Does verbalizing a previously-seen complex visual stimulus influence its subsequent recollection? We investigated this question by examining the mediating role played by expertise level in fencing on the effects of verbalizing upon visual memory. Participants with three distinct levels of expertise in fencing (novices, intermediates, experts) performed seven trials. In each trial, they first watched four times a short video that displayed fencing movements. Then, half of them verbalized the previously-seen visual stimulus (i.e., the verbalization group), the other half carried out a hidden-word task (i.e., the non-verbalization group). Finally, all the participants were asked to recognize the previously-seen fencing movements amongst novel fencing movements. Overall, verbalizing improved recognition for novices, altered recognition for intermediates, and had no effect for experts. These findings replicated the classical verbal-overshadowing effect, while extending it to a more conceptual material. They also point out to some potential benefits and costs of verbalizing on visual memory, depending on the level of expertise.
Geometrical fencing is a scientific approach to fencing pioneered by Camillo Agrippa in the XVIth century which consists of characterizing the geometrical structure of fencing movements. Many geometrical spaces are involved in a duel, which evolve over time according to the skills of the fencers and the game rules. In this article, the concept of motion scheme is introduced as a flexible geometrical structure to represent fencing spaces evolving over time. The method is applied to the video of a duel of the Olympic games 2016. Five main results are presented. First, decisive actions of the duel are deduced from the distance between fencers. Second, footwork is reconstructed from horizontal movements of the feet. Third, a kinematic model is developed and compared with data in the literature. Fourth, the lunge attack is characterized and compared with data in the literature. Fifth, the role of the free hand is studied in the case of protective and balancing gestures. These findings provide rich information on the geometrical structure of fencing movements as well as on the tactical-strategic choices made by the fencers in real competition conditions. Finally, four applications illustrate the scientific value of motion schemes in fencing and other sports.
Abstract:We studied a pure coordination game in which swimmers had to agree on the distance that they would swim underwater up a line after diving into a swimming pool. The swimmers were not able to communicate with each other. To win the game, the swimmer had to surface at exactly the same point as his partner. This pure coordination game was played by 81 swimmers, 43 of whom then put their decisions into practice in a 25-metre pool. The results revealed the presence of two Schelling points. One point (at 12.5 metres) was that predicted by theory and corresponded to half the maximum possible distance. The other Schelling point (at 25 metres) was practical in nature and reflected a taste for underwater swimming-even though performance (in terms of the distance swum underwater) was not relevant in this game. The results show that swimmers underestimate their water competence when they are not subjected to a competitive challenge.
Depending on historical periods and individual perspectives, fencing has been defined in various ways. Indeed, fencing has been regarded as an art, and/or a science, and/or a sport, and/or a game. This paper shows that those various attempts to define fencing throughout history are strategies aiming to conceal the founding violence of fencing (although these strategies do not prevent the emergence of further forms of violence). The study demonstrates that these strategies pertain to semantics, to regulation and codification of fencing, and to more recent phenomena which are linked to the deterritorialization of the practice of fencing.
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