<p> Developing research, anecdotal evidence and a growing focus on non-pharmacological interventions for veterans with post-traumatic stress support the use equine-therapy as a therapeutic outlet; however, programmatic factors that contribute to veteran&rsquo;s desire to attend such programs are under-investigated. Furthermore, evaluative processes in equine therapy for this particular population are scare and vary greatly from program to program. The use of the Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) tool when applied to social services yields direct, applicable feedback of program success and relevancy. In this study, interviews with the selected population informed the evaluation tool used to assess the importance, and subsequent performance, of various program factors in a national military-specific equine therapy program. Results of this study provided insight into key factors being sought after in similar equine therapy programs to inform the development and maintenance of programs serving the veteran population. The application of the IPA, a consumer feedback tool typically reserved for market research, to the health and human services sector provided a new pathway for quality assurance and program analysis for the equine therapy field.</p><p>

<p> Feedback representing a performer's success for a given response has long been considered a critical factor in motor learning. Numerous studies of learning from augmented feedback have produced ambiguous guidelines for frequency design-some have recommended minimal feedback, whereas others have advocated more extensive feedback. Due to conflicting opinions regarding the frequency of Knowledge of Results, this study aimed to identify how young and old adults retain motor skills when two different frequency schedules of augmented feedback, everytrial and bandwidth are provided in acquisition. The participants performed a ballistic lever movement pattern involving four different target locations in a 1-day retention test. Behavioral outcomes and kinematic movement patterns were analyzed from two groups, young adults (20-30 years) and old adults (above 71 years) from a previously completed experiment. Results revealed that in both the age groups, bandwidth feedback promoted motor learning as compared to every-trial feedback. Further, bandwidth feedback promoted slower movements with longer durations as compared to an every-trial feedback schedule. Additionally, no significant interaction of age with any of the feedback conditions was found, suggesting that the effects of augmented feedback on motor learning are similar in young and old adults. </p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-07, Section: B, page: 4424. Adviser: Youngkhill Lee. Title from dissertation home page (viewed Apr. 21, 2008).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-11, Section: B, page: 7293. Adviser: Karl Rosengren. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-119) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-11, Section: B, page: 7295. Adviser: Weimo Zhu. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 101-121) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

<p>This study replicated a mixed-methods, controlled experimental study conducted in 2010, using a game developed for balance rehabilitation and used with a population of survivors of stroke, to gather more data on the strengths and weaknesses of the rehabilitation tool and opinion of its potential effect as an intervention on persons with Spinal Cord Injury, undergoing outpatient treatment at a spinal cord injury center. This data will provide a base for further improvements in the design and use of the tool in therapeutic settings. </p>

<p> Research on motor learning between old and young adults has shown that young adults benefit from high levels contextual interference (CI) and perform faster than older adults. This project analyzed retention performance in young and older adults with high CI and low CI from a previously completed study for insights about similarities and differences in motor retention. Specifically, young (21-39 years) and old (>71 years) participants performed under random (high CI) and blocked (low CI) practice to determine which practice condition facilitated the retention of motor performance. Participants moved the lever either in random or in blocked fashion to achieve a target position of20&deg;, 30&deg;, 40&deg;, and 50&deg;. Data analysis was completed for movement accuracy and the movement pattern kinematics. Results indicated that random practice led to accurate motor skill learning than blocked practice; older adults were slower as compared to young; but, there was no age related difference found in terms of movement accuracy and consistency. These findings indicate that older adults move slower, but appear to learn movements in similar way to their younger cohorts.</p>

Thèse (M.Sc.)--Université de Sherbrooke (Canada), 2008. / Titre de l'écran-titre (visionné le 1 février 2007). In ProQuest dissertations and theses. Publié aussi en version papier.