Different neural systems underlie the evaluation of different types of errors. Recent electroencephalographic evidence suggests that outcome errors -- errors indicating the failure to achieve a movement goal -- are evaluated within medial-frontal cortex (Krigolson and Holroyd 2006, 2007a, b). Conversely, evidence from a variety of manual aiming studies has demonstrated that target errors -- discrepancies between the actual and desired motor command brought about by an unexpected change in the movement environment -- are mediated within posterior parietal cortex (e.g., Desmurget et al. 1999, 2001; Diedrichsen et al. 2005). Here, event-related brain potentials (ERP) were recorded to assess medial-frontal and parietal ERP components associated with the evaluation of outcome and target errors during performance of a manual aiming task. In line with previous results (Krigolson and Holroyd 2007a), we found that target perturbations elicited an ERP component with a parietal scalp distribution, the P300. However, the timing of kinematic changes associated with accommodation of the target perturbations relative to the timing of the P300 suggests that the P300 component was not related to the online control of movement. Instead, we believe that the P300 evoked by target perturbations reflects the updating of an internal model of the movement environment. Our results also revealed that an error-related negativity, an ERP component typically associated with the evaluation of speeded response errors and error feedback, was elicited when participants missed the movement target. Importantly, this result suggests that a reinforcement learning system within medial-frontal cortex may play a role in improving subsequent motor output.

Objectives: To describe the predisposing, enabling and reinforcing factors influencing the levels of physical activity among Canadian youth (ages 12-24). Methods: Analyses of the 1996-97 National Population Health Survey (NPHS) were conducted using data collected from female (n=6195) and male (n=5925) Canadians aged 12-24 years. The data were analyzed using correlational, ANOVA and regression procedures with post hoc analyses (Bonferroni) employed where applicable. Results: Compared to males, Canadian female youth were found to be less physically active, more concerned about being overweight, more depressed, and to consult mental health professionals more frequently. On the other hand, females were more likely to report greater social support than males and to be more socially involved. Those adolescents who smoke tend to be less physically active and, along with those who consume alcohol, have poorer health. Discussion: The significant predisposing, enabling and reinforcing factors influencing youths' physical activity levels more profoundly affect females. The results are discussed in terms of strategies for enabling physical activity available in the literature. In addition to individual determinants influencing physical activity, a move toward understanding policy and environmental factors is recommended for further research. La traduction du résumé se trouve à la fin de l'article.

The specificity of practice hypothesis predicts the development of a sensorimotor representation specific to the afferent feedback available during skill acquisition (Proteau, 1992; Proteau, Marteniuk, Girouard, & Dugas, 1987). In the present investigation, we used the specificity of practice hypothesis to test whether skill acquisition through visual imagery would lead to the development of a sensory-specific movement representation similar to one resulting from actual practice. To accomplish this objective, participants practiced walking a 12-m linear path in one of three practice conditions, full-vision (FV), no-vision (NV), or visual imagery (VI), for either 10 or 100 trials. Knowledge of spatial and/or temporal results (KR) was provided to participants following each trial during this phase. Following acquisition, participants completed 10 NV trials without KR. An analysis of root-mean-squared-error (RMSE) indicated NV participants were more accurate than both FV and VI participants in the transfer condition. We believe the equivalence in transfer RMSE between FV and VI suggests that there are similarities between the movement representations attained by FV and VI practice.

This article reports the findings of a university’s pilot project documenting the impact of an intervention entitled Course (Re)design for Internationalization Workshop (CRIW) on faculty perspectives and their subsequent willingness to engage in internationalization of the curriculum. Two main theories, transformative learning (Mezirow, 1991) and faculty development (Ramsden, 2003) in the approach adopted for the CRIW (Saroyan & Amundsen, 2004) informed this study and its procedures. This theoretical framework is congruent with Bennett’s (1993) developmental model of intercultural sensitivity. Data collection for this study consisted of pre- and post-CRIW questionnaires, interviews, and workshop artifacts. Interpretative qualitative analysis of the data showed that faculty engaged in the process at a very deep level and reported intellectual changes in their perspectives. Also, they demonstrated a willingness to change their conceptual and practical understandings of the process of internationalization of the curriculum. In conclusion, we found that the participants’ transformation and perspectives were in line with the theoretical bases of the original intervention designed by Saroyan, Amundsen, McAlpine, Weston, Winer, and Gandell (2004). Also, this pilot project reiterates the need for curricular reform, faculty development, and institutional structures to support internationalization of the curriculum on a larger scale. Cet article présente les résultats d’une étude pilote visant à mesurer l’impact d’un « atelier pédagogique pour l’internationalisation des cours » sur les perspectives des enseignantes et enseignants ainsi que sur leur volonté d’accroître la dimension internationale de leurs cours à l’université. La méthodologie adoptée pour organiser l’atelier s’inspire du travail de Saroyan & Amundsen (2004) et repose principalement sur deux théories : l’apprentissage transformateur (Mezirow, 1991) et le développement du corps professoral (Ramsden, 2003). Notre cadre théorique s’inscrit également dans la continuité des travaux de Bennett (1993) sur les modèles de croissance de la sensibilité interculturelle. Les données ont été recueillies par questionnaire (avant et après l’atelier) et entrevue, et les documents produits lors de l’atelier ont aussi été analysés. Une analyse qualitative révèle que les enseignants participants s’engagent à fond dans le processus d’adaptation de leurs cours et que leurs perspectives sur le concept d’internationalisation se transforment au niveau cognitif. Nos participants ont par ailleurs fait preuve d’une volonté évidente d’altérer leur compréhension pratique et conceptuelle du processus d’internationalisation du curriculum. En conclusion, cette étude montre que la transformation vécue par les participants, tant sur le plan de leurs perspectives que de leur compréhension du processus, correspond avec les bases théoriques sur lesquelles repose le travail original de Saroyan, Amundsen, McAlpine, Weston, Winer, and Gandell (2004). En outre, notre étude pilote démontre le besoin de renouveler nos programmes, d’encourager le développement professionnel des professeures et professeurs d’université et d’instituer des structures permettant le soutien de l’internationalisation du curriculum à plus grande échelle.

An internationalized curriculum requires that we extend our actions far beyond concerns of course content to include pedagogies that promote cross‐cultural understanding and facilitate the development of the knowledge, skills, and values that will enable students, both domestic and international, to successfully engage with others in an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world.