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To what extent do we know our own minds when making decisions? Variants of this question have preoccupied researchers in a wide range of domains, from mainstream experimental psychology (cognition, perception, social behavior) to cognitive neuroscience and behavioral economics. A pervasive view places a heavy explanatory burden on an intelligent cognitive unconscious, with many theories assigning causally effective roles to unconscious influences. This article presents a novel framework for evaluating these claims and reviews evidence from three major bodies of research in which unconscious factors have been studied: multiple-cue judgment, deliberation without attention, and decisions under uncertainty. Studies of priming (subliminal and primes-to-behavior) and the role of awareness in movement and perception (e.g., timing of willed actions, blindsight) are also given brief consideration. The review highlights that inadequate procedures for assessing awareness, failures to consider artifactual explanations of “landmark” results, and a tendency to uncritically accept conclusions that fit with our intuitions have all contributed to unconscious influences being ascribed inflated and erroneous explanatory power in theories of decision making. The review concludes by recommending that future research should focus on tasks in which participants' attention is diverted away from the experimenter's hypothesis, rather than the highly reflective tasks that are currently often employed.

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of flight simulator training on the enhancement of perceptual-motor skills among flight cadets. Perceptual-motor skills act as a crucial link through which pilots translate their environmental perceptions into precise maneuvers, a capability that is particularly vital in dynamic and unpredictable flight environments. A total of forty cadets participated in the experiment and were randomly assigned to either the Traditional Training Group (TTG) or the Efficient Training Group (ETG). The TTG received individual training on training aircraft under the supervision of an instructor, while the ETG trained on expert aircraft using a full-scenario memory replay training system enhanced with multimodal information feedback. The simulations were conducted at the Aeronautical University simulation laboratory, configured as a self-developed Flight Skill Accelerated Training Simulator. Both groups completed eight weeks of simulated flight training, which included testing scenarios such as takeoff, flight control, landing, and carrier landing. Results indicated that the ETG outperformed the TTG in the takeoff, flight control, landing tasks, and carrier landing tasks. Furthermore, the ETG demonstrated a faster training pace across all tasks. These findings suggest that our independently developed accelerated flight skills training system can effectively expedite motor skill acquisition among flight cadets, enhance flight performance, and holds promising potential for broad application in various flight training contexts.

Talent identification (TID) within sport provides extensive development opportunities to enhance the potential for senior success. However, little is known about the effectiveness of TID in table tennis. Therefore, the objective of this systematic review is to examine current research and practice in TID in table tennis, identify commonalities, disparities, and gaps in the literature, and provide directions for future research on TID in table tennis. A search of the electronic databases (EBSCOhost, Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and SPORTDiscus) was conducted from September 2023 to March 2025. The search terms utilized represented table tennis, talent, performance, giftedness, and athlete selection. In accordance with the PRISMA guidelines, 31 articles were thoroughly reviewed. The results established three common themes: morphological qualities , performance profiles , and player characteristics . A key finding established maturation bias as a limitation in talent identification within table tennis, highlighting the importance of maturational assessments in future initiatives. Furthermore, given that most studies used a cross-sectional design, future research should consider longitudinal designs to provide a more accurate assessment of talent and development.

Spontaneous gestures that accompany speech are related to both verbal and spatial processes. We argue that gestures emerge from perceptual and motor simulations that underlie embodied language and mental imagery. We first review current thinking about embodied cognition, embodied language, and embodied mental imagery. We then provide evidence that gestures stem from spatial representations and mental images. We then propose the gestures-as-simulated-action framework to explain how gestures might arise from an embodied cognitive system. Finally, we compare this framework with other current models of gesture production, and we briefly outline predictions that derive from the framework.

This study aimed to: i) compare the number of decisions made in official matches between youth academy and professional soccer players and ii) compare the quality and speed of decision-making between youth academy and professional players. In experiment 1 we assessed 12 soccer matches (7 professional and 5 academy matches) through notational analysis. In experiment 2 we assessed 138 soccer players from professional (n = 42) and academy (n = 96) levels. The TacticUP® was used to assess game reading and decision-making skills. Results indicated that professional players make around 56% more decisions than youth academy players in official matches of their respective tournaments. In addition, professional players are quicker in making decisions for all match situations: with the ball (offensive phase), without the ball (offensive and defensive phases), near and distant from the ball. Based on the results, we verified that both in situ (official match) and in vitro (controlled test) situations the speed of decision-making was a distinguishing feature of performance between professional and youth academy players. Keywords: football; game reading; perceptual-cognitive skills; perceptual-motor skills; response time; talent development.

Introduction: One way to qualify training and consequently improve players' performance is through comparative analysis by means of contextual variables, such as match status. This type of contextual variable provides information about the players' behaviour according to the different game scenarios. Hence, assessing players' tactical behaviour in SSGs in different match status provides information regarding a context that supports the teaching process in soccer. Objective: This study aimed to compare soccer players' tactical behavioural small-sided games according to match status. Methods: The sample was comprised of 62 U-17 male Brazilian top-level academy players (16.9 ± 0.6 y/o) who compete at national level. In order to establish the match status, the momentary result of a game was considered (winning, losing, or drawing). Players performed 4.988 tactical actions (1030actions in winning, 2928actions in drawing, and 1030actions in losing scenarios). These actions were coded by the System of Tactical Assessment in Soccer (FUT-SAT), which was used to assess players' tactical behaviour based on the core tactical principles of soccer. To line-up teams in a balanced manner, players' game reading and decision-making skills were assessed through the TacticUP® video test for soccer, also based on the core tactical principles of soccer, and the general index provided by the test was used. The comparison between match status was made through the Kruskal-Wallis test. Results: Results indicated that, while winning, players displayed higher tactical behaviour efficiency for the principles of offensive coverage, defensive coverage, as well as higher overall defensive efficiency, compared to the losing match status(p < .05). The comparison of drawing and losing match statuses showed that, when drawing, players displayed higher tactical behaviour efficiency for the overall defensive efficiency (p < .05).Conclusions: We conclude that match status influences the tactical behaviour of U-17 soccer players in small-sided games, based on the core tactical principles. In winning scenarios, players displayed more efficient tactical behaviours, mainly in actions near the ball in both offensive and defensive situations (offensive coverage and defensive coverage principles), as well as higher overall defensive efficiency compared to when they were losing. Moreover, in drawing scenarios, players displayed higher tactical behaviour efficiency for the overall defensive efficiency compared to losing situations. Finally, this study was the first to assess the core tactical principles using complementary instruments (TacticUP® and FUT-SAT) that evaluated both game reading and decision-making skills, as well as tactical behaviour.1Red Bull Bragantino, Department of Soccer, BRAZIL

The relation between early numeracy and motor skills has previously been examined, however, different results have been obtained depending on whether gross, fine, or perceptual-motor skills were considered in the study and the numeracy outcomes that were analyzed. The goal of the present research was to examine the relation between preschool children’s performance on two assessments of symbolic numeracy and gross, fine, and perceptual-motor skills. A total of one-hundred-and-twenty-three Mexican preschool children were assessed on their gross, fine, and perceptual-motor skills, their numeracy skills (i.e., applied problem-solving and symbolic number comparison) their numeracy precursor skills (i.e., number identification, cardinality and verbal counting), inhibitory control and visual-spatial working memory. Results from hierarchical linear regressions showed that applied problem-solving was predicted only by children’s numeracy precursor skills while the ability to compare two symbolic numbers was significantly predicted only by perceptual-motor skills. The study highlights the importance of perceptual-motor skills to children’s early numeracy learning. Keywords: Early numeracy skills; motor skills; perceptual-motor skills; preschool children.

Objective: Many children suffering from attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show problems in executive functions (EF), which reflect neuronal pathways from perception to controlled action. Treatment approaches that improve executive functions may prevent a negative cycle of failures in students. Hence, this research aims to study the efficacy of the perceptual-motor skills reconstruction program on EF in children with ADHD while considering cognitive flexibility, abstract verbal skills, response inhibition, and working memory. Also, its effect on clinical ADHD symptoms should be considered. Method: The research design included pretest, posttest, and a follow-up after six months. The sample included third-grade school children with ADHD (50 students, aged 8–10 years, boys and girls) who were referred to the Child Psychology Clinic, Iran, Mashhad 2018–2019. After clinical assessment for ADHD, children were randomly assigned to an experimental (n = 25) and a waiting control (n = 25) group. The experimental group received the perceptual-motor skills reconstruction program for 16 sessions (three times per week, i.e., five weeks and one session in the sixth week). Delis–Kaplan executive function system (D-KEFS) was applied at three measurement points (M1–3) in order to test for changes over time. Results: Data analysis (analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with post-hoc-testing) showed that there was a significantly better performance of experimental versus waiting control group at posttest (M2) and follow-up (M3) for cognitive flexibility (t(24) = 4.9, df = 14, p < 0.0001), abstract verbal skills (t(24) = 3.5, df = 14, p < 0.004), response inhibition (t(24) = 7.54, df = 14, p < 0.0001) and working memory (t(24) = 12.69, df = 14, p < 0.004). Further, Conners-Scales-Score improved for the experimental group. Conclusions: Training with perceptual-motor skills reconstruction program clearly improved the trained variables (i.e., cognitive flexibility, abstract verbal skills, response inhibition, and working memory) and clinical symptoms of the children with ADHD. The obtained training may lead in practice to better preconditions for successfully handling daily tasks at school and in society.

Expertise studies into visual perceptual-motor skills have mainly focused their investigation upon group comparisons rather than individual comparisons. This study investigated the pick-up of visual information to time weight transfer and bat kinematics within an exemplar group of striking sport experts using an in situ temporal occlusion paradigm. Highly skilled cricket batsmen faced bowlers and attempted to strike delivered balls, whilst their vision was either temporally occluded through occlusion glasses prior to ball bounce or not occluded (control condition). A chronometric analysis was conducted on trials in the occlusion condition to quantify the pick-up of visual information to time biomechanical variables. Results indicated that initiation of weight transfer and bat downswing, as well as bat downswing completion, was significantly different between some individual batsmen. No significant difference was found between individual batsmen for time of weight transfer completion. Unexpectedly, it was found that achievement of the goal to strike delivered balls, that is, the frequency of bat-ball contacts was not significantly different between batsmen. Collectively, the findings indicate that individual differences exist in the coordination pattern of a complex whole body visual perceptual-motor skill, but these different patterns are used to achieve a similar outcome, which is known as motor equivalence.