Talent, can you spot it? - 10.1 - research Flashcards
Abbott and Collins (2002)
Sport Interactive is a talent identification (TI) program that matches young people to sport based on proficiency on 11 simple physical and performance tasks. An evaluation of the program with Scottish girls (n5 1217, mean age 5 12.68 years) and boys (n 5 1239, mean age 5 12.54 years) identified a number of problems. Firstly, although talent is
conceptualized as static, children are evaluated on unstable variables. Additionally, the proposed correlation between proficiency on the Sport Interactive tasks and specific sport aptitude lacks theoretical justification. Finally, problems accrued from the use of Australian norms to interpret the performances of Scottish children. It is concluded that models that are based on a static and uni-dimensional concept of talent are likely to lead to the premature de-selection of many talented children. An alternative TID process that is based on a dynamic and multi-dimensional concept of talent is discussed.
Gullich and Emrich (2012)
German athletes
adolescent success = early specification model
senior world class success = early diversification model
The developmental practice patterns leading to the highest levels of success remain a subject of debate. The present study purposes to extend the body of empirical research by analysing athletic biographies from a large sample of German national squad athletes across all Olympic sports (n1558; 57% male, 43% female). In a combined retrospective and longitudinal study utilising postal questionnaires, we evaluated the age at onset, volume, domain-specificity, variability in training and competition and success attained at different ages. Developmental practice patterns leading to rapid adolescent success and long-term senior success were inconsistent, and in some aspects contradictory. An early start-age for training and competition, early specialisation, high-intensity specific practice in the respective domain sport and little or no involvement in other sports (OS) favoured early adolescent success. Juvenile success, however, did not contribute to individual differences in success achieved at a senior age (0.09BrsB0.03). Senior world class performers differed from national class athletes in a later age for onset of training and competition in their domain sport, later specialisation (14.4 vs. 12.1 years), more involvement in OS (training 66% vs. 51%; competitions 53% vs. 39%), but not in practice volume in their domain sport at any age. Findings were confirmed with longitudinal testing and were widely consistent across types of sports. These findings are interpreted relative to correspondence to deliberate practice and DMSP frameworks while drawing on the concept of long-term sustainability.
Johnson et al. (2008)
Research addressing elite athletes tends to either identify differences between high-level and low-level performers or the developmental histories of elite athletes. The current study culls input from six individuals who simultaneously coach both elite (e.g., World Record holders) and nonelite (e.g., regional-level) swimmers, and have done so for an extended period of time, thereby filling a void in the literature by providing their
opinions and perceptions regarding how athletic performance differences develop. Responses by participants to the open-ended question, “What do
you feel contributes to a swimmer achieving top performances (e.g., World Records) vs. excellent performances (e.g., a Top-8 finish at NCAAs)?” were
analyzed. Emergent categories (i.e., intrapersonal, interpersonal, lifestyle, training, environment, and a systemic interaction among these) are presented and an interpretation is offered. Additionally, a critique of the
methods implemented herein is offered and future research directions are proposed.
Phillips et al. (2010)
Research on expertise, talent identification and development has tended to be mono-disciplinary, typically adopting genocentric or environmentalist positions, with an overriding focus on operational issues. In this paper, the
validity of dualist positions on sport expertise is evaluated. It is argued that, to advance understanding of expertise and talent development, a shift towards a multidisciplinary and integrative science focus is necessary, along with the development of a comprehensive multidisciplinary theoretical rationale. Here we elucidate dynamical systems theory as a multidisciplinary theoretical rationale for capturing how multiple interacting constraints can
shape the development of expert performers. This approach suggests that talent development programmes should eschew the notion of common optimal performance models, emphasize the individual nature of pathways to
expertise, and identify the range of interacting constraints that impinge on performance potential of individual athletes, rather than evaluating current performance on physical tests referenced to group norms.
Puthucheary et al. (2011)
Some 12 years ago, a polymorphism of the angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) gene became the first genetic element shown to impact substantially on human physical performance. The renin-angiotensin system
(RAS) exists not just as an endocrine regulator, but also within local tissue and cells, where it serves a variety of functions. Functional genetic polymorphic variants have been identified for most components of RAS, of which
the best known and studied is a polymorphism of the ACE gene. The ACE insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism has been associated with improvements in performance and exercise duration in a variety of populations. The I allele has been consistently demonstrated to be associated with enduranceorientated events, notably, in triathlons. Meanwhile, the D allele is associated with strength- and power-orientated performance, and has been found in
significant excess among elite swimmers. Exceptions to these associations do exist, and are discussed. In theory, associations with ACE genotype may be due to functional
variants in nearby loci, and/or related genetic polymorphism such as the angiotensin receptor, growth hormone and bradykinin genes. Studies of growth hormone gene variants have not shown significant associations with performance in studies involving both triathletes and military recruits. The angiotensin type-1 receptor has two functional polymorphisms that have not
been shown to be associated with performance, although studies of hypoxic ascent have yielded conflicting results. ACE genotype influences bradykinin levels, and a common gene variant in the bradykinin 2 receptor exists. The
high kinin activity haplotye has been associated with increased endurance performance at an Olympic level, and similar results of metabolic efficiency have been demonstrated in triathletes. Whilst the ACE genotype is associated with overall performance ability, at a single organ level, the ACE genotype and related polymorphism have significant associations. In cardiac muscle, ACE genotype has associations with left ventricular mass changes in response to stimulus, in both the health and
diseased states. The D allele is associated with an exaggerated response to training, and the I allele with the lowest cardiac growth response. In light of the I-allele association with endurance performance, it seems likely that other regulatory mechanisms exist. Similarly in skeletal muscle, the D allele is associated with greater strength gains in response to training, in both healthy individuals and chronic disease states. As in overall performance, those genetic polymorphisms related to the ACE genotype, such as the bradykinin 2 gene, also influence skeletal muscle strength. Finally, the ACE genotype may influence metabolic efficiency, and elite mountaineers have demonstrated an excess of I alleles and I/I genotype frequency in comparison to controls. Interestingly, this was not seen in amateur climbers. Corroboratory evidence exists among high-altitude settlements in both South America and India, where the I allele exists in greater frequency in those who migrated from the lowlands. Unfortunately, if the ACE genotype does influence metabolic efficiency, associations with peak maximal oxygen consumption have yet to be rigorously demonstrated. The ACE genotype is an important but single factor in the determinant of sporting phenotype. Much of the mechanisms underlying this remain unexplored despite 12 years of research.
Vaeyens et al. (2008)
Many children strive to attain excellence in sport. However, although talent identification and development programmes have gained popularity in recent decades, there remains a lack of consensus in relation to how talent should be defined or identified and there is no uniformly accepted theoretical framework to guide current practice. The success rates of talent identification and development
programmes have rarely been assessed and the validity of the models applied remains highly debated. This article provides an overview of current knowledge in this area with special focus on problems associated with the identification of gifted adolescents. There is a growing agreement that traditional cross-sectional talent identification models are likely to exclude many, especially late maturing, ‘promising’ children from development programmes due to the dynamic and multidimensional nature of sport talent. A conceptual framework that acknowledges both genetic and environmental influences and considers the dynamic and multidimensional nature of sport talent is presented. The relevance of this model
is highlighted and recommendations for future work provided. It is advocated that talent identification and development programmes should be dynamic and interconnected taking into consideration maturity status and the potential to develop rather than to exclude children at an early age. Finally, more representative realworld tasks should be developed and employed in a multidimensional design to increase the efficacy of talent identification and development programmes.
Vaeyens et al. (2009)
The start of a new Olympic cycle offers a fresh chance for individuals and nations to excel at the highest level in sport. Most countries attempt to develop systematic structures to identify gifted athletes and to promote their development in a certain sport. However, forecasting years in advance the next generation of sporting experts and stimulating their development remains problematic. In this article, we discuss issues related to the identification and preparation of Olympic athletes. We provide field-based data suggesting that an earlier onset and a higher volume of discipline-specific training and competition, and an extended involvement in institutional talent promotion programmes, during adolescence need not necessarily be
associated with greater success in senior international elite sport. Next, we consider some of the promising methods that have been (recently) presented in the literature and applied in the field. Finally, implications for talent identification and promotion and directions for future research are highlighted.
Gulbin et al. (2013)
linear progression through the system doesn’t seem to exist
more complex than may originally appear
