Executive function (EF) skills are the attention-regulation skills that make it possible to sustain attention, keep goals and information in mind, refrain from responding immediately, resist distraction, tolerate frustration, consider the consequences of different behaviors, reflect on past experiences, and plan for the future. As EF research…

Boys with (n=16) and without (n=18) intellectual disability (ID) performed the Wingate Anaerobic Test (WAnT) on two separate occasions. Comparable levels of reliability and agreement were found on the WAnT for both groups. However, the performances of boys with ID were more variable, less powerful, and resulted in lower post-exercise blood lactose…

This study attempted to (1) determine whether stroke patients (n=20) can safely increase their walking speed above that of comfortable walking; (2) describe the relationship between comfortable and maximum safe walking speed; and (3) examine correlations between maximum and comfortable speeds and a functional walking score. Subjects were able to…

This study, with 46 college students, found that participation in exercise, music, and exercise with music increased fluency aspects of creativity but not originality or elaboration. (DB)

Bi-articular, unidirectional arm movements were studied to evaluate the electromyographic (EMG) and neuromuscular force patterns that occur when a limb is unexpectedly perturbed. A series of training trials were continued with a control load spring attached to the apparatus until a pre-specified criterion for learning was attained. The limb was…

The role of autonomic arousal in feeling states has long been of interest to psychologists. To examine the necessity of arousal for an effective mood induction, 60 college students were instructed either to exercise vigorously (high arousal group), exercise lightly with a rest period (low arousal group), or complete a questionnaire (no arousal…

Although positive physiological and psychological changes may occur as a result of exercise, many people do not exercise regularly. Either different methods to ensure exercise adherence must be examined or new ways of acquiring the desired changes must be found. The effectiveness of one alternative method, electronic muscle stimulation, was…

The effects of two levels of exercise (walking versus jogging) in suppressing the self-stimulatory behavior during academic programming of a 5-year-old boy with autism were examined. Decreased physical self-stimulation and "out of seat" behavior were found only for the jogging condition. Sharp reductions in these behaviors did not return…

An attempt to replicate previous studies showing a positive effect of antecedent exercise on problem behavior found no consistent changes in problem behaviors for six adults with severe mental retardation exposed to either daily jogging or leisure games (attention control). (Author/DB)

This study examined effects of a 16-week aerobic exercise training program on the cardiovascular fitness and body composition of 30 students with visual impairments. In comparison with traditional physical education provided to sighted students, the exercise training program resulted in a significant increase in cardiovascular fitness and a…

This study investigated the relationship between habitual physical activity and aerobic capacity in 30 blind and 30 sighted adolescents. Both physical activity and maximal oxygen consumption were significantly higher among the sighted adolescents. A minimum of 30 minutes of daily activity at a minimal oxygen consumption of 8 METs (resting…

Correspondence between verbal and nonverbal behavior in an exercise room was taught to 4 13-year-old boys with moderate mental retardation. Subjects were taught to state their exercise intentions before exercising and report, after exercising, what exercise they had performed. (Author/DB)

A study compared physiologic responses of healthy paraplegic males to those of healthy, able-bodied males during maximal arm ergometry. Fifteen able-bodied, healthy adult males and 13 healthy adult male paraplegics followed an exercise program involving heart rate, increased exercise loads, and oxygen uptake. Results from an analysis of the data…

The effects of a variable-ratio schedule of reinforcement on pedaling a stationary exercise bicycle were examined with 3 obese and 3 nonobese 11-year-old boys over a 12-week period. The intervention resulted in systematic increases in rate of exercise for all subjects. (Author/DB)

Discusses how student journals can be used as a way to incorporate writing into the engineering curriculum. Reports on a study done at Northeastern University which indicated that students responded positively to the journal-keeping requirement. (TW)