PDFE 3

I watched a Braves game on television against the Nationals to complete my PDFE. I observed reaction time when a batter came to the plate, the ball was pitched, and the time it took for the stimulus to leave a batters brain to the time it took for the batter to actually swing and make contact (or in our case not make contact) with the ball. I observed hicks law when there was a runner on base and a pitcher was trying to decide whether to throw to the occupied base or to the batter at home. The pitches tended to take longer because they had more decisions to process before they acted (or initiated a stimulus). When a pitch is thrown in baseball and a runner on second starts to run toward third because they think the hitter will make progress along the bases. This initial reaction to run is a result of reaction time, but when the batter gets a strike instead of a hit the runner has to run back to second before he is thrown or tagged out. This return to base is a psychological refractory period because the brain is convicted to do one thing when the entire stimulus must be turned around and the brain must be told and convinced that it is actually going to do something different. An accurate interpretation of a pitch both spatially and temporally should result in a hit. However, when there are other circumstances involved a hitter often isn’t just focused on two aspects of his response. This inability to correctly interpret the spatial and temporal stimulus results in a strike.

PDFE 2

This week I observed the Clara Bowl Cross Country Invitational. The race hosted about 3,000 runners and was hosted at Berry College on Saturday, September 4. Since this activity was a running race there was obvious locomotor movement in the running athletes. There was manipulative movement when the runners funneled through the chute to get their tags removed and to rehydrate. This manipulative movement came mostly from the picking up of the water cup after their five kilometer race. The athletes had to coordinate their hand to mouth to get a viable use of the object they were attempting to drink from. Lastly stability was executed also after the race when the runners were finishing because their bodies were so fatigued most wanted to fall over. They were warned not to do this to avoid cramping. This constant standing used their muscles as they balanced, stood, stretched, and even breathed continuously after the race.
The runners used their legs (quads, hamstrings, and calfs) for example as part of their gross movement. This was the muscle group that propelled them forward through the three point something mile race. The runners had to use their fine motor skills however when developing strategy, getting nourishment after the race, and getting out of the chute. The task these runners completed was a continuous motor skill. This is because while each strike of the runner has a discrete beginning and end the entire movement as a whole is more fluid. I believe this exercise was completed with some decision making. I say this because the majority of running would be learned motor movement because it requires so much practice muscle get accustomed to the activity. What would have taken some thinking is strategizing and running on a course that you may not know.
I would consider the environmental predictability of this activity to be open. There are so many people running in each race and you never know who or what will be going on around you at any moment. The environment would be predictable however if you knew the course and were comfortable running by yourself at certain points in the race.

PDFE 1

I observed an upper level dance class for an hour. There were six female students from Berry College ranging in year from freshman to junior. The class was dance troupe which engages the students previous dance skills, improves on their techniques, teaches them new styles, and performs for children in the community. The class was held in one of the multipurpose room in the Cage Center. The class takes place every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 2-3 PM. I observed on Wednesday August 27, 2010.
The activities were monitored and difficult but with a proper background in dance the materials were safe. The teacher also gave options to the students if they felt too uncomfortable doing a certain stretch or move.
o Are the students/participants actually learning or enhancing movement skills?
The students were enhancing range of motion by heavy stretching, learning new choreography which engaged not only their body but also their mind. Through this class the members were enhancing themselves as dancers by creating a better full body engagement.
The students moved the majority of the time except when they were sitting into their stretches or holding them.
The activities seemed appropriate for those who had dance experience however if they were new to the art it would be difficult to mesh well and perform some of the step, stretches, and dances.
If I taught the activity I would try and go from a beginner level to make sure that everyone was on the same page. I think it would engage the learning of the class more if everyone had similar fundamentals.
The dance students seemed to greatly enjoy the activity other than the pain that it may have inflicted. They laughed and had fun randomly for the whole hour.
The teaching style was very appropriate for females but it would have been interesting to see a male mixed in the group.