1987

Low level lead exposure and neuropsychological functioning in blue collar males.

To examine the interrelationships between normal aging, occupational lead exposure, and cognitive functioning, a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests was administered to 288 randomly-selected lead-exposed workers and 181 demographically-similar nonexposed controls. Contrary to previous reports, those workers with current blood-lead levels in the low to moderate range (less than 50 micrograms/dl) were found to perform as well as controls on measures of learning, memory, attention, visuospatial ability, and general intelligence. They differed from controls only on one measure of psychomotor speed and manual dexterity, the Grooved Pegboard Test, and these between-group differences were restricted to the older lead workers. It is likely that these results are secondary to lead-mediated neuromuscular damage. There is little support for the view that older adults with current blood lead levels in the low to moderate range are at risk for developing significant CNS dysfunction, even though they may have had a past history of excessively high blood lead levels.

Adult↗