The "gold standard" measure of the human startle eyeblink response is the ocular electromyogram (EMG). However, EMG measurement is not always feasible, as with special populations or during functional neuroimaging. We evaluated an alternative, nonelectrical, noncontact measure that uses infrared (IR) light reflected from the eye. By simultaneously recording IR and EMG during an acoustic prepulse inhibition of startle paradigm, we were able to directly compare the two measures and evaluate the relative reliability and validity of the IR measure as an index of startle response modulation. Although fewer responses were detected using IR than EMG, both measures were equally sensitive to prepulse modulation of response amplitude, latency, and probability. We conclude that when the goal is simply to assess the effects of a prepulse on the startle response, IR reflectance is an adequate alternative to EMG.
We assessed the degree to which obesity affects political candidate evaluation using self-report and physiological assessments. Fifty-four participants were assigned to 1 of 4 experimental conditions that manipulated candidate body weight and sex. On the basis of participant self-report, male obese versus nonobese candidates were evaluated more positively (p < .01); in contrast, participants’ startle eyeblink responses when viewing males did not differ. No differences were noted for female candidates based on participant self-report, although significantly larger eyeblink responses (indicative of negative affect) were documented when viewing obese versus nonobese females (p < .01). Weight bias in political contexts exists, and bias against obese female candidates might be captured better by objective assessments. These findings suggest that the evaluation of political candidates, particularly female candidates, is likely influenced by voter perceptions about obesity in addition to the candidate’s political ideology.
RESULTS:The mean SPS score was 50.5 (±15.2). A majority of participants (77.5%) were classified as active. Most participants preferred to engage in moderate-intensity exercise (60.3%), preferred to exercise outdoors (46.9%), and preferred to exercise alone (61.3%). Increasing SPS was associated with an increased likelihood of being classified as insufficiently active/sedentary (p = .047; OR = 1.03; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.07). Increasing SPS was also associated with a decreased likelihood of preferring vigorous-intensity exercise (p = .017; OR = .95; 95% CI: .92, .99). SPS was not associated with other exercise-related preferences. CONCLUSION: Individuals who score higher in SPS may be less likely to exercise, and if they do exercise, they may prefer to avoid vigorous-intensity activities. More research is needed to:(1) examine additional factors associated with exercise among individuals with high SPS; (2) determine whether associations between SPS and exercise vary according to cardiorespiratory and/or muscular fitness; and (3) develop and evaluate exercise interventions for individuals high in SPS.
Enhancing fireteam lethality remains a key priority for the U.S. Army. Along with team dynamics, individual marksmanship performance is a core contributor to a fireteam’s lethality. When considering factors that affect marksmanship performance, an individual’s visual sensory and perceptual traits have been identified as having some of the most influential impacts, however, these insights have primarily been drawn from studies wherein participants completed individually based marksmanship tasks. From an operational perspective, Soldiers are more likely to engage in combat at the team level or higher, and thus, research investigating the effect of individual traits in the context of a team marksmanship task is warranted. The goal of this research is to evaluate individual traits by quantifying relationships between visual traits and marksmanship performance during a team marksmanship task and assess which traits are well defined between high and low performing individuals on the team. This research was completed using data from a cohort of 38 male, Infantry Soldiers who completed a simulated team shooting scenario (TSS) in teams of three at a 72-hour field exercise. Prior to the study onset, visual trait information was collected from each participant, to include dynamic visual acuity, field of view, and useful field of view data. These traits were compared to marksmanship performance gathered from the TSS task. The scenario represented an escalating firing engagement over five minutes. In this engagement, teams were situated in the center of a circle of 28 LED targets, which they were required to scan and engage when a designated hostile was displayed. During the scenario, the LED targets were dormant until activated at various times in different shapes to represent hostile or friendly targets. Weapon-attached sensor technology provided shot timing and placement data which was used to calculate team marksmanship outcomes (i.e., probability of target hits, percent of targets engaged).To explore the relationship between visual traits and marksmanship performance, a correlation analysis was conducted using baseline visual trait data and the TSS marksmanship data. Results of the analysis revealed a strong relationship between central vision processing and probability of hit (r = .32, p = .06). To assess differences in central vision processing between high and low skilled performers (high performers had a p(hit) greater than .3, N = 19), an independent t-test was conducted with marksmanship performance group as the independent variable and central vision processing accuracy as the dependent variable. Results of this analysis revealed a statistically significant difference (t(35) = 2.11, p = 0.04, d = .68), between the top half of performers (M = .92, SD = .03) and the bottom half of performers (M = .87, SD = .08). These results suggest that individuals with higher visual processing capabilities are more likely to perform better in realistic operational engagements with a dynamic setting requiring sector scanning. Findings of this study provide initial evidence that technological or training enhancements to marksmanship performance should consider addressing deficits in or augmenting central visual processing to improve probability of hit on the intended target.
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