Introduction: The present study was designed to investigate the effect of visual and skill training on learning forehand drive in table tennis and motor-perceptual abilities (reaction time, coincidence-anticipation timing, eye-hand coordination, and depth perception).Materials and Methods: Forty volunteer female students (Mean±SD age: 21.50±0.78 years) were selected and randomly assigned to one of four groups (each group had 10 participants): visual and tennis training group, visual training group, tennis training group, and control group. Motor perceptual abilities (reaction time, coincidence-anticipation timing, eye-hand coordination, and depth perception) and forehand drive performance were measured before and after the training period, and also after 24 h retention period. After the pretest, including the accuracy of the kicks test for assessment of forehand drive in table tennis and motor-perceptual test, the experimental groups underwent four weeks (three sessions per week) of visual training, table tennis forehand training, or both. The control group followed their normal daily life for the whole study period. Then, they participated in the posttest and 24 h later in the retention test of kick accuracy.Results: The results revealed that visual and table tennis training, visual training, and table tennis training had a significant effect on the reaction time (P=0.001), coincidence-anticipation timing (P=0.001) and eye-hand coordination (error time) (P=0.01). Moreover, visual and tennis training and table tennis training had a significant effect on the acquisition (P=0.001) and retention of forehand drive (P=0.005). Besides, the post hoc LSD (Least Significant Difference) test showed that visual and tennis training had a more significant impact on the learning forehand drive. Visual training and tennis training had a significant effect on eye-hand coordination (number of errors). The three types of training programs were not effective in the depth of perception.Conclusion: Visual training can be used as a supplementary program in the athletes’ training schedule.

Inhibition of return (IOR) is a phenomenon characterized by slower responses to targets at cued locations relative to those at uncued locations. Based on the results of previous research, it has been suggested that IOR affects a process at the input end of the processing continuum when it is generated while the reflexive oculomotor system is suppressed (cf. Satel, Hilchey, Wang, Story, & Klein, 2013). To test this theory, we employed a modified psychological refractory period paradigm designed to elicit input IOR with visual stimuli, allowing us to use the locus-of-slack logic to determine whether an early or late stage of processing was inhibited by IOR. On each trial a visual cue was presented, followed by an auditory target (T1) and visual target (T2) separated by a target-target onset asynchrony (TTOA) of varying lengths (200 ms, 400 ms, or 800 ms). Participants (31 young adults) were instructed to ignore the cue and respond to the targets as quickly and accurately as possible. Eye tracking was used to ensure that participants actively suppressed eye movements during trials. As predicted, the inhibitory effect of the cue was observed at the longest TTOA but not when TTOAs were short, supporting our hypothesis that, when generated while the reflexive oculomotor system is suppressed, IOR affects processing before response selection. (PsycINFO Database Record

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Introduction: The present study aimed to investigate the effect of cognitive training on learning through dart-throwing skills. Methods: Forty third-and fourth-grade students of the primary school were voluntarily selected. This study was conducted in two-phase. In the first phase, in other to cognitive enhancement, cognitive training was performed, and in the second phase, dart-throwing training was performed using the common methods of observational learning. In the first phase, the pre-test was performed, and groups were matched based on age and pre-test scores, and they were divided into two groups of cognitive exercise and no cognitive exercise (n=20). The cognitive group was given eight sessions of cognitive training with an emphasis on tasks related to executive functions. Then, both groups received the cognitive test. Pre and post cognitive tests were performed using Corsiblack software. In the second phase, groups were divided into two groups of 10 observational+physical and physical groups. Dart-throwing skill pre-test was then taken from groups. Four groups performed 3-session dart-throwing training (20 throws), with exception of observation+physical group in which they observe the skilled model of dart-throwing. Then again, the post-test was taken at the end of the second phase from all four group. Results: Cognitive+observational+physical group performed significantly better on the Dart post-test. Conclusion: Considering the result of the study, it could suggest that if cognitive training enhances cognitive skills underlying observational learning, it will improve the speed of the learning through observation on dart throwing skills.